SANDESTIN – Fine dining restaurant Ovide has launched new breakfast, brunch and dinner menus, focusing on the flavors of the Gulf Coast and its inherently Southern roots. From Coconut Chia Seed Parfait to Deviled Eggs, Watermelon & Feta Salad to a Lobster Roll, and Crispy Pork Ribs to Goat Cheese Corn Casserole, the new menu includes ample vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options, too. The Ovide staff welcomed 30A Food and Wine for a four-course menu, highlighting some of the best the kitchen has to offer, as well as a sneak peek of possibilities to come.
Slideshow: Ovide at Hotel Effie
The corn bread sharing plate is a traditional corn bread topped with egg yolk, served with strawberry jam and honey butter dredged in corn flakes. The bread is beautifully sweet and tender with the slightest crunch on the edges. This vegetarian-friendly starter is available on the dinner menu.
Ovide’s she-crab soup is fall comfort food in a bowl, and the kitchen is not skimping on the seafood! Available all day, this soup is made with crème fraîche and fresh chives.
A feast for the eyes and the tastebuds, the Mega Toast lives up to its name. Served with a steak knife – and for good reason – this brunch and lunch item is built off deliciously caramelized Black Bear Bread Co. sourdough with smoked salmon, poached egg yolks, Boursin cheese, heirloom tomato and radish.
Chef Karim El Kady’s lamp chops special is not currently on the menu, but is something he’s hoping might be someday. Seasoned with aleppo spice and chilis, the chops are grilled then finished in the oven. Chef serves this with heirloom grain polenta with Parmigiano reggiano, and is topped with tomato-okra stew.
Ovide is located at 1 Grand Sandestin Blvd, Miramar Beach, within Hotel Effie in the Sandestin resort. Serving guests year-round, breakfast is offered 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday to Friday, lunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and dinner runs 5 to 9 p.m. nightly, open until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. A weekend brunch is held from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit www.hoteleffie.com/dining/ovide.
Hotel Effie restaurant features fresh ingredients inspired by the coast
Sept. 26, 2023 Special to 30A Food & Wine
MIRAMAR BEACH – Ovide, the signature restaurant at Hotel Effie at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, has launched new breakfast, brunch and dinner menus highlighting the flavors of the Gulf Coast and the freshest, in-season ingredients. All menus include ample vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options.
“We are excited to launch our all-new breakfast, brunch and dinner menus showcasing the in-season ingredients and seafood from the Gulf Coast,” said Hotel Effie’s general manager Jim Marino.
“We work closely with regional farmers and vendors to ensure we incorporate the freshest, most sustainable ingredients into our plates.”
Avocado Toast features sourdough topped with feta cheese, heirloom tomatoes, pickled red onions, avocado mash and pepitas; add on poached eggs, fresh crab or chilled Gulf shrimp.
Breakfast menu
For breakfast (available Monday through Friday from 7 to 11 a.m.), starters include the Summer Fruit Plate ($15), featuring berries, melons and dragon fruit; fan-favorite house-made Effie’s Biscuits ($12), served with sweet butter and strawberry pepper jam; and Steel-Cut Oats ($12), with brown sugar, granola and blueberries. “From the Griddle” options include Brioche French Toast ($18), topped with bananas Foster and candied pecans, and Buttermilk Pancakes ($15), topped with vanilla whipped ricotta, blueberries and maple syrup.
“From the Farm” breakfast plates include Two Farm-Fresh Eggs ($19), served with breakfast potatoes, a choice of meat (bacon, turkey bacon or sausage) and toast (wheat, white, English muffin or Effie’s biscuit); Summer Quiche ($19), made with zucchini, yellow squash, marinated tomatoes and feta and served with breakfast potatoes; Eggs Benedict ($20), with poached eggs, spinach, hollandaise, pork belly and breakfast potatoes (add lump crab meat for $12); and 3-Egg Omelet ($20) with choice of three ingredients – mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, bell peppers, onions, cheddar cheese, bacon or sausage (each additional item is $2) – and toast.
