Fleetwood Covington

July 23, 2023

Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood: 25 years of pushing the envelope

By Michelle Farnham
July 23, 2023

SANDESTIN – It’s been a quarter century since Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood opened its doors, prompting a look back and a look ahead at Sandestin’s AAA Four-Diamond steakhouse.

A retrospective

First, the name. Pronounced “cigars,” the moniker was a play on words, referencing the classic era of New York-style steakhouses and the restaurant’s former cigar-only smoking policy. In fact, a cigar list was offered as well as an on-site humidor room.

“Seagar’s lounge area was equipped with a special ventilation system to ensure diners could enjoy their dinner without the interference of cigar smoke affecting their palate,” explained Executive Chef Fleetwood Covington. “When the state of Florida banned smoking inside, we turned Seagar’s humidor room into a wine room, and the rest is history.”

That history includes a menu full of Prime USDA beef, the freshest seafood, international imports that spare no expense, an inspired beverage program, and the most exclusive of wine lists.

To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Seagar’s debuted a “new” logo with a nod to the original branding, which featured a bull.

“We’re beyond thrilled to be celebrating 25 years of service this year,” Covington said. “Seagar’s is proud to be recognized as a staple in the area, having been the Emerald Coast’s only AAA Four-Diamond steakhouse for over 20 years, and we look forward to the next 25 years of serving our loyal customers.”

Pork belly — Chef’s pork belly is served atop a 13-layer potato mille-feuille that is both buttery and crisp.

A look ahead

Covington admits he has lofty goals for that future. The chef approaches food from a multi-sensory, artistic angle, focusing on more than just good taste.

“As we drill down into curating the dining experience, my goal is to take apart the model of how we experience food. From eating it, to the aromas, the textures, and the plating,” he explained.

The summer menu will feature a new seared grouper dish with caviar and champagne beurre blanc, roasted summer succotash, and sorrel.

“It’s not good enough for a plate to taste delicious. At Seagar’s, we want to prioritize the ingredients to create an experience that not only tastes like a four-diamond dish, but also looks like a work of art,” Covington said.

In addition to its classic steak offerings, the kitchen will debut several seasonal dishes to the summer menu – some even tapping into the innovative world of molecular gastronomy.

Chef plans to include a “Table Dessert,” which combines the creative elements of art and culinary, and the ingredients featured will change from time to time.

Senses — Seagar’s dishes are a treat for all the senses.

Past menu highlights have included such avant-garde offerings as house-made floral-laminated pasta, clear key lime pie, and a Jackson Pollock-inspired dessert using liquid nitrogen to paint sauces directly on the table. He brings in truly top-shelf ingredients, like Japanese A5 Wagyu and $5,000 a pound Italian Alba truffles.

Having been part of the Seagar’s team for seven years now, Covington has seen the menu’s creativity take off with the recent expansion of the kitchen staff.

“When I was coming up in the kitchen, we only had four guys; now we have nine. It’s allowed us to make the plates more intricate. It takes four hands, minimum, to do those plates consistently. It makes us better to constantly push,” he admitted.

Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood is located at 4000 Sandestin Blvd. South, Miramar Beach, within the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa. Open for dinner Tuesday to Saturday, visit them online at www.seagars.com for menu and reservation information, or call 850-622-1500.

June 26, 2023

Chef Spotlight: Fleetwood Covington, Chasing Michelin

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By Michelle Farnham
June 26, 2023

SANDESTIN – What started as a part-time job because he wanted to learn how to make pasta has turned into a 7-year-long new career for Fleetwood Covington, the 35-year-old executive chef at Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood. We chatted with the musician-turned-chef about his team at Seagar’s and where he’s hoping to take it.

Gulf grouper with marbled beurre blanc appeared on a seasonal menu.

Q: What does a typical day look like for you at the restaurant?

