Mike's really was great. And the oysters were indeed very good (and cold!).

This is the website by the way. After looking at some of the pictures on this website though it seems maybe there is another section of the restaurant that is more "diner" like which we didn't see. We were in the section where the bar was located which was more "restaurant like". Or perhaps the pictures on the website are from before they converted to a cafe and oyster bar from a diner. I don't know :) Also, the signage outside is different than what you see on google maps by the way. Just so no one is confused!

http://www.funeemunee.com/?host=mikes...

I realize some people like those types of salads and breads just not me. I am not much of an iceberg lettuce or a creamy dressing fan. And we just felt Mike's Cafe and Oyster Bar was better all around not to mention much cheaper. It is family owned too. Of course Captain Andersons does have a much better ambiance being located at the marina. I wish I had tried some of the special dishes at Capt Andersons or the whole snapper as you suggested. The whole fish pompano really was great.

I meant to write about our experiences earlier but time just got away from me!

We first went to Dee's Hangout for lunch which we really enjoyed. We tried the red beans and rice which were excellent, the oyster po' boy and the grouper sandwich which were both very good. A local guy outside the restaurant said the smoked tuna dip was very good but we did not try it there. Their menu looked so wonderful as did their specials on the chalkboard that I wish we could have tried more of their food. I would definitely recommend this place.

Later we went to Captain Andersons which is located at the marina. We went early on a weekday and had no trouble getting seated right away but the restaurant did become busy pretty quickly. The atmosphere was wonderful especially considering we got a table next to the window overlooking the marina. I ordered the grilled grouper which was excellent and the portion huge! It took up the whole plate actually. My husband ordered the whole fish pompano which was even better. It had more seasoning than the grouper. My only complaint about Captain Andersons is the quality of the food that came with the meal. I know the most important thing is for the main dish to be high quality but I still think the side dishes, bread, salad, etc. should be good as well. To me they were not. The bread was just OK and the salad reminded me of the salads from 20 years ago with the iceberg comprising 95% of the salad and topped with a heavy creamy dressing. Some people may really like those types of salads but I do not. Also the broccoli side was overcooked with a goopy cheese sauce. Also not a winner for me. My husband however got the soup instead of a salad which I highly recommend. It was very good. It was either the she-crab or an oyster soup of the day. Sorry, I can't remember which. For the price I am not sure I would go back again. Especially considering the place we found later in the week which we liked much better and was half the price.....

Across the street from where we stayed was a place called "Mike's Cafe and Oyster Bar” which we tried near the end of our trip on a whim. It was our favorite place by far! They have been around for decades and apparently it used to be a diner but recently they transformed it into the cafe and oyster bar. Every single thing we tried from appetizers to main dishes to sides was excellent! First we tried their smoked tuna appetizer which came with homemade tortilla chips (red, green, blue and plain), jalapeno peppers and tomatoes. So good!!! My husband ordered the raw Apalachicola oysters which were fabulous. He also had the seafood casserole which was very, very good. It was basically shrimp, fish, scallops in a cream sauce. Yum! I ordered the steamed local shrimp which was also great. It was perfectly cooked and seasoned and came with homemade cocktail sauce and drawn butter. It also came with chunks of smoked sausage and corn on the cob which was also seasoned wonderfully. Even the small salads were good and came with dressing choices of interesting vinaigrettes such as a lemon and an asian which was like a ginger soy if I am remembering correctly. I would highly recommend this place! Like I have already stated everything we ordered was great and it was all very reasonably priced. Even the wine and beer!

Oh, and all of these places were very kid friendly!

A couple of evenings we made a seafood dinner in our condo. We found a place called "Buddy's Seafood Market" (located on HWY 79 in Panama City Beach) which had excellent local seafood! We tried the shrimp, scallops and deviled crabs. All perfect! I would highly recommend this market if you enjoy cooking your own seafood.

Thanks again so much to everyone for the recommendations! We ate very well on our trip thanks to you!

