Primrose Coastal Italian — Restaurant in Destin

I dined on the terrace last night and I cannot stress how perfect everything was. Jennifer, our server, was warm and professional, and had the voice of a soft rock radio DJ—calm and relaxing. I make note of this because we had a baby with us who toes the line between sweet cherub and enraged banshee depending on the atmosphere. We enjoyed the salmon crudo and carpaccio to start. I probably would not have ordered the crudo because I’m not a huge salmon fan but I tend to go with my server’s recommendations and I’m grateful I did; this dish exceeded all expectations. The salmon melts in your mouth, paired with a umami, acidic sauce, the essence of truffle, and some crunchy sweet potato hay on top. I would go back just to have 4 orders of these to stuff my face with. The carpaccio, equally as delicious and with a more remarkable presentation than the usual banal accompaniments of capers and, arugula and shaved Parmesan.

For entrees we both enjoyed steaks, prime New York and prime ribeye. They were each cooked exactly as ordered and the seasoning was applied flawlessly. Accompaniments were also great. Most steakhouses serve their cuts a la carte so it was great that these were served with pomme puree and charred asparagus.

After dessert was offered and I politely declined, somehow my husband talked me into ordering one. I will preface this with the fact that I have been on a low sugar diet for months now and have become pretty disciplined at turning down sweets. This dessert, however, was the pièce de résistance. The fig Mille feuille was something you would expect to see in the finals of The Great British Bakeoff. So elegant and beautiful and one of my favorite desserts I have had in a long while! Even if figs aren’t your bag, trust me, they will be when covered with chantilly cream, flakey, crunchy puff pastry and dipped in the tangy accompanied sauce. This was hands down worth me having to take another 3 days to get back into ketosis and I do not say that lightly.

I implore you, go check out Primrose, ask for Jennifer, and DO NOT...

When you have the price of a 5 star restaurant but wait staff that don’t come close. Upon sitting down, bread rolls were brought to the table. Having celiac disease, I asked if they had gluten free bread and was told no. Fine, no problem. We ordered a spicy tuna roll instead. When the sushi was brought to the table, the assistant waiter said, “but sushi is gluten free?” I’m happy to explain the ins and outs of gluten, the structure of the wheat plant, etc but honestly when paying $50/plate, I shouldn’t have to and I shouldn’t have to deal with snarky remarks. I asked him what has gluten in sushi when it is rice and fish. He then said he didn’t know what gluten was but you can’t have any bread then because it all has gluten. Yes, wheat bread has gluten. Great job. However, there about 50 other grains in which bread can be made and none contain gluten. I took the time to explain and after his last snide remark, he walked off. We then ordered a glass of Chardonnay which still hasn’t arrived when dinner came. I asked the waitress to cancel the wine since dinner had already arrived and she very curtly informed that I hadn’t ordered wine. When I explained that we had a conversation about dryness and Chardonnay, it suddenly dawned on her that yes I had ordered wine. She comped the wine and it’s why I gave two stars instead of one. I don’t mind mistakes one bit but when her rudeness and attitude when I asked the cancel the wine was shocking. The food was just decent. Not great and very greasy which is an accomplishment with fish and veggies. LuLu’s has food about 100 times better for half the price. We have dined at hundreds of 5* restaurants and so wanted to like Primrose but it was honestly a bad experience from start to finish. Forget the $250 bill and...

Dear Chef Gary,

I just had to write to share with you how much Chip and I thoroughly delighted in spending an evening in your kitchen. I have revisited the flavors of the night on multiple occasions and feel incredibly fortunate to have had such a lovely experience. Charlotte was such an enchanting young lady; such a treat to share in her future as a lawyer and her upcoming marriage. Mary, the pastry chef, displayed such pride in her creation. Our meeting was fleeting but her pride and exuberant personality has lingered. The youth of your kitchen added to the experience; they were so focused and deliberate in their actions. I must say that you have successfully surrounded yourself with wonderful!!! Having given due to those who aided in the experience, let there be no doubt that you were indeed the star of the show!!! You are the real deal; truly authentic and unapologetic in presenting meals that respect the ingredients all while delighting the tastebuds. Your gifts of humility and hospitality added to the unforgettable evening. Food is our love language which transcends time and place; you, my new friend, (if I can be so presumptuous) have afforded us the opportunity to go to places and experience tastes and textures that were before foreign to both of us. For this, we thank you with full hearts!! You kindness in considering us for a Chef's Table experience will forever be appreciated. We are looking forward to sharing time, stories and food in your kitchen again.

Most...