A: I typically arrive at Seagar’s in the morning to touch base with the departments. Some days, I will sit in the pit of the restaurant and look up at the line to reflect, inspire and remind myself of our purpose at Seagar’s: to deliver an unforgettable experience to every diner. We typically have our team meeting around noon to go over the layout of the day and pertinent things for service, which begins at 5:30 p.m. I use the time ahead of service for research and development and working with the team to brainstorm new ideas and innovative techniques.

Q: What new equipment have you added to the kitchen?

A: We have recently added Combi Therm Ovens, which also have the capability to inject steam into the chamber and are great for bread-making.

Q: Which ingredients do you most look forward to working with when they come in season?

A: I love spring and summer aromatics, as they remind me of my childhood and the nostalgia of summer break. However, I enjoy incorporating ingredients from winter and fall, as well.

Q: What are you doing to catch the attention of the Michelin and James Beard folks?

A: The first thing on my mind is consistency, as I feel it is the ultimate key to success. When we talk about James Beard and Michelin, I am very conscious about sourcing the best ingredients, and I pride myself in dissecting each facet of cooking to ensure that even the salt we use for seasoning our steaks is the very best quality. Michelin is kind of like that kickball captain: you keep wanting to play for their team but they never pick you. So then you have to be loud enough by garnering enough attention to your restaurant.

Q: How does your past career as a musical artist translate to your current career as a culinary artist?

A: The drama of what food can induce within a person is fascinating – whether it is the nostalgia that one may find through a particular plate, or something that they have never seen before. To wield that ability and thought process is one of my favorite aspects of being a chef. Food can speak a loud message to our patrons, and my musical history allows me to operate from the viewpoint of the audience or diner. I build on dishes from that point of view until I can deliver an unforgettable experience.

Q: It seems you enjoy thinking outside the classic steakhouse menu and pushing boundaries, no?

A: In the last couple years, I’ve become obsessed with food. It’s everything I think about. I go to bed, I wake up, it’s constant. In my office, I have plates, menus, recipes. When you really let go and try to make super honest food but be vulnerable enough to do what you want, it’s those risks that put you in an uncomfortable spot, but I think that’s where you break the most ground.

Q: Who inspires you?

A: I didn’t gravitate towards food itself, but the magic behind what it could be. Chef Grant Achatz of Alinea (Chicago), and Ferran and Albert Adria of El Bulli (Spain) were the first to really make me feel passion for something aside from music. I looked at these chefs and immediately knew where I was going to put every ounce of my time and energy for the next seven years.

January 26, 2023

Seagar’s: Warmed from the inside out

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Sandestin steakhouse debuts winter menu

By Michelle Farnham
Jan. 26, 2023

SANDESTIN – As a AAA Four-Diamond steakhouse, Seagar’s Prime Prime Steaks and Seafood is certainly known for its beef, but Executive Chef Fleetwood Covington III and his crew debut new creations four times a year to capitalize on each season’s freshest ingredients.

At a special winter menu preview Jan. 25, Covington unveiled a crab cake that took full advantage of the re-opening of the Alaskan king crab market. Featuring a velvety smooth velouté and edible flowers, this crab cake is topped with the most perfectly crisp confit leeks, sliced impossibly thin.

Also from the first course menu, Chef’s pork belly is served atop a 13-layer potato mille-feuille that is simultaneously buttery and crisp – hitting all the highlights of what a potato can be. In addition to an apple puree, sweet creme fraiche, and blood orange demi glace reduction, Covington takes it to that Seagar’s status by adding gold leaf.

“We went with the Japanese Kurobuta pork belly,” Covington explained. “The fat-to-protein content – it’s like Wagyu – it’s evenly distributed so you’re not biting into really big fat pockets, making it too hard to chew.”