Breakfast “Specialties” include Biscuits and Gravy ($16), Effie’s house-made biscuits topped with sausage gravy and sunny-side eggs; Avocado Toast ($15), sourdough topped with feta cheese, heirloom tomatoes, pickled red onions, avocado mash and pepitas (add poached eggs for $6, fresh crab for $12 or chilled Gulf shrimp for $15); Toasted Bagel with Lox ($18), a Black Bear sesame bagel topped with whipped cream cheese, pickled shallots, capers and cucumber; Ovide BLT ($20), toasted sourdough topped with applewood-smoked bacon, avocado and buttermilk dressing (add egg for $3); Shrimp and Grits ($29), with Gulf shrimp, stone-ground grits, seafood tomato sauce and andouille sausage; and Corned Beef Hash ($24), with potatoes, pepper, onions, pickled red onions, avocado and sunny-side egg. Diners can also choose the Full Gulf Breakfast ($35), which includes a fruit plate, any entrée (excluding Lump Crab Benedict and Shrimp and Grits), bloody mary or mimosa, and coffee or tea. A limited kids menu is also available.
Brioche French Toast is topped with bananas Foster and candied pecans.
Brunch menu
The brunch menu (available Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.) features many plates from the breakfast menu, plus special brunch items, including starters like the Coconut Chia Seed Parfait ($12), with lime, summer berries, toasted coconut and granola; Shrimp Cocktail ($18), with Gulf shrimp and cocktail sauce; Emerald Coast Smoked Fish Dip ($21), with pickled red onion and sourdough; and Deviled Eggs ($14), with cornichons and Parma ham.
A brunch-only “Specialty” is the Steak & Eggs ($36), a New York strip steak served with grilled tomatoes, chimichurri, eggs over-easy, toasted sourdough and breakfast potatoes. A brunch-only “From the Farm” dish is the Crab Cake Benedict ($32), served with poached eggs, hollandaise, spinach and grilled tomato.
The brunch menu also features several salad and sandwich options, including the Watermelon & Feta Salad ($17), with pine nuts, basil, Aleppo pepper and olive oil (add Gulf shrimp for $15 or fresh crab for $18); Caesar Salad ($16), with romaine lettuce, garlic croutons, Parmesan cheese, creamy Caesar dressing and crispy lardon (add grilled chicken for $9, shrimp for $15 or fresh catch for $24); Lobster Roll ($32), with tarragon aioli and celery; Blackened Grouper Sandwich ($26), toasted ciabatta topped with house slaw and lemon-garlic aioli; and Effie Burger ($22), a brioche bun topped with pimento cheese, Effie’s sauce, butter lettuce, vine-ripe tomato and pickles (add bacon, egg and/or avocado for $3 each). The Grand Sandestin Brunch ($35) includes a fruit plate, any entrée (exclusions apply), bloody mary or mimosa, and coffee or tea.
The new dinner menu includes snacks, raw bar options, mains and sides.
Dinner menu
Ovide’s new dinner menu (available Sunday through Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m.) includes a selection of “snacks,” including Pimento Cheese ($12) served with artisan crackers; Spinach & Artichoke Dip ($17), served with pita; Crispy Pork Ribs ($19), with benne seed BBQ sauce, honey and cilantro; and Beef Tartare ($24), with bone marrow aioli, quail egg and Black Bear sourdough. Soup and salad options include She-Crab Soup ($20), featuring lump crab, charred corn and tomatoes, and Burrata ($19), served with heirloom tomatoes, baguette, pickled red onion, basil, corn and English peas.
The dinner menu also features several raw bar options, including Half-Shell Oysters (half dozen, $20; dozen, $36), served with black pepper mignonette and sourdough crackers; Classic Oysters Rockefeller ($24), with bacon, Parmesan bechamel and spinach; and a Seafood Platter (market price), with half-shell oysters, shrimp cocktail, smoked fish dip, snapper ceviche and crab claws. For the main course, options include Pappardelle ($29), with basil pesto, English peas, asparagus, zucchini and Parmesan cheese; Grouper ($43), served with warm quinoa salad and herb vinaigrette; Crispy Skin Snapper ($50), served with coconut broth and charred summer vegetables; Low Country Boil ($36), with Gulf shrimp, potato, tomato, andouille sausage, corn and garlic bread; and Crispy Half Chicken ($36), with Southern collard greens, black-eyed peas and grilled lemon. Grilled options include the Berkshire Pork Chop ($43), served with stone-ground grits, peach chutney and herbs; Prime 8-Ounce Tenderloin ($66); and Prime 16-Ounce Boneless Rib-Eye ($68).
Dinner sides ($12 each) include Goat Cheese Corn Casserole with goat cheese feta, peppadew and cilantro lime aioli; Charred Broccolini with jalapeño maple and lemon; Southern Collard Greens; Smoked Turkey; Whipped Potatoes with boursin cheese; and Potato Croquettes served with Effie’s sauce.
