seafood

Dining Outside the Home; 110 Grill in Nashua, New Hampshire 

Dining Outside the Home: 110 Grill in Nashua, New Hampshire! Turning the corner into Summer makes a restaurant with outdoor seating that much more desirable, especially on comfy cushions around a fire pit. As the sun cools down and the taste buds heat up, gathering with that special someone for a leisurely meal, trendy conversation, and innovative cocktails suddenly becomes high on the list. After all, you deserve it. Choose something interesting as a starter appetizer, fresh from the garden salads, or a main course favorite of the chef. Then be sure to leave room for dessert. To repeat myself…you deserve it!

Dining Outside the Home: Petey’s Summertime Seafood in Rye, New Hampshire 

Dining Outside the Home: Petey’s Summertime Seafood in Rye, New Hampshire. Sometimes you just need to go to the shack. The seafood shack, that is. Located right across the road from the beach, on the scenic route through New Hampshire, sits a casual restaurant that practically never closes. Petey’s is famous for the freshest seafood, generous portions, and the best clam strips my husband has ever eaten. If you don’t believe him, drive by sometime. The parking lot is always full. Always. I’m a lobster-lover, so I’ve tried everything from a cracked lobster dinner to lobster-on-a-stick, with drawn butter of course. The juicy, tender, bite-size chunks can almost make me swoon. They practically come from the ocean to the table. Sound like Paradise? Pinch me, I must be dreaming. 

Dining Outside the Home: Atlantic Grill in Rye, New Hampshire 

Dining Outside the Home: Atlantic Grill in Rye, New Hampshire! Patio dining is such a plus this time of year. The sun is warm, the coastal breeze is cool, the drinks are perfectly chilled, and the seafood is spot on. For starters, the buttermilk-fried calamari set the tone for generous portions. The rich cherry peppered marinara sauce was a condiment companion that released the flavor within. Chunky Seafood Chowder was next on deck. The first slurp from the bowl was enough to see why it was tagged “award-winning chowder”. It was thick and creamy with a blend of clams, scallops, shrimp, lobster, and haddock. Definitely five-star, in my opinion. The Sandwich Board proclaimed the Lobster Roll as Maine tail and claw lobster on a brioche bun. It was indeed. No fillers here, folks! The entire meal left us feeling overstuffed. Pamper yourself and enjoy the seafood. 

Dining Outside the Home: Fat Tuna Grill and Oyster House in Williamsburg, Virginia 

Dining Outside the Home: Fat Tuna Grill and Oyster House in Williamsburg, Virginia. It’s not often Oysters Rockefeller jumps off the menu in a seafood restaurant. The fact that it’s a “Starter” item gives the customer an opportunity to pair it with an order of Crispy Fried Calamari or Coconut Shrimp as well. The appetizers did not disappoint in this “Farm to Table and Sea to Table” setting. The portions were generous and artistically arranged with tasty garnishments. The complementary hush puppies and corn muffins were truly addictive. Would I return for another meal? Absolutely! As a seafood-lover, I intend to work my way through the menu. Eventually I may have one of their fabulous desserts. 

Dining Outside the Home: Point Loma Seafoods in San Diego, California 

Dining Outside the Home: Point Loma Seafoods San Diego, California! Quality fish and other creatures of the sea are caught straight from the boat, directly bought from local fishermen, and sold at the market the same day. It doesn’t get any fresher than that. What began as a family business of simply processing and selling sport-caught fish over 50 years ago, turned into a place to gather and nibble on the salt-water delicacies prepared with secret recipes. From flaky crab cakes and shrimp cocktail to breaded clam strips, seared ahi, and smoked salmon on bakery fresh sourdough bread, the selection is overwhelming. What a unique experience for the heartiest eaters. 

Experience Alligators in Cocoa, Florida

When my Aunt Gail and Cousin Connie invited us on the Lone Cabbage Fish Camp Airboat Ride, I had no idea what they were talking about. And until you share the sensation of gliding down the river before cutting over hardy reeds, lily pads, and marsh lands, you won’t either. It is the most thrilling exploration of swamps, alligators, and wildlife imaginable. Did you know cattle and steer stand knee-deep in the marsh just to nibble on healthy greens? Or that “gators” flip out on the surface of the waterway only to submerge yards ahead with their eyes peeking over the Everglades? I saw first-hand exotic baby alligators, while merely days-old, mingle camouflaged at water’s edge believing they are completely invisible. I learned the majestic pond cypress tree, with its scale-like trunk, can tolerate wetlands and endure floods making it an ancient species of southern gentility. Seeing a dense grove among floating lily pads is not only impressive, it’s artistic. As the skillfully guided airboat ride ended, I knew I had glimpsed Nature at its best. A delicious lunch sampling of fresh “gator”, frog legs, shrimp, clams, and fish culminated the visit with memories galore, followed by a fond farewell. 

Dining Outside the Home: Petey’s Seafood by the Seashore 

Just north of the Hamptons on the Eastern Seaboard is a small community called Rye, where lobster is plentiful and people drive there to eat seafood. Yes, please. We indulged ourselves in a monstrous lobster roll, broiled lobster on a stick, crispy fried clams, and chunky clam chowder. Thank you, Leah, for the exceptional service!