I was tempted to title this column, “Dishes I wished I tried in Pensacola.” This thought is due to the fact that, although I sampled amazing cuisine during a recent short trip, I either overlooked or ran out of time to sample quite a few amazing dishes whose menu descriptions sounded divine. I’ll intersperse a few of the “wish I tried” dishes in with a recap of the amazing cuisine I DID sample and can highly recommend.
First, let me clarify something about Pensacola’s The Fish House. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that the homemade smoked corn tartar sauce “almost outshone the fried shrimp and sides” with which it was served. After sharing the name, the idea that you might have gotten the impression that this upscale eatery was akin to one of the many rustic “fish houses” that are dotted across the U.S., especially the south. This couldn’t be farther than the truth.
Opened close to 30 years ago in downtown Pensacola overlooking the scenic bay, the restaurant’s first mission was to serve grits for 2,000 people as they welcomed Governor Jeb Bush to its historic district. Fast forward to today and I regret not ordering the restaurant’s signature dish, Grits à Ya Ya. I’ll let the menu description speak for itself:…