Havana Beach

August 2, 2023

The restaurants of The St. Joe Company: Expanding the empire

By Liesel Schmidt
Aug. 2, 2023

EMERALD COAST – While the organization now known as The St. Joe Company was originally founded in 1936 as a paper company, over the past few decades it has become synonymous with some of Northwest Florida’s top destinations to live, work, and vacation. At one point, St. Joe was the second largest private landholder in Florida, with more than a million acres of property in its holdings. As they began to focus more strategically on Northwest Florida, properties in other parts of the state were sold off while the company built its empire along the Gulf Coast of Florida. Now that empire is continuing to grow with an ever-expanding list of award-winning restaurant concepts under The St. Joe Company name.

Just to name a few

Taking advantage of the abundance of fresh seafood available, Fish Out of Water (WaterColor) and Havana Beach Bar & Grill offer coastal fare at its finest, each with their own particular spin and vastly different atmospheres. FOOW is known for its laid-back, casual vibe, while Havana Beach brings a more upscale feel. The latter, located at The Pearl in Rosemary Beach, includes Havana Beach Lounge and Havana Beach Rooftop, complimentary yet different in their menus and ambiance.

Looking for Southern classics? WaterColor’s Scratch Biscuit Kitchen serves up made-from-scratch biscuits in a casual, family-friendly environment where Southern comfort food is made fresh from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. Southern coastal cuisine is on the menu, right alongside gorgeous views at Harrison’s Kitchen & Bar, located in Panama City’s Historic Downtown area.

Guests at the Hilton Garden Inn at Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport will love the Garden Grille & Bar, an amenity also open to the public as well as hotel patrons. The menu features American fare, with a cooked-to-order breakfast menu and familiar favorites from lunch to dinner.

Newcomers to The St. Joe Company portfolio include Blu Poolside Bar & Grill, located at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Panama City Beach Resort; Steam on 5, a rooftop dining venue located at the Hotel Indigo in downtown Panama City; and Tarpon’s, located at the Hotel Indigo in downtown Panama City. All are open to the public as well as hotel guests, making them the perfect draw for locals and visitors alike.

“We’re fortunate to be able to offer our restaurants in wonderful locations,” said Matt Moore, corporate director of projects and concepts for The St. Joe Company. “Wherever the location, we strive to create a great experience at our restaurants, whether through the ambiance and view, by bringing in a live band to offer a more social scene, or with something just as simple as seeing a smile on the server’s face as they greet a returning customer. Most importantly, we listen to our guests and adapt our menus based on their feedback.”

Listening to their guests and offering a great experience is a hallmark of The St. Joe Company, as is creating a positive work environment for their staff. “Our approach has always been to create a ‘work family,’” Moore said. “When our family is intact, our guests will always have the best experience with their family and friends at our restaurants. That mentality of family and friends serving family and friends is at the root of what we think of as the true spirit of Southern hospitality.

“At each of our restaurants, we also strive to create a sense of place, reflective of the surrounding culture and nature,” he added. “We provide a quality and integrity of service, whether you’re visiting one of our fine dining restaurants or fast-casual restaurants. At every one of our locations, we hope that you always feel recognized and enjoy the experience of being a part of our community when you dine.”

As they continue looking to the future, Moore said that The St. Joe company will remain steadfast in meeting the needs of the community.

“When there’s demand for something new, we want to be able to offer unique dining experiences that are a perfect fit for the community.”

Photos by Kurt Lischka

June 18, 2023

Havana Beach Bar & Grill: Cuban cool, Rosemary chic

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By Pam Windsor
June 18, 2023

ROSEMARY BEACH – Nestled within the Pearl Hotel, the Havana Beach Bar & Grill has a look and feel all its own.

“If you’re coming to Havana Beach, you’re coming somewhere a little different,” said Matt Moore, corporate director of projects and concepts for The St. Joe Company, which owns the restaurant and hotel. “When you walk through the doors, it’s not a typical Southern kind of seafood restaurant.”

The restaurant has vibrant colors, marble tabletops, and a look and feel inspired by Ernest Hemingway and his love of Cuba.

“The bar itself is an exact replica of Hemingway’s favorite bar in Cuba,” noted Chef Matt Rolens, executive chef at The Pearl. “I believe El Floridita is the name of the hotel where the bar was located. So, the entire bar has that kind of cool vibe.”

