Having written several hundred reviews over the 20 years of my cooking show, I quite frankly got burned out writing them and have only reviewed maybe a half dozen places in the last few years...I guess, when I get a great experience, I feel compelled to share my thoughts.
Peachy's Beach Eats on Cape San Blas outside of Port St. Joe, Fl (on the Panhandle about equidistant between Panama City Beach and maybe a few clicks closer to Appalachicola)...beautiful area and not all commercial like PCB...Peachy''s is located on Cape San Blas (CSB) about 1/2 to 2/3rds of the way onto the peninsula close to the State Park which is at the end.
Now, honesty compels me to admit I have become good friends with the owner Steve and over the last several years have "promised" to stop in and just haven't...I hadn't for a lot of reasons. not the least of which he's my friend and when you decide to delve into this world, of reviews, you have no friends.
All of my local friends spoke very highly of it so, my wife and I took the leap and are we glad we did...Peachy's whole concept is spot on. It is a two person show with Steve there about 90 percent of the time (and it shows) with the whole place being spot on.
Peachy's is a great mix of food you love, freshness on all the things you NEED but don't always get like the grouper slab on the grouper sandwich, I said slab for a reason...no small piece of frozen grouper...a slab of fresh right off the boat type grouper and Peachy's now famous "smash burgers", shrimp and grits, well you get the idea.
From the moment we entered, we could tell this was going to work. You sense a real cleanliness immediately (we arrived just after lunch rush). The floors, tables, counters, grills everything spotless! Plenty of indoor seating, 20 or so seats that were comfortable not cheap and painful to sit in. Peachy's also has outdoor picnic table seating on a smaller scale, I try not to frequent places with just picnic tables. Another thing that hits you as you walk in is the "fun" atmosphere with the cheeky humor about ordering, the "rules" are a reminder of Seinfeld's "Soup Nazi" and it really works. it's on the signage everywhere...it's fun and all the dishes are clearly photographed and posted along the front of the counter to give you a real idea of what your ordering. You grab an order sheet, fill it out, go to the order counter add up your bill, taxes and all are included in the price you don't have to worry about change if you don't like having it jingle around your pockets all day, get your beverage, sit down and enjoy the colorful beachy murals, the beautiful weather and prepare yourself for your meal which will come out in a timely manner. I had the smash burger fresh not frozen meat "smashed thin" with a nice crust coming from the proper maillard effect (look it up and learn if you want). I had the double - a nice bun with the burgers hanging out the side, cheese added and it was outstanding, again even in a burger you can tell fresh from frozen and Steve knows how to make the crispiness just right ( guessing around 400 on the flat top, you need to smash it thin, crust, flip, crust again and get it out fresh and hot)...I did not see a heat lamp which can ruin the smash burger or a lot of other things if not careful.
My wife had the shrimp and grits, being a good south La girl, Karen was not disappointed as she is more often than not but is compelled to order them most every time they are on the menu. The grits were "fat" not overly cheesy and the shrimp fresh, seasoned and cooked right (not overly seasoned) complimenting the taste of the really fresh shrimp and not overcooked, so it had a snap on the bite. Now Karen likes her grits not a little tighter/thicker however, many people don't so that's not a knock and she would order again. Peachy's offers fresh pulled pork, I saw some butts coming off and they looked great and as he took him off his smoker and I could tell the way he temped, wrapped, and made sure a lot of fat was not in the final product...it was his attention to detail, his personal commitment to being there, cooking along with his long time assistant. Steve's concept is kind of unique and that my friends is Peachy's on CSB a great little jewel in the crown of the Panhandle...the prices are very fair for the quality and quantity of the food! So next time you are in the area and you are looking for a very clean, very fun, very tasty meal...check out Peachy's and tell Steve you want the Colonel's discount...I'll warn you the discount doesn't exist but I am sure Steve will give you some fun grief for asking and that will probably make you glad you asked and will no doubt give you just another reason to come back to Peachy's for more! read more