Review of Cuvee Bistro in Destin, Florida

We were very happy to find Cuvee Bistro open for Christmas day brunch. It is owned by Chef Tim Creehan, who according to his web site is multi-award winning chef to the stars and best in the Florida panhandle. Suffice it to say, we had high expectations.

The restaurant is very pretty - open and airy. We were warmly greeted and shown to our table right away. Our server took excellent care of us. It was a cold rainy day and we were seated next to a gas fire place. Upon arrival, it was unlighted and a cold down draft made it quite chilly. We asked if it was possible to have the fire lighted and were accommodated, although it took a good half hour to do so. That made the ambiance perfect - really the best table in the place.

On to the food. The menu gave drink choices as "Bloody Mary’s, Bellinis and Mimosas." I had been looking forward to a Bellini as that is one of my favorites, but I was informed that was not available so we settled on a bottle of Gewurztraminer wine.

The bread was outstanding. It came with two spreads, one with parmesan cheese that was very nice. One of the salads on the menu was "Classic Caesar with Roasted Chicken or Blackened Shrimp". My husband, Barry, asked for a plain caesar salad as a starter and was told this was not an option. I find it odd that a chef owned restaurant is unaccommodating and inflexible to so simple a request. Barry ordered the "Gulf Coast Seafood Bisque" instead. It was terribly under-seasoned. He salted it three times before it was right. I had the "Seared Foie Gras with Asian Pears, Figs and White Truffle Honey served on a Grilled Tuscan Bread". I believe this is the first time I've had foie gras and I was not disappointed. It was luscious.

Sorry for showing the same photograph in this post as one of my prior posts. This was the only one I took - I'm still trying to get in the habit of photographing everything before it's consumed!

Barry's choice of entree was "Petite Filet, Green Peppercorn Sauce, Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes and Vegetable Du Jour". The vegetable was brussels sprouts which seem to be the "it" food of the moment. This was done very nicely, caramelized with bits of bacon. I choose "Creehan’s Signature Black Pepper Seared Tuna with Braised Spinach & Soy Ginger Sauce". This was lacking... the slices were paper thin and limp, definitely not what I would rate as worthy to be called a "signature" dish and not even close to the picture on the web site. Perhaps they had limited supply of tuna and were trying to stretch it out? Chef Creehan needs to sample Ruth's Chris appetizer seared tuna for comparison's sake.

For dessert we chose "Duo of Vanilla and Chocolate Creme Brulee with Fresh Fruit and Candied Walnuts". Again, this was extremely disappointing... the brulee consisting of unmelted sugar crystals and the creme hardly there at all. This dessert simply isn't worth the calories.

Brunch for two people came to around $120.00 (including a bottle of wine and one glass of port wine with dessert). This is on the high end for this area and for that kind of money, one expects outstanding service and food. While I have no complaints about the service, the food was inconsistent in quality, did not justify the prices and did no service to the reputation of Chef Creehan.

I recommend checking out OpenTable.com. It's free to join and allows you to search for restaurants wherever you like, check out reviews and reserve online. They have a convenient iPhone app as well.

Destin - Part III

Some more highlights of the trip...

Christmas eve we had a fantastic dinner at McGuire's Irish Pub. This is a must-do if you're in Destin or Pensacola. The food is fantastic. Over the years, people have signed and attached one dollar bills to just about every surface possible, supposedly well over $500,000 in this location. We went a second time for lunch to sample their 3/4 pound hamburger. This picture is of hundreds of one dollar bills suspended from the ceiling.

Christmas day we were very limited in choices of restaurants. Fortunately, Cuvee Bistro in Sandestin was open for brunch. Pictured is "Seared Foie Gras with Asian Pears, Figs and White Truffle Honey served on a Grilled Tuscan Bread. Fancy, huh? I'll be posting a review of the restaurant soon.

Not everything was perfect this trip... Parker has had recurring problems with his eyes, usually scratched corneas with seem to be most often caused by his dew claws. I'm at a loss as to why a breeder would not remove dew claws. Apparently, it is just not practical to do so when they are grown. Anyway, we paid a visit to Banfield Pet Hospital at Petsmart in Destin. Here he is with some new friends, which he seems to make wherever he goes. He is a kid magnet. We have him scheduled to go to LSU Veterinary School which has an opthamology department. It seems the problem is with his inner eye lids which are ulcerated and causing the irritation and scratching.

One parting shot in Sandestin at Fleming's Steakhouse. This is a Ciroc Lemon Basil Martini which was an amazing beginning to the best meal of the trip. It just got more aromatic and flavorful with each sip. The other outstanding treat that evening was the special, a Lobster Bisque that was pure heaven. Now I just have to figure out a low fat version. We've been to Fleming's in Baton Rouge when they first opened. Now I'm convinced we need to make a point of going back.

Now it's back to lots of cardio and our "normal" diet which is fairly low fat and low carb. I'm playing with recipes and will try to post some of my successes and thoughts.

Destin - Part II

Grand Boulevard is a shopping area within walking distance of Residence Inn. It features P. F. Chang's, Fleming's Steakhouse, Mitchell's Fish Market and several more wonderful restaurants.

The first day we decided to revisit Mitchell's since they have an outstanding clam chowder. This picture doesn't make it look that great, but it really is divine.

There are several shops, but the best is The Orvis Company which is very dog friendly. Parker was warmly welcomed and encouraged to try the beds and sniff the toys to his heart's desire. He fell in love with a stuffed black lab that had probably been there for a few years, one ear almost torn off and full of wonderful doggie scents. They gave us a fantastic discount and Parker had his best Christmas present ever...

Vacation in Destin

What a procrastinator I am! It only took a year to write another post. That's terrible. Can't say I'll do better because I don't like to make promises I can't keep. I finally decided to get a Facebook page and that has me thinking more about posting events and thoughts just to keep track of life as it happens.

Barry and I traveled to Destin, Florida for Christmas and had a relaxing and enjoyable time. Somewhere I read, "The best camera is the one you have with you." and we are attached at the hip to our cell phones, not to mention the iPhone takes great pictures.

Here we are beginning our journey...

We are headed to The Residence Inn by Marriott in Sandestin. They are a pet friendly hotel that we stayed in October 2008 when I went back to The Andrews Institute for follow up after my shoulder surgery. They have a great breakfast that is included in the price. The "gym" wasn't much to brag about, consisting of one odd universal machine, one bike and two treadmills, but I was able to get a few good cardio sessions on the treadmills. There's also a really great Gold's Gym close by where we trained a couple of days. Fully equipped kitchens and fantastic dog walking areas were nice extras. I forget how wonderful my bed and sofa at home are until I'm away and back pain returns to remind me. Still, I highly recommend this hotel if you love to bring your dog along.

Since I've become more interested in food and cooking, the trip provided opportunity to indulge. Here are before and after pictures of whole crispy fish from Royal Orchard Thai Cuisine. This meal was outstanding. I wish I had photographed the "Tea Rose" steamed dumplings. They were absolutely amazing... I wish we'd gone back a second time. More to come in another post...