Nestled on highway 30A in the pristine location of Grayton Beach, Florida, a new restaurant has taken shape with owners that are not so new to the community. Miriam Dillion, a noted realtor in the area with Homes On 30A, and her husband Chef James Dillon, owner of the first restaurant built in Rosemary Beach called Summer Kitchen Café (still thriving today), have teamed up with former Onono at Rosemary Beach Chef Chris Joyner, to merge their creative talents and bring dynamic new flavors to the Shops of Uptown Grayton at Coast Food + Wine.
The soothing white logo with palmetto branch on the signage hanging outside the restaurant makes the statement that you will be served fresh coastal fare, and passers by will be firmly entrenched by sensory overload as they view the photographic video series of dishes though the glass window before entering, ensuring that this is the place they will want to linger for fine wine and imaginative food.
Since opening day, the restaurant has been filled with foodies, fans of both chefs, friends of the owners, locals and tourists alike who already know what to expect from Dillon and Joyner’s credentials: High quality food sourced regionally and prepared well. Many patrons are excited to have a midway location on 30A like Grayton Beach to dine on Dillon and Joyner’s cuisine, as those that live on the west end of 30A often find it difficult to get to restaurants on the east end, and vise-versa, especially in tourist season.
Chef Chris
Several diners have taken to social media to express their passion about their culinary experiences at Coast, like Brenda Nunnery, a Panama City resident and Grayton Beach homeowner who stated on Facebook, “I had the jumbo shrimp linguine with spinach, tomato, white wine and parmesan and it was delicious! I also can’t stop thinking about the sweet potato hummus with grilled pita bread!” A photo of the Seafood Stew with Mahi, shrimp, scallops, mussels and tomato in lemongrass-coconut milk broth alongside a photo of the Curried Scallops with sweet potato, baby peas, tomato and ginger also garnered quite a bit of attention and comments from food lovers on 30AEATS Instagram.
During my dining experience, I was extremely pleased with the sweet and creamy Crab & Corn Spring Rolls served with tangy lemon caper aioli, the Shrimp Ceviche with mango, lime and cilantro that delighted my taste buds with sweet and tart flavors that played together well, and was thoroughly impressed by the dreamy Panna Cotta topped with macerated fresh berries that had heads turning when placed on my table.
The limited menu is much appreciated over lengthy ones that are often time consuming to view, and is broken down into small plates, entrees, a very nice wine list, craft beers, water+soda and desserts. It will change with the seasons and as product becomes available from purveyors like Mac Farms, GreenMans Garden, City Produce, Florida Seminole Beef, Springer Mountain Chicken and Prince Edward Island Mussels to name a few.
A brand new wine bar has been placed in the restaurants front room, not only providing seating to savor a great culinary experience, but additionally as a place to enjoy the many distinctive wines by the bottle or glass. It is also the best spot to view Chef Joyner in action as he creates dishes in the open-air kitchen. Table seating with fresh picked flowers is available in both the front and back dining rooms, as well as outside on the patio under twinkling lights overhead. Patrons can also enjoy the master artwork by local talent Steve Wagner, available for purchase.
Coast Food + Wine serves Southern, local, coastal cuisine from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm Tuesday through Saturday at 50 Uptown Grayton Circle, Grayton Beach, Florida 32459. For a limited time, COAST is offering 50% off all entrees from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm Tuesday through Saturday. They are closed Sunday and Monday. For more information call (850) 231-3002 or visit www.coastfoodwine.com. Keep up with Coast on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/COASTGraytonBeachfoodandwine, twitter: https://twitter.com/CoastGraytonBch and Instagram: http://instagram.com/coastgraytonbch.
Susan Benton is the go to resource for foodies visiting Pensacola to Panama City Beach. She is a food and travel writer with published articles and photography in many local, regional and national publications. Her website is 30AEATS.com where she shares the secrets of Gulf Coast food.