It’s the perfect spot to sit and watch as the bartender crafts one of those craft cocktails the Havana Bar has become known for, like the Smoked Old Fashioned, a popular choice for those who love bourbon.

The Havana Beach Bar & Grill has also become well-known for its food, such as the signature Hemingway Shrimp & Grits.

The signature Hemingway Shrimp & Grits are well-known at Havana Beach.

“I’ll put our Shrimp & Grits up against anybody’s shrimp and grits anywhere,” said Chef Matt. “I’ve had people from Louisiana and elsewhere tell me it’s the best shrimp and grits they’ve ever had.”

The key, he said, is in the details.

“We use Gulf shrimp, and we lightly blacken them,” he explained. “That’s fairly standard. What makes ours a bit more unique is we serve them with a crawfish cream sauce.”

And it’s all served on what he believes are some of the best grits available.

“We use Anson Mills grits from a farm out of South Carolina,” he said. “The gentleman there found the perfect species of corn that was nearly extinct, and he brought it back. That corn is dried in the traditional way and not ground until we order it, so you don’t have bags of corn sitting around losing flavor. I think these flavorful grits are what makes the dish so amazing.”

The key, when it comes to cooking, is finding the best ingredients.

“If you do that,” Chef Matt said, “cooking almost becomes easy. You have to do very little to the product to allow the natural flavor to come through.”

Another popular choice on the menu is the Havana Cuban, made with tender smoked pork, black forest ham, Swiss cheese, and served on a panini pressed hoagie roll.

There is also the lightly blackened grouper with charred tomato and fried okra, which is paired with Carolina rice and New Orleans-style red beans. And the Mandy burger, named for Chef Matt’s wife.

“It’s made with a grass-fed beef patty. It’s got candied apple-cider peppered bacon, Boursin cheese, and crispy fried onions. And the way the cheese melts on it, it almost becomes its own sauce.”

Guests can choose whether they want to dine on the veranda, the lounge, or when the weather’s nice – the rooftop bar which has its own menu.

To add to the casual, upscale, yet laid-back style of the Havana Beach Bar & Grill, there’s a musician who plays the piano five nights a week.

It’s the perfect spot to enjoy amazing food, fantastic drinks, and get a great view of the Gulf, morning, noon, and night.

French toast — The Florida French Toast comes with fresh fruit.

The Havana Beach Bar & Grill is at 63 Main Street, Rosemary Beach. Open seven days a week, brunch is served 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. A Bar & Lounge menu is available in-between. The restaurant takes reservations for hotel guests only (to ensure they have a table), but is open to the public. Reach them at 850-588-2882 or visit www.thepearlrb.com.

Photos by Collis Thompson

April 1, 2023

St. Joe eateries offering Easter brunch dine-in or to go

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April 1, 2023
Special to 30A Food & Wine

SOUTH WALTON – A trio of local eateries are welcoming guests for special Easter brunch Sunday, April 9, while WaterColor is offering holiday meals to-go or delivered.

Havana Beach Bar & Grill

9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Enjoy buffet fare featuring brunch specialties, a prime rib carving station, chilled seafood bar, kids’ selections, desserts and more. The price is $85 for adults, $45 for children 12 & under. Call 850-588-2882 to make your reservations and inquire about the full menu.

Havana Beach Bar & Grill is located at 63 Main Street, Rosemary Beach.

Fish Out of Water

7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The culinary team is opening the restaurant early and offering a chef selection of springtime favorites, along with a Mimosa Bar and Dessert Bar. Reservations are not accepted; walk-ins welcome.

Fish Out of Water restaurant is at 34 Goldenrod Circle, WaterColor.

WaterColor LakeHouse

10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Enjoy an egg-travagant Easter Brunch at the WaterColor Lakehouse, including an extensive breakfast menu, omelet station, salad garden, seafood bar, carving station, hot selections and kids’ cuisine. Email WCISocialEvents@stjoe.com for reservations; cost is $85 per adult, $42.50 per child ages 6 to 12, and complimentary for children 5 and under.

