My Favorite Restaurant in Niceville (9/01/16)
As I thought about my last meal on my Florida business trip over 2 weeks, I thought about revisiting a Thai place nearby where I tried my first bubble drink and trying their duck curry. (I had no clue what a bubble drink is, but the one I had has a frozen consistency like a Slurpee with a sweet milk tea taste with flavors like tapioca.) But I decided on the French Quarter, just up 85S from the 20 T-intersection in Niceville. Apparently I've become well-known in the restaurant; the waitress remembered what I ordered for dessert the last time I ate dinner there and recommended it again, but I had my mind set on their Beignets.
It was actually my fourth visit to the restaurant, 3 times for dinner and one time I went to lunch with other trainees. I had Étouffée twice there, the crawfish for my first dinner and then a mixed-meat for lunch; the others were seafood, a catch of the day and voodoo shrimp. Everything they cooked for me was great, consistently high quality. I was surprised tonight when I went there was only one other party there, a young Asian-American family. Why? Does Tropical Storm/Hurricane Hermine affect people's plans? Where I am in the panhandle has not been too much affected other than occasional showers; my outgoing flight tomorrow morning is showing on time status. Other than wet streets, I didn't need my wipers to and from the restaurant. As a customer, you like having the undivided attention of your waitress.
I would say Tucker Duke ranked second on my list. Their corporate website never acknowledged the fact they have obsolete information on their Niceville location; I just double-checked before writing this and I had sent them an unacknowledged email last weekend. Their new location in a strip mall anchored by Grocery Outlet, a few blocks east of the high school, is recent and maybe a third to a half of available seating was filled on my 2 visits. They have a few other things on their menu, but burgers are what made them famous. On my last visit, I tried the more expensive ($13) mondragon, which doesn't have the signature Tucker Duke onion rings on top but comes topped with a fried egg and several strips of bacon. Hands down the best burger I've ever had; I call it "brunch in a bun". Just that and unsweetened ice tea, and I'm good for hours. These guys have to do a better job telling their story; granted, when you move locations, it may take a while to build your traffic back up because your regulars have to follow you. But the only reason I knew about the strip mall was because of Google.
Childhood Memories and Fast Food (9/01/16)
I'm sure some readers are wondering why it is that this guy writes so much about food. Then they look at my picture and say, "No wonder, fatso." (Literally.) I'm not going to get defensive about my weight. I went to lunch with other trainees on multiple occasions, and I ate comparably but wasn't the one ordering appetizers or dessert. One day I wasn't that hungry (I had gone to Tucker Duke's for lunch) and I went to a KFC for dinner (I don't think I've been to a KFC in over a decade). They had some sort of all-you-care-to-eat buffet but I didn't even ask about it; I ordered a 2-piece meal, and that was more than enough.
But for years I've rarely gone out. I almost never do fast food unless I'm on the road. For years I did Nutrisystem (so grocery shopping was for things like veggies and beverages). I might have eggs one meal, a couple of protein bars (e.g., Quest) for lunch/snack at work, and an Atkins frozen dinner. Aging slows one's metabolism, and I also have an underactive thyroid. But, to give an example, many if not most hotels serve breakfast, including pastries, waffles, etc., and I shun the carbs.
I was raised a military brat; Dad was career enlisted. We never stayed any place longer than 3-4 years at most. I think sister #1 attended 3 different high schools. My Dad moonlighted (second, part-time job) during the early years of my childhood. Things like cake, ice cream, or soda pop were special occasions only, like birthdays. We did fast food once in a while, like on a special occasion or to give my Mom a break from the kitchen. Dad might pick up a barrel/bucket of KFC. (That's why when I came home from Houston, I was astounded to see my teenage baby brother and sister casually reach for a soda or carton of ice cream at will from the refrigerator; what happened to my family? Mom raised us with strong rules against eating between meals, and this was almost never available then. I remember buying a Sprite after delivering papers in the airmen's barracks in nearly 100 degree heat, which ate a big chunk of the dollar or so I earned from delivering 80-90 papers.)
McDonald's was a big deal; they used to sponsor local kids' programming hours (say, a hosted kid's birthday party featuring a number of cartoons like my favorite, Hercules). It wasn't so much soda pop as milk shakes (my favorite was vanilla) [Ray Kroc, of course, sold shake machines to the McDonald brothers]; I loved the simple burgers and shoestring fries. I NEVER put ketchup on shoestring fries; I love them as is with a light sprinkling of salt.
I know we must have gone to Whataburger a handful of times when we lived in south Texas during my high school years. I remember big sloppy (a lot of fixings-lettuce, tomato, onions, etc) burgers with a good mustard base. For some reason, I don't recall going to Whataburger that often since then; I think in most cases there wasn't a local franchise. I tried to talk my Mom into going to one when I visited last Christmas, but she wan't interested. But I remembered passing one during my search for Tucker Duke's last weekend, and on my last full day in Florida I decided to go there for lunch.
I couldn't pass up their jalapeno cheese burger. (I eat jalapenos on everything--salads, eggs, burgers.) Big burger loaded with veggie toppings; I loved it. Tucker Duke's has nothing to worry about, but I'll take a Whataburger over any other well-known chain.
