![]() ![]() Outside of that, don't even bother asking.Īpalachicola’s oysters are purported to be some of the best on earth. These days, they might be on the menu at some raw bar on the Florida panhandle, but there's no guarantee. As one New Orleans restaurant owner told the Times more than a decade ago, "Little tiny oysters from other places don't fill up your mouth."īut, there's a problem with oysters from Apalachicola Bay: They're getting harder and harder to find beyond the hyperlocal market. They're typically large and plump - three inches across is the standard. They taste slightly salty and slightly sweet. The New York Times asked around in 2002 and came to that conclusion. Its industry is oysters, which are pulled out of the bay and are reported to be some of the best on Earth. Unlike most Gulf Coast towns that anyone's actually heard of, the city of Apalachicola is not a tourist destination. Photo: Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel/MCT via Getty Imagesįor many Southern Americans, especially those who reside in Florida or spend their summers vacationing on the northwest coast of the Sunshine State, the ideal oyster comes from Apalachicola Bay, a body of water about 160 miles east of Pensacola Beach and 75 miles southwest of Tallahassee, the state capital. "Louisiana," the shucker replies, without looking up.Īpalachicola oysters. He hopes the answer will be " Apalachicola ," but he knows it won't be. "Where are they from?" he asks, with false optimism in his voice. After placing his order, he leans down toward the end of the bar to ask a question. A man in his 60s, a nearly lifelong Floridian boasting a deep tan thanks to decades in the sun, bellies up and asks the bartender for a cold beer and dozen raw. Peg Leg's oysters are from the Gulf Coast it's just a matter of where, exactly, along the Gulf Coast they're from.Īt the bar, a familiar scene plays out. This is not the kind of place that offers a variety of oysters from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. At the far end of the bar, someone is ceaselessly shucking bivalves to be served raw, on the half shell, by the dozen or half-dozen. The wall is covered with dollar bills containing messages written in permanent black marker. Inside, the long L-shaped bar has a dull sheen from years-old lacquer. Patrons who don't feel like dealing with traffic on the road - and have the necessary means - pull up in their boats and enter past a large wooden sign into the lower level of the restaurant's outdoor seating. ![]() It's directly accessible via Fort Pickens Road or the adjacent Lafitte Cove Marina. Peg Leg Pete's is a Pensacola Beach, Fla., oyster bar that might be found in any beach town on the state's panhandle. ![]()
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