Easter Brunch To-Go or home delivery within WaterColor

The WaterColor team is offering a family-style Easter Brunch for four to-go, and delivering within the WaterColor neighborhood. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. delivery or pick up; place your order by emailing WCISocialEvents@stjoe.com by noon on Friday, April 7. Price is $275. Pickup location is Gather Kitchen + Bar, at 34 Goldenrod Circle in WaterColor.

The meal starts with coastal greens salad, chicken and vegetable soup. Mains and sides include blackened shrimp with yellow grits and tomato gravy, roasted prime rib with horseradish cream and red wine jus, loaded mashed potatoes, honey roasted carrots and rolls. For dessert: carrot cake with spiced cream cheese frosting, French silk pie with Nilla wafer crust. Kids can enjoy carrots and celery with ranch dip, chicken tenders with BBQ sauce, Easter cupcakes and mixed fruit salad.

March 21, 2021

Havana Beach Bar & Grill: Pride and passion make great food

Blog, Havana Beach Bar & Grill, Home Page Blog

By Lauren Sage Reinlie
March 21, 2021

ROSEMARY BEACH – Todd Rogers, executive chef of Havana Beach Bar & Grill, had worked in five-star resorts and restaurants all across the country when he packed up his family and moved to South Walton over six years ago.

It wasn’t hard for him to leave behind the bustle of big cities.

“I always say you should work where you love to live,” the 60-year-old Rogers said recently. “The 30A area is just such a beautiful place, it’s so unique. All the beaches and quaint little towns. I have lived in big cities like Atlanta and Houston, but really I prefer this.”

The attraction of a place with a small-town feel likely comes from Rogers’ formative years, growing up on a small farm in West Virginia, farming and gardening and above all cooking alongside his grandmother. They gathered fruits and vegetables for jams and jellies. They baked biscuits and gravy, collected eggs from the chicken coop.

“It took all day, but you didn’t have phones and televisions and everything that took all your time,” Rogers recalled. “You made food, you lived to eat.”

When he was 16 a chef at a nearby country club took him under his wing. He went to college and studied business at his dad’s request, but shortly after he was accepted to the Culinary Institute of America in New York City. He was the first of his family to move away from home — to one of the biggest cities in the country, no less.

“It was a little bit of a culture shock,” Rogers recalled.

His cooking journey has taken him all across the U.S., but the passion his grandmother helped stoke at such a young age has never waned.

He brought it to Havana Beach where they cook, as he says, the “old-fashioned” way. Everything is made by hand.

Sauces begin with roasting bones and caramelizing vegetables.

“People say, ‘Why would you spend three days making demi-glace?’ Because it’s how you should do it.”
– Todd Rogers, executive chef

“There are just so many things you can buy this day and age so people say, ‘Why would you spend three days making demi-glace?’ Because it’s how you should do it,” Rogers said. “It’s not just a TV show where you make four courses in 30 minutes. It takes a lot of care and pride and passion to create great food.”

It also takes consistency, a strive for perfection and a tight-knit staff who share the same the values.

Rogers and his staff practice and perfect all their recipes from the shrimp and grits or Delmonico filet mignon to their expertly crafted avocado BLT.

Rogers enjoys teaching new cooks, sharing classical cooking techniques and tips he’s learned along the way.

“A lot of the older chefs kind of hold their recipes and techniques close to their chests,” Rogers said. “I believe in the other way: teaching everyone around you what you know and helping the young people who want to move up and learn something new.”

The Gulf Shrimp Fritters are loaded with Gulf shrimp, corn, black beans, jalapeño, pepperjack cheese, and served with avocado-lime aioli.

The farm-to-table food Rogers grew up with is also present at Havana Beach.

Almost everything Rogers serves comes from along the Gulf Coast: oysters, shrimp, grouper, snapper and flounder from Apalachicola Bay and the Gulf of Mexico; organic chickens from Bonifay, Florida; peppery, farm-fresh arugula, micro-radishes, micro-sorrel and other micro greens from a hydroponic farm about an hour north of the restaurant.

A truck from New Orleans stops at small family-run farms in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida along the way.

“It’s kind of like a market on a truck coming right to your back door,” he said.

Havana Beach Bar & Grill features a main dining area, a veranda with outdoor seating, a roof deck patio with views of the Gulf and a large, hand-carved mahogany bar with one of the largest bottle collections in South Walton.