Pork belly with potato mille-feuille

Gulf grouper with marbled beurre blanc

Under the Mistletoe, Explosion of Flavors, Fit For A Queen

Alaskan king crab cake with confit leeks

Diver scallop with house-pressed linguini

Chef Fleetwood Covington creates a quenelle of gelato

Moving onto entrees, Chef wanted to hint at spring with his seared Gulf grouper dish, using light, bright citrus flavors in the artfully marbled basil and white wine beurre blanc, alongside roasted winter vegetables.

“I’ve been wanting to do this marbled beurre blanc for two or three menus now,” he said. “We do a basil puree but to keep it from oxidizing and turning brown, we use a lemon juice base laced with dehydrated lemon powder.” Dots of the puree are carefully dragged with a needle through the beurre blanc to create the marble effect.

Seagar’s has been setting the bar for its diver scallops for years, but Covington brought out their natural sweetness pairing them with confit sweet potato and carrot ribbons. The plate includes house-pressed linguini, finished with tarragon and brown butter emulsion and king crab velouté – and a bit of sleight-of-hand.

“We like to hide the vegetables. We pick vegetables that are the same color so you can’t tell which is which. You’ve got confited sweet potatoes and carrots, and I can look at that plate and even I can’t tell which is which. That’s kind of what I want: to hide some of the supporting ingredients,” he admitted with a smile.

Aiming to take the gaminess out of game, the red stag venison entree is served with a black currant demi glace reduction, and takes the word “tender” to a whole new level.

“Venison I’ve tried for years to get in the restaurant, and if I was going to bring it in, I was going to get it from New Zealand,” Covington said. “Red stag is the less gamier option, in my opinion. This is the leg filet, so it will probably eat like Prime filet.”

The meal was finished on a sweet note with a bruleed apple spice cake with buttercream – a nod to Covington’s mom’s carrot cake. A quenelle of house-made bourbon and Madagascar vanilla bean gelato completes the dessert.

Seagar’s beverage program was on full display as well, as mixologist Angelina served up a trio of cocktails, capitalizing on the warming flavors of winter. A gin drink, Fit For A Queen, is topped with champagne and includes an edible hibiscus blossom floated in the coupes glass. For those who enjoy a little heat in their drink, the Explosion of Flavors starts with a smoky Mezcal tequila, chipotle pineapple, lime, and a rim of Tajin. Perhaps the most wintery of sips though was the Under the Mistletoe, a snifter of ginger beer, organic apple vodka, pomegranate liquor and lime, sprinkled with pomegranate seeds.

Seagar’s Prime Seafood & Steakhouse is located at 4000 Sandestin Blvd. South, within the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa. Visit them online at seagars.com for more information, including reservation details.

Photos by Michelle Farnham

November 23, 2022

Covington appointed new executive chef at Seagar’s

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SANDESTIN – Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa has named Fleetwood Covington as the new executive chef at the onsite Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood. In his new role, Fleetwood will oversee all aspects of the AAA Four-Diamond steakhouse’s culinary initiatives to ensure consistency in presentation and quality of all dishes.

“Our team has built a strong reputation for providing excellence in the overall dining experience,” said Frank Flautt, co-founder of Sandcastle Resorts, the management team behind Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa. “Fleetwood’s ability to maintain the steakhouse’s classic standards while pushing the envelope with unique seasonal menus and new dish developments make him the ideal fit to further enhance Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood.”

Having joined the Seagar’s team in 2017, Fleetwood worked his way from the kitchen’s sauce station to his new executive chef position. He was able to train under the leadership of renowned chefs and absorb every aspect of the culinary behind the scenes to create a vision for a new level of expertise in service and dishes. Drawing on inspiration from the surrounding coastal setting to his previous time spent in Europe as a professional concert pianist, Fleetwood combines local and internationally celebrated flavors into each carefully crafted plate.

Most recently, Fleetwood served as chef de cuisine, where he directed food preparation and collaborated with the team to produce dishes that displayed a high caliber of taste and design. In this role, Fleetwood was tasked with growing the steakhouse’s kitchen staff and has played a pivotal role in developing the team into the successful operation it is today. Fleetwood and team continue to craft menu items that speak to seasonal and locally inspired products.