Ovide is located at Hotel Effie, 1 Grand Sandestin Blvd. in Miramar Beach. Reservations can be made at www.hoteleffie.com/dining/ovide.
SANDESTIN – This Thanksgiving, locals and travelers visiting the Emerald Coast can remove the holiday stress from their plate, leaving room for extra turkey and mashed potatoes. Guests of Ovide, the ground-floor restaurant at Sandestin’s Hotel Effie, can choose from two chef-driven holiday meals for the whole family:
Thanksgiving Brunch at Ovide
Perfect for hotel guests and locals, skip the clean-up and dine in at Ovide, Hotel Effie’s in-house restaurant. Ovide, the restaurant by award-winning celebrity chef and 2-time James Beard nominee, Hugh Acheson, is offering a feast of roasted turkey, cornbread stuffing, savory gravy, Effie’s iconic homemade biscuits and much more.
This experience includes a seafood buffet alongside a family-style dinner, including starters, salads, entrees, sides, and delicious desserts to taste. Brunch is available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for $65 per person and $30 for children under 12. Make reservations here or call 850-351-3030 by Nov. 18.
Thanksgiving Fall Dinner
Leave your cooking utensils at home and enjoy an elegant home-cooked meal at Ovide with all the flavor and none of the stress. This elevated Thanksgiving dinner features a three-course meal with an array of all your favorite fall classics. Ovide’s chic, well-appointed interior and sophisticated ambiance is the perfect setting for a heart-warming meal with loved ones. Make reservations here or call 850-351-3030 by Nov. 18.
Hotel Effie is located at 1 Grand Sandestin Blvd., in Miramar Beach.
GRAYTON BEACH – When reading about a restaurant established in the fall of 2015, you might not expect extreme customer and community loyalty and a well-cultivated, committed staff culture. But in five short years, owner Kenny Griner has created exactly that at Grayton Seafood Co.
Griner spent 25 years in the restaurant business in Pensacola and could set his watch to his customers. So transitioning to our resort economy on 30A was a leap of faith. “My goal from the very start was not to be the biggest, but to be everyone’s favorite,” he shared. Kenny is quick to credit many factors in their success including his partner, Tabitha Miller. “She’s taken to this business like a duck to water and I credit a tremendous amount to her – especially over this last year,” he emphasized.
Crab cakes
The rest of the team is, in Griner’s words, “the best staff on 30-A.” The entire group takes pride in a job well done and Griner and Miller want them to learn and grow in their roles. Often appreciative guests will ask to come back and thank the kitchen for their meal. “I can’t tell you how much satisfaction they get after working so hard on a dish to hear it was enjoyed, Griner revealed.
Supporting the local economy through trusted long-held relationships with local fishermen and purveyors has also been a big part of running this restaurant. But it goes even deeper than that. Griner firmly enjoys being an ambassador of local species and educating his guests about lesser-know fish.
Pasta Alfredo with shrimp
“I am very proud that customers who only visit 30A a few times a year, come here for the Sheepshead for example,” he mused.
By creating a menu around what is running, they can ensure they offer the freshest and best dishes.
“Every morning I wake up and find out what is available based on the season, the weather, and the regulations,” Griner explained.
Grayton Seafood built down their current menu on customers’ favorites. They center regular offerings around the most popular dishes, but daily specials are well-crafted and often sell out. If you want to hear the favorites of the owner himself, Griner says it changes day-to-day. Sometimes he craves the comforting Creole Linguine Alfredo and sometimes the mood just calls for fresh oysters, ice cold and straight from the half shell.
Linguini
Griner shares there is nothing romantic about a restaurant business – lots of hard work and prep goes into each service. The loyalty this spot has created comes from the service they provide, but also from the quality of their food and attention to detail. When asked about the prep work involved, Griner commented on the 21-ingredient homemade remoulade. It took him years to perfect their version of this punchy sauce.
“There’s nothing that annoys me more than being served ketchup and mayonnaise as remoulade,” he disclosed.
With all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into running a restaurant, it is opening time Griner enjoys most. “When I ring the bell I know we have worked hard all day and are more than ready to serve some good food,” he explained.
In a small town you’ll hear a lot about shopping local, loving locals, or sourcing local. But ask any year-round South Walton local, Grayton Seafood Co. is absolutely “Serving Grayt Food” and that is no tall tale.
Grayton Seafood Co. is located at 50 Uptown Grayton Circle, Grayton Beach. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 4 to 9 p.m. Reservations only. Text 850-714-2155 to get on the reservation list, or check out www.graytonseafood.com for more information.
