Restaurant Review: Cuvee Beach in Destin, FL

It has become a family tradition of mine to take a week long beach vacation in Florida once a year. And it has become a tradition within a tradition to eat out at a new restaurant one night of the week. Over the years we have found that the Destin area has a handful of really great restaurants, and this year we found one that ranks high among my favorites. Cuvee Beach is located on the main highway through Destin and is easy to find. I enjoy restaurants that have an uptempo, vibrant type of atmosphere like Cuvee. The first thing I noticed is the beautiful wine bar located at entrance in the front of the restaurant, and as we made our way to our table, the decor in the rest of the establishment did not disappoint. Because we had a party of twelve, we were given the option of a private dining room or a table in the middle of the main dining room, of which we chose the latter, when we made our reservation . We fit comfortably at our table in the middle of the commotion of dinner hour which shows the versatility of their layout. Our service was also great. The staff was very friendly, knowledgeable, and eager to answer our many questions regarding the menu. The food came out in a very timely manner which is always impressive for larger tables.

Now let's get to the good stuff and talk food. To start dinner off we ordered a round of appetizers to be passed around the table. The Crab Cakes and the Spring Rolls were very good, but I like to be a little more adventurous when eating out. So I went for the Smoked Yellow Fin Tuna Dip since I had never seen one on any other menus. The smokiness was too overpowering and the tuna was well done chunks of meat which gives it a texture resembling something from a can. The Fried Oysters were as good as any I've ever had, which is saying a lot coming from a New Orleanian. If there were any other appetizers on the table I guess they never made it to my end, and I'm sure that's the case.

The entrees were treated in much the same fashion. Everyone ordered their favorite selection on the menu trying not to double up on too many dishes so that we could all have a taste of the various dishes. My brother, my dad, and I split a fourth entree because we noticed no one ordered the Fresh Gulf Fish of the day, which was Grouper. I didn't hear any complaints from the table during this course of the meal. Instead of writing about every one of the 8 entrees I tasted, I'll just concentrate on the ones that impressed me the most. The grits on the Shrimp and Grits were fantastic and contained an ingredient that I could not put my finger on, but I really enjoyed trying to figure it out. The succotash was more like a maque choux, but still added a great flair to the dish. Now on to the Grouper, which was served with mash potatoes. this is a combination that I usually don't agree with, however the fish was sauteed with such a nice outer crisp that it made for a wonderful contrast on the plate. My favorite was the Rack of Lamb. Everything on this plate went together perfectly from the kick of the Spicy Herb Pesto to the Bleu Cheese and Bacon Macaroni to the lamb which was cooked perfectly to med-rare.

My whole family loved Cuvee Beach in Destin. Even my daughter, who received a hula skirt and a pink lei for attending, was a fan of her meal. She got a cheese pizza that I sampled a slice of and agree I that it was delicious. Since these pizzas are on the bar food menu I can't wait to go back to Cuvee for a date with my wife and just sit at the wine bar for Happy Hour. Maybe we will finish the evening once again with a Ginger Creme Brulee that we se enjoyed as the ending to our wonderful meal.