Goatfeathers Archives - 30A Food & Wine

July 30, 2023

30Avenue: Vacation relaxation destination!

By Michelle Farnham
July 30, 2023

INLET BEACH – Oh, the tyranny of choice. A trip down Scenic Highway 30A – whether as a tourist or a local – offers so many opportunities. Dining, entertainment, shopping: it has it all! There is one complex on the far East side of 30A, however, that offers all these amenities in one convenient location: 30Avenue.

Known as the place “Where shopping, food and fun meet, work and play,” 30Avenue is an outdoor lifestyle center offering everything from salons to retail spaces, healthcare facilities to professional offices and fitness centers. Make a day out of your time there enjoying the Summer Concert Series, with live music Tuesday to Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m.

Nestled among these destinations are more than half a dozen dining opportunities, making 30Avenue a park-once-and-enjoy-your-day kind of place.

“30Avenue is a gastronaut’s dream! The array of restaurants available here is unmatched,” explained Stephanie Madden of 30Avenue. “Whether you’re in the mood for fine dining, fresh-off-the-hook seafood, a fun brunch with friends or authentic Italian cuisine, we’ve got you covered.”

Aja

Aja Elevated Asian Kitchen

One of the newer kids on the block, Aja Elevated Asian Kitchen comes from the mind of Master Chef Tom Catherall. Pronounced {ay}+{zhuh}, here you’ll find authentic Asian cuisine ranging from stir-fry to noodle dishes, to sushi and sashimi.

Start with the shrimp and chicken dumplings, a tuna carpaccio roll, some char siu pork belly ramen, and finish with the tempura fried banana topped with sea salt caramel.

Enjoy an adult beverage from the full bar, as well as the Party on the Patio happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. daily, including drink and appetizer specials.

Open daily for dinner, Aja is located at Suite T-101. Call 850-493-6437 or visit www.aja30a.com.

amici 30A

amici 30A Italian Kitchen

Among the more veteran anchors of 30Avenue is amici 30A Italian Kitchen, one of the Corchis Hospitality Group restaurants.

Tempt yourself with a fresh caprese salad, the limited quantity burrata and sea salt with crostini, arancini rice balls, a salsiccia pizza, and round out your feast with a slice of flourless chocolate cake.

Happy Hour runs from 3 to 6 p.m. seven days a week and includes special buys on pizzas, select pastas and drinks.

Visit amici 30A daily for lunch or dinner at Suite R101, online at amici30a.com or call 850-909-0555.

amigos 30A

amigos 30A Mexican Kitchen

Right next door is sister restaurant amigos 30A Mexican Kitchen (do you see the name trend?), serving cooked-to-order cuisine from south of the border.

This is the place for fresh-made guacamole and chips, a brisket burnt ends quesadilla, the crispy black grouper burrito bowl or pork pastor taco, finished with tres leches cake. The bar shakes up a wide selection of margaritas, beer, wine and seltzers as well.

Take part in the daily Happy Hour from 3 to 6 p.m. for discounted drinks, white queso and tacos.

Find amigos 30A in Suite Q101, online at amigos30a.com, and by phone at 850-909-0444.

Canopy Road Cafe

If breakfast, brunch or lunch is part of your day’s plans, there’s Canopy Road Cafe. Here you’ll find traditional diner favorites, but with a twist!

Split an order of fried green tomatoes, try the Italian avocado toast, choose from five Benedicts, six handhelds, 10 pancakes, four French toasts, a trio of omelets, seven breakfast skillets, salads, sandwiches, or burgers. Seasonal specials add even more variety.

Find Canopy Road Cafe in Suite B100, open for breakfast and lunch seven days a week. Reach them at 850-909-0104 or online at www.canopyroadcafe.com. Both indoor and outdoor seating is available.

Cuvee 30A

Another mainstay of 30Avenue is Cuvee 30A, from Chef Tim Creehan. A Wine Spectator Award-winner, you’ll find celebrity specialities like Amy Grant’s Seared Tuna Rare and Vince Gill’s Pecan Crusted Grouper.

From the appetizers menu you might start with escargot with ciabatta, a Kurobuta pork chop or bone-in filet entree, and round out the meal with Jerry White’s chocolate banana cream pie with caramel sauce.

Sample beer, wine and cocktails during Happy Hour from 4:30 to 6:30, as well as discounts on bar menu bites from 4:30 to 6 p.m.

Cuvee 30A is found at Suite D101 and open for dinner six nights a week, closed Sundays. Make a reservation or peruse the menu at cuvee30a.com.

Goatfeathers

Goatfeathers Seafood Market & Cafe

If it’s fresh seafood you’re after, step into Goatfeathers for a seafood restaurant, fish market and specialty store all in one. Food is available dine-in or get your freshly steamed meal to-go.

Here you’ll find all the classics: shrimp, local fish, oysters, scallops, soft and hard shell crab, as well as a few “turf” options. Even the kiddos have their own menu.

Early Bird specials and happy hour run 3 to 5 p.m. excluding holidays and Raw Oyster Mania goes from 3 to 4 p.m.

Open for lunch or dinner seven days a week, Goatfeathers is in Suite O101. See the selection at www.goatfeathersseafood.com, or call 850-909-0090.