“His range of responsibilities since starting at the resort’s steakhouse has paved the way for him to hold this leadership position and create an even higher level of excellence at Seagar’s,” continued Flautt.

For more information on Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood or to make a reservation visit www.seagars.com or call 1-850-622-1500.

September 22, 2022

Seagar’s: Sneaking a peek at fall

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Food and beverage offerings turn to warmer seasonal flavors

By Michelle Farnham
Sept. 22, 2022

SANDESTIN – While the weather might not suggest a change of seasons yet, fall is indeed here, and so is the new seasonal menu at Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood.

The staff rolled out their newest offerings at a special tasting event, with Chef de Cuisine Fleetwood Covington aiming to dazzle diners with not just flavor, but also technique, presentation and quality.

“Moving into the fall, I really wanted to hone in on the best possible ingredients,” Covington said, including center-cut A5 Wagyu beef fresh from Japan and the latest shipment of $5,000 a pound Alba truffles from Italy. “That’s something I’ve not seen at another steakhouse.”

Seagar's scallops — Seared Chesapeake diver scallop over saffron risotto

A savory start

Covington began the meal with a seared Chesapeake diver scallop over saffron risotto, served in a scallop shell. Garnishing the plate is a shard of carrot glass, a morsel made by twisting the root vegetable until it is transparent and easily shattered with your fork.

Childhood memories of quail hunting in South Carolina inspired Chef’s seared Argentinian duck breast starter, plated atop a “nest” of confit leeks, with roasted butternut squash and beets.

“As our restaurant has been hitting on all cylinders, it gives the culinary staff the confidence to become a little more vulnerable with what we make,” he explained. “Spring and summer were very well received, and we’re continuing with that philosophy.”

Also on the first course menu is that holy grail of beef, the A5 Wagyu, this time served tartare-style. In addition to the 4-ounce portion, Covington has done a molecular play on pommes gaufrette with flash-fried rice paper.

The main event

Moving onto entrees, Chef’s Southern roots show in his devotion to gumbo perfection. He serves his seared snapper atop a smooth gumbo, which he blends and strains, then adds more fall vegetables to preserve the freshness.

Seagar’s new lobster pasta is presented tail-on, poached in white wine and champagne, and topped with house-made pasta, lobster velouté, and onion blossom.

“Every garnish we use, whether it’s onion blossom, garlic flower, it serves a purpose for the actual dish,” Covington said. “We’re really conscious that the garnish lends itself to the flavor and adds depth, rather than just looks pretty.”

Seagar's dessert — Night at the Fair dessert

Sweet memories

Chef took a stroll down memory lane with two desserts made with nostalgic flavors but high-end technique. His Night at the Fair treat incorporates pumpkin pie served with smoked cotton candy, kissed with edible luster dust.

When crafting his play on s’mores, Covington reached not for that familiar brown-wrappered candy bar, but Tanzanian chocolate mousse, butterscotch and armagnac graham cracker crumble, Swiss meringue, edible 24 carat gold leaf, and a special autumnal table-side surprise.

Sips to savor

In harmony with the food offerings, Seagar’s Beverage Director Catherine Lien has shaken up a dozen new cocktails for the cooler months, and presented a trio for consideration.

A crowd favorite, Apples For My Mule is a mix of apple-infused vodka, apple spice, allspice dram, lemon and ginger beer. Winter Paradise combines dark rum, allspice dram, apple cider and lemon, finished with star anise; while A Study of Taste takes Blanco Tequila in a more autumnal direction with help from pomegranate syrup and habañero tincture.

“I’m using more fall-inspired flavors, darker spirits. I totally believe in using seasonal ingredients,” Lien explained as she pointed toward the mule, which is garnished with a house-dehydrated apple slice and mint sprig. “We’re using an organic apple-infused vodka out of Texas and there’s cloves, nutmeg, and the ginger as well.”

Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood is located at 4000 Sandestin Blvd. South in Miramar Beach,, within the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa. Dinner is served Tuesday to Sunday from 5:30 to 9 p.m., staying open until 10 on Friday and Saturday. Visit them online at www.seagars.com for more information or to make a reservation.

Photos by Michelle Farnham

August 3, 2022

Seagar’s: Steakhouse standards, seasonal surprises!

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By Lauren Sage Reinlie
Aug. 3, 2022

SANDESTIN – Diners who step into Seagar’s Prime Steaks and Seafood know immediately they are in for something special for the Northwest Florida area. The dark wood floors and candlelit tables. The live pianist and the sharply dressed and exceptionally attentive staff. The mouth-watering aromas wafting out of the open-air kitchen.

But beyond that, Seagar’s seeks to really set itself apart, offering their award-winning steakhouse experience with some extra surprises inspired by some of the best restaurants in the world. The staff regularly hears diner feedback comparing their experience at Seagar’s to cuisine trendsetters in major cities across the country.

“That shows me what we are doing is being received very well,” Chef de Cuisine Fleetwood Covington said recently. “I’m always focused on: how can we push Seagar’s forward? How can we continue to separate our restaurant from what everyone else is doing?”

Florida Room — Seagar’s offers multiple room options for large gatherings or intimate dinners.

Seagar’s opened in Hilton Sandestin in 1998. The AAA 4-Diamond steakhouse has been stacking up awards ever since.

Every steak from the New York strip to the filet to the cowboy rib-eye is prime-cut and hand-selected by the chefs. Grouper, snapper, and oversized shrimp are all sourced locally from the Gulf of Mexico.

The foie gras special changes each week. Popular menu items include the seafood tower and shareable classic sides like mashed potatoes and a decadent macaroni and cheese.

Their Dover sole was featured on the Food Network’s show “The Best Thing I Ever Ate!” The fish is filleted table-side in a delicate dance that removes all the bones without breaking the meat of the fish at all. Then it is sautéed in butter, capers, and lemon.

Other table-side favorites include the Caesar salad and the bananas foster.

The restaurant offers over 600 labels of wine and recently earned a two-glass award from Wine Spectator magazine. A revisioned cocktail menu is in the works, as well.

Alongside these high-quality steakhouse staples, Covington aims to bring some surprises to seasonal menu options, desserts, and especially presentation.

“Because we have such a good and long standing reputation, I really have the freedom to create unbridled,” he said. “I don’t have a lot of restrictions on what I can and can not do.”

One dessert that is currently in production is one inspired by some of the trends in high-end dining at restaurants like Alinea in Chicago. Vibrant sauces are presented straight onto the table, using liquid nitrogen. The splattered effect looks something like a Jackson Pollock painting.

“You do come to Seagar’s and expect the mashed potatoes and the prime steaks, so it’s a very easy space for me to try to shock people as well,” he said. “That experience of helping people discover something new, it’s fun and very rewarding.”

Covington came to Seagar’s in 2017. He had trained as a concert pianist all his childhood, practicing eight to 10 hours a day. After high school, he went to the South of France to perform. He planned to stay one week and ended up staying for years, touring all around Europe, performing, as well as eating delicious, new foods.

One morning, he woke up and knew he was burning out. He came home to Fairhope, Ala., looking for something new and found a role at Seagar’s as a part-time pantry cook. He quickly realized he loved the art of cooking and devoted himself to the craft as passionately as he had piano. He studied under chefs with Michelin-Star and 5-diamond experience, giving him a high-caliber education without leaving the restaurant. Now he regularly researches new techniques being used at the highest rated restaurants in the world.

“I love figuring out how to provide an experience people can’t get anywhere else or nowhere close to here at least,” he said. “The whole thing has become an obsession.”