Thank you so much!

Thank you so much!

The Pancake Pantry is good and the line does move pretty fast but I would avoid the weekends. The hash browns are very good with an addition of a little black pepper.

I second Monell's, Marche and Germantown Cafe. I love Provence for lunch but not so much for breakfast unless you are willing to stick with just pastries. Fido's has an excellent breakfast and lunch. It is also located in Hillsboro Village which would just be a very short drive and the village is a nice place to explore and shop.

Thank you so much for your help! I will give a report when we return. Thanks to all these great recommendations I have no doubt we will be eating well while we are there.

Thanks! We love New Orleans style seafood.

We will be staying near Conservation Park but on the beach (I don't know where the bridge is). Driving is really not an issue for us. Thank you so much for your help! I have also read about the Captain's Table and thought it sounded great.

Thanks! We will check Capt. Anderson's out for sure. My research has also brought up Boatyard as a possibility. Any opinion on that restaurant? Thanks again!

Any recommendations will do though.

My husband and I will be staying on the west side of Panama Beach next month with our three year old daughter. Any recommendations for great places to eat? We love seafood and chef-owned places but they would need to be kid friendly. We eat out with our daughter a lot and she does pretty well in restaurants. I guess most of all we are looking for great seafood. Thanks!

Skullcreek Boathouse looks great!

Thank you so much everyone! I will check out Eat! and Skullcreek Boathouse as well. I see now that Roastfish and Cornbread's website is back up. Good to know they are still around. Again, thanks everyone!

Does anyone know if "Roastfish and Cornbread" is still open or not?

Skip Loveless Cafe. It is so over-rated!
I agree 100% with Arnolds being a must for lunch, however they are not open on weekends.
City House is great for a more upscale Southern experience.

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City House
1222 4th Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37208

F. Scott's is a great place that has been around for a long time. They have live jazz after 7pm. My husband and I went there recently for his birthday and it was excellent. I can recommend the foie gras for an appetizer and the scallops for an entree.
http://www.fscotts.com/

My family and I will be traveling around Labor Day this year to Hilton Head for one week. I know there are many reviews on this area already but it has been stated that many places come and go in this area and I found very few reviews that are less than a year old. For example many recommended Roastfish and Cornbread but the website no longer works so I wonder if this place is still open? It sounds wonderful. We are looking for moderately priced non-chain places in Hilton Head and/or Savannah. We are especially interested in places specializing in low country cooking but we are very adventurous eaters. Oh, and we will be dining with a 2 year old. Thanks.

Thank you so much for the suggestions!

We are four 60 + year olds looking for recommendations in Branson. We prefer chef-run/ independent restaurants not chains. We like mom-n-pop places too. Thanks you for your help.

Thank you so much everyone! These are all wonderful suggestions.

Thank you so much everyone! These places all sound wonderful. I am making a list to take with us on our trip. Any other recommendations are welcome of course.

My family and I will be traveling to Williamsburg, VA in September. Any recommendations on where to eat or places to visit in the area? My husband and I have a 1 1/2 year old child so places that are child friendly are important to us. However we will be traveling with my parents and so my husband and I will have some time to go out to dinner together (just the two of us). We especially appreciate local/chef owned places and we are somewhat adventurous. Thanks!

A big thank you to everyone!
:)

My family and I will be in Big Sky, MT and Yellowstone National Park the first week of August. We may also travel to the Grand Tetons and Cody, WY. Any food recommendations?
Thanks for your help!

Monell's is open on Sunday. I would definitely go there if I were you. It is located in a beautiful old neighborhood (Germantown) and the food is quintessential southern. Skip the Pancake Pantry and Loveless they are both overrated!

It might not be you’re thing, but La Hacienda up by Phonoluxe makes a pretty good Goat soup on the weekends.

Ombi is excellent! I love their small plate options. That way you can try many different items instead of just one entree. Of course if you prefer they also have many great entrees to choose from. And the desserts are incredible!