Great American Cookies/Marble Slab Creamery

To sweeten up your trip to 30Avenue, veteran sweets shop Great American Cookies/Marble Slab Creamery will be returning this summer! After seven years in Suite R102, the combo store relocated to WaterColor Crossings in November 2022, but Madden announced they will be re-opening a second location back at their old stomping grounds.

“They will be situated near Canopy Road in a larger and newly renovated suite. Exciting times ahead!” Madden shared.

Idyll Hound Proper

Adopting the mantra “Great Food. Better Beer. Proper People,” 30Avenue’s first gastropub, Idyll Hound Proper, is slated to open this summer, offering lunch and dinner seven days a week. An offshoot of Santa Rosa Beach-based Idyll Hounds Brewing Company, expect to see local brews expertly paired with cuisine from Chef Nick Walton.

For more information, visit them in Suite E101, online at www.idyllhoundproper.com, or call 850-909-9041.

The entire 30Avenue complex is located at 12805 U.S. Hwy 98 East, in Inlet Beach, and is open year-round.

Photos by 30Avenue

Goatfeathers: A distraction from the business of life

By Lauren Sage Reinlie
Sept. 19, 2022

SOUTH WALTON – In 1988, when Pat Miller opened a seafood market with a small cafe upstairs, it was one of only a handful of restaurants in South Walton. Today, Goatfeathers ranks as one of the longest-standing establishments in the area, which now boasts hundreds of dining choices.

Goatfeathers didn’t have its name back then, though. At first, the little cafe on the second floor of the seafood market was aptly named Over the Market Cafe. Miller came upon the Goatfeathers name while traveling to Austria. He discovered a quote from 1913 by a man named Ellis Parker Butler: “Goatfeathers are the distractions, sidelines, and deflections that take a man’s attention from his own business and keep him from getting ahead.”

That’s what Miller wanted his spot to be: a distraction from the business of life.

Thirty-four years later, Goatfeathers supplies some of the freshest seafood in South Walton and offers guests a little spot to let loose and enjoy life. Miller, now 76 years old, is still the first one in the market almost every day. He butchers almost all the day’s catch himself.

“And let me tell you, he shows no signs of slowing down,” said Patrick Barrilleaux, Goatfeathers’ general manager.

Goatfeathers has unlimited access to the freshest fish, straight off the boat.

The original Goatfeathers Restaurant and Goatfeathers Seafood Market is located in Blue Mountain Beach, but the company now has two additional seafood markets, one in Seagrove Beach and one in 30Avenue, which has a sidewalk cafe as well. The markets provide fresh fish to local customers, including private chefs and some restaurants, but the Goatfeathers restaurants always come first, Barrilleaux said. “We have unlimited access to the freshest fish, straight off the boat.”

Grouper is their most popular selection. At lunch, diners can order it as a sandwich. At dinner, it comes in an oversized portion, grilled, fried, or blackened. They serve fresh, never frozen, diver scallops – a rarity in the area. Daily local catches are available, as are blue crab and even Norweigian salmon, which are also available at the seafood markets.

Barrilleaux said he is proud of their fried shrimp, which he thinks is the best in the area. At lunch, they serve the fried shrimp or fried oysters as a Po Boy, which comes on French bread straight from Louisiana, Barrilleaux’s home. Their steamer baskets include Alaskan snow crab and Colossal king crab. The Taste of Goatfeathers appetizer plate features boiled shrimp, fried oysters, smoked tuna dip, and a cup of seafood gumbo.

The menu branches beyond seafood and includes chicken, steak, pasta, and vegetables. Barrilleaux said they try to have something for everyone. He also noted their chef is always willing to try to accommodate any dietary needs or food allergies.

The restaurant has a full bar, with one highlight being the Hell Yeah margarita, made with tequila, agave nectar, fresh-squeezed lime juice, and a floater of Grand Marnier. (The story goes that a server once asked a customer if they wanted a shot of Grand Marnier on top, and they replied, “Hell yeah!” The name stuck.)

Goatfeathers — The original restaurant is located at 3865 W. Co. Hwy. 30A.

Dress is casual. As Barrilleaux said, come as you are and leave happy. It’s a bit of a motto for him.

“I like to think of this as my house,” he said. “I’m having a party at my house every night, and you are a guest in my house. That’s how we look at it.”

He noted that the restaurant usually closes around 9 p.m., but he will stay open later if it’s a busy weekend or holiday.

“I’ll serve until people stop coming,” he said. “I’m here to feed you. That’s my job. I’m from Louisiana; I can’t help it. That’s what we do. We feed people.”

Goatfeathers Restaurant and Seafood Market is located 3865 W. Co. Hwy. 30A in Santa Rosa Beach. The market is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The restaurant opens at 11 a.m. and closes around 9 p.m. The Seagrove Beach market is located at 4042 E. Co. Hwy. 30A in Santa Rosa Beach and is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The 30Avenue market and cafe are located at 12805 U.S. Hwy. 98 East in Inlet Beach and is open from 11 a.m. until around 8 p.m. Reservations are not accepted. Check out the menu and more at goatfeathersseafood.com or call 850-267-3342 for more information.