Rogers says he doesn’t plan to stop working anytime soon.

“I always like to say I’m self-employed. I just find someone to pay me to do what I love.”

Havana Beach Bar & Grill is located at The Pearl Hotel, 63 Main Street in Rosemary Beach. The restaurant is open daily from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. for breakfast and lunch, and 5 to 9 p.m. for dinner. The bar is open from 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Call 850-588-2882 for more information.

April 4, 2020

Havana Beach Bar and Grill: Passport to Havana

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April 4, 2020
By Liesel Schmidt

ROSEMARY BEACH – When it comes to creating a successful restaurant, it takes more than just a great concept or an interesting hook. It takes an understanding of the market, a keen sense of business, and – of course – a master to lead and direct the kitchen.

The Pearl Hotel’s Havana Beach Bar and Grill could not have assembled a more fitting team when they chose Executive Chef Todd Rogers to take on that role, pairing him with The Pearl’s Food & Beverage Director Kevin Dixon to bring the flavors of Cuba to the plate. After all, for a restaurant whose concept centers around the cuisine of such a passionate culture, it requires the skill of someone with an equally matched passion for cooking. The menu of food and drinks offer enough complexity and flavor to make every bite and sip an experience to remember.

Havana Beach fritters — Havana Beach Bar & Grill is a AAA 4-Diamond Restaurant and Florida Trend Golden Spoon Award winner.

Havana Beach’s menu is, in fact, a little taste of the Old Town Havana so beloved by Ernest Hemingway, blended with the local flavors of the Emerald Coast. Food is prepared with the precision and dedication of the most skilled cigar roller, plated and presented with pride and passion. Fittingly enough, the dining room has the look and feel of a cigar room, blended with an airiness that could only come from being so very close to the sea. Here, you’ll find the perfect place to relax in the warm glow of its intimate spaces, a place where food and drink are savored like a slow sunset as a cigar burns down to the stub. To merely say that this is a restaurant would be to discredit it, to disrespect all that is offered when a dish is prepared by the hands of a chef as impassioned as Chef Rogers.

“We want our dining experience to entice all of the senses, from the very first moment our guests are greeted and have that carry through in each and every course they enjoy.”
– Executive Chef Todd Rogers

“We want our dining experience to entice all of the senses, from the very first moment our guests are greeted and have that carry through in each and every course they enjoy,” said Rogers, whose 30 years as a chef have allowed him to explore the world through its food. And at Havana Beach, the diner has the very great honor of being his guest on a trip to Cuba, without ever having to leave their table.

Not surprisingly, favorites include Coastal Seafood Fritters and Local Caught Grouper as well as some of their newest Latin-inspired creations such as the Three Little Pigs pork sampler and Hemingway’s Mariscos – a mouth-watering array of local fish and seafood served with spicy chorizo and zucchini. Perfect for anyone looking for something on the lighter side is the Havana Beach Salad, though Rogers insists that their decadent desserts are not to be missed.

Havana Beach s'mores — Havana Beach s’mores

“Our pastry chef is fabulous, so we have been able to extend our pastry and fresh bread offerings,” he said.

“We’re passionate about what we do and want to create an experience that exceeds everyone’s expectations,” Rogers continued. “To do that, we make the majority of all our menu items in-house or work closely with local and regional purveyors to ensure that we get the freshest, most locally sourced ingredients possible, and that shines through in the quality and flavor of the dishes we present. It’s a special experience to have a Gulf-front restaurant that’s truly serving a taste of place beyond just seafood, and we’re very proud of that.”

So, too, are they proud of their beverage program, offering creative, seasonally inspired, handcrafted cocktails that engage all of the senses in addition to a curated wine and beer selection that pairs perfectly with the cuisine.

In as much as each spice and sauce flavors the food at Havana Beach Bar & Grill, so does it reveal talent and pride and quality, taking the diner on an adventure and leaving them looking forward to their next trip back.

Havana Beach Bar and Grill is located in The Pearl Hotel, 63 Main Street, Rosemary Beach. Open daily for breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m.; lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Open daily for dinner 5 to 10 p.m. Bar hours run 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. with a daily happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m. Reservations not accepted. For more information, visit www.thepearlrb.com or call 850-588-2882.