Seagar’s Prime Steaks and Seafood is open Tuesday through Sunday from 5:30 to 9 p.m., and is located at Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa at 4000 Sandestin Boulevard South, Miramar Beach. The restaurant can be reached at 850-622-1500. Reservations are required. Learn more at seagars.com.

June 11, 2022

Seagar’s: Delivering that ah-ha moment

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Chef emphasizes visual effects in new summer menu

By Michelle Farnham

SANDESTIN – As Fleetwood Covington is settling into his role as the new chef de cuisine at Seagar’s Prime Steakhouse & Seafood, he has made it his mission to heighten each diner’s experience.

During a special debut of his new seasonal menu, which he called “a gentle approach to summer,” Covington explained his team’s relentless pursuit of the most delicate ingredients with an avant-garde approach.

First course

For example, he elevates the standard jumbo lump crab cake with a lobster velouté, all made from scratch, served with an herb cream salad.

Also from the first course menu was Chef’s ceviche, which is summer on a plate.

“I want to get into sensory food: aromatics, visuals, slight of hand,” Covington said. “We want to make people coming into Seagar’s feel like they’re experiencing something new again, kind of that ah-ha moment.”

For this dish, he selected a blue fin tuna that matches the color of heirloom tomatoes and watermelon, so the diner can’t tell which bite is which, all plated atop an avocado mousse.

To add to the visual effects, Covington has brought in specialty porcelain plates by Crucial Detail which feature a warped, waving surface.

Anyone who sampled Chef’s spring menu knows he loves pasta and edible flowers, and his diver scallop starter marries the two ingredients in a most unique way.

“We’ve got pasta with actual poached and pickled roses that are rolled into the pasta,” he said. “We have to be really selective about which flowers we use or it just turns the pasta brown.”

Entrees

Moving on to the entrees, Covington’s hickory smoked red snapper tops rock shrimp étoufée, risotto and a citrus beurre blanc.

“I’m originally from South Carolina, and we smoke everything. It’s a heavy dish,” he admitted with a smile.

His black grouper is accompanied by veggies – tri-color carrots and Brussels sprouts – roasted in bacon fat, plated with parsnip puree and a champagne beurre blanc.

The U10 seared diver scallops main comes by popular demand from diners, who were looking for a pasta de Nero.

“Squid ink is very fishy and off-putting to me, it doesn’t sit right with the acid, so we use cuddle fish ink,” he admitted. “It’s a little more gentle, it’s not so pungent.”

He mixes the very unusual-looking cordyceps mushrooms – all the rage in the health and wellness community – in with the pasta. The bright orange color stands in stark contrast to the black noodles.

“They have a mango aftertaste,” Covington said. “The way it eats, the texture, they blend well with the spaghetti.”

Dessert

Ending on a sweet note, Covington has re-imagined two classic desserts: banana pudding and key lime pie.

His deconstructed pudding eats more like that classic steakhouse treat, cheesecake, served with a side of nostalgia for his grandmother’s recipe.

“We do this one served tableside,” he explained. “The traditional vanilla wafers are on the plate, poached at negative 350 degrees, and the whole plate will smoke.”

Perhaps the star of the show, however, was chef’s key lime pie which is actually clear thanks to its combination of stabilizers – pectins, agar agar and isomalt sugar.

“I’ll admit, it’s a process!” he said.

Featuring a ginger streusel and brown sugar meringue, the transparent inner layer tricks the eye, but the tastebuds are quick to remind you, it’s key lime pie!

While Chef admitted he’s still “the new kid on the block,” he has big plans for the direction he wants to take the Seagar’s menu in the coming months.

“The spring menu got a ton of great reception and now I can see where I want to go,” Covington said. “I can’t really jump completely out the door with it yet, but come fall, hang on!

Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood is located at 4000 Sandestin Blvd. South, Miramar Beach, within the Hilton Sandestin. Service runs Tuesday to Sunday, 5:30 to 9 p.m., and stays open until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For reservations or more information, visit www.seagars.com or call 850-622-1500.

February 25, 2022

Fresh perspectives on the menu at Seagar’s

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Classic steakhouse names new chef, beverage manager

By Michelle Farnham
Feb. 25, 2022

SANDESTIN – Since opening in 1998, Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood has maintained its classic New York steakhouse vibe. Each chef passing through the kitchen has left their mark on the cuisine, incorporating new technique and flavors, but diners should expect a little something extra this spring. The fine dining eatery has welcomed both a new chef de cuisine, Fleetwood Covington, and a new beverage director, Catherine Lien.

Smokin' Mango Symphony — Smokin’ Mango Symphony

Distinctive drinks

Shaking things up behind the bar, Lien comes to Seagar’s after 20 years at Las Vegas’s Delminco Steakhouse.

“I was ready for a change,” Lien admitted. “That’s the desert, where everything is flown in from California. I’m looking forward to working with a lot more local, fresh products.”

When creating her new cocktail lineup, she took many things into consideration, including the season, the location and the restaurant theme.

“I also like to use new kinds of spirits that may not be well known out here,” she said, pointing to her Smokin’ Mango Symphony, which features Mezcal, tamarind syrup, mango puree and lime juice in a Tajin-rimmed glass.

As we approach the summer season, she’s inspired by fruits like in her Sparkling Berries (berry-infused vodka, Créme de Cassis, lemon, syrup and sparkling wine) or the Citrus Paradisi (grapefruit-infused vodka, lime, pink grapefruit soda). Fall may see a shift into apples, maple, cranberries, and the like.

She’s also careful to remember the steakhouse theme, like her spin on a classic Manhattan called the Evening Joe: bourbon, coffee-infused vermouth, and cherry bark vanilla bitters.

Dessert drinks are not forgotten, either, with Lien’s 21st Century Grasshopper, and the Bluegrass Ending: bourbon, bourbon cream, coffee liqueur, cold brew, and chocolate bitters.

Contemporary cuisine

Situated in the chef’s kitchen, Covington has been with Seagar’s for six years, working his way up from the kid who just wanted to learn to roll pasta one summer, to chef de cuisine.

In his inaugural menu tasting, he started with a crab cake featuring smooth étouffée and a white wine butter-poached spot prawn.

“The spot prawns are a little sweeter than your gulf prawn, and I needed something to balance out the super savory étouffée,” Covington said.

The chef was very pleased to unveil his new wagyu beef product, working with the Japanese farm twice ranked best wagyu in the world. His Miyazaki Wagyu Tartare comes from the 4- and 6-ounce portions on the new menu, and is plated with herb cream, morel duxelles, confit gaufrette potato and capers.

Rounding out his first course options, Covington served a Tuna Tartare with bluefin toro, citrus, pineapple mignonette, and avocado mousse.

Moving on to entrees, he offered Pan-Roasted Diver Scallops with blistered heirloom tomatoes, and spring vegetables.

The Gulf Grouper is plated atop a textured heirloom tomato bisque – heavy on the smoke – with braised rainbow Swiss chard and crispy leeks.

Covington drew inspiration from his predecessor, Chef Lee Guidry, and his love for Asian flavors in putting together the new Red Snapper entree.

“I wanted to take all the flavors I remembered from our time in the restaurant and replicate them in one dish,” he explained. “This is my homage to my mentor who gave me most of my culinary technique.”

Here he served the protein with chanterelle mushrooms, jumbo lump crab salad and herb beurre blanc, alongside a purple cabbage, carrot and ginger puree.

Red Snapper — Red snapper with crab salad, chanterelles and carrot-ginger puree

The new menu debuts in March and dinner is served Tuesday to Saturday. Diners can find Seagar’s at 4000 Sandestin Blvd. South, Miramar Beach. Learn more or make a reservation at www.seagars.com or 850-622-1500.

Photos by Michelle Farnham