Well, things are looking a bit brighter oil-wise than they were a fortnight ago, but there’s still great reason to be concerned, for selfish reasons and for the thousands of people, fish and birds that are destined to be caught up in this mess.
Plans are moving right along for the hair-in-pantyhose booms that are being constructed by volunteers here. To no one’s surprise, the civic-minded Helen Back eatery and bar has jumped in and offered some organizational assistance, including times for volunteers to stuff hair.
(Really, this sounds nuts, but the booms work!)
The times are 3-7 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The place is the former Rhodes Furniture Building at 328 Racetrack Road in Fort Walton Beach. You can drop off hair there or arrange for pick up by calling (850) 803-2825 or 376-1477. But organizers are hurting for volunteers, so please pitch in.
Jennifer Tindall, coordinator for Youth United for the United Way, can answer questions at (850) 243-0315.
If we don’t need ‘em here, they’ll sure be used elsewhere. So, “Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow.” But we need your help.
While roving Highway 98, I decided to make my inaugural visit to Osaka Japanese restaurant to see why there are always so many cars there. Well, it’s a no-brainer after just one visit. The place is fun, the show good, and the food ample and excellent.
I always opt for the Hibachi table in Japanese restaurants. Just like “More Cow Bells” in that famous Saturday Night Live sketch, I just can’t get enough of metal spatulas being clanged on the stainless steel stovetops. And when I said the show is good, it’s more than that—it’s excellent.
Our chef, Ho, was quite comical, and was also Korean, which seems to fit the mold for most Japanese eateries here. When I pointed out that “Ho” wasn’t very Korean, he said it was supposed to be spelled “Huh” at which point I amused myself terribly by saying, “Huh?”
But it was a great dinner, one that I can’t wait to repeat.
The last two weeks also had me finding some great barbecue at the most unlikely of places: Los Pancho’s Tex-Mex restaurant on Okaloosa Island. After a couple of hours at Helen Back of unsuccessfully trying to best Sears employee Dick Jennings on what I generously call the “Video Crack” games, I headed to Pancho’s for a burrito and a margarita, not necessarily in that order.
Libation successfully poured, lovely bartendress Kim Stepp said, “Have you tried our new barbecue?” I confessed I had not. When what to my wandering eyes would appear but Donald Osborne, retired Air Force Crew Chief and EOD guy and now maker of some damn fine barbecue.
He asked if I’d care for a sampler and I—purely in the interest of competent journalism—accepted. In minutes I had a plate with a rib, brisket, pulled pork, baked beans and a wonderful (and healthy) vinegar-based coleslaw.
There were two excellent sauces and everything was surprisingly wonderful. So much so that I never bothered with the burrito.
“Oz,” as he is called, is open 11-2 Mon.-Thurs., and 5-10 Fri.-Sat. He does bulk orders (Eglin Protocol loves him) and catering. So help a brother out and visit or give him a call at (850) 699-5927. You won’t be sorry.
We interrupt this bit of whimsy to bring you one of the funniest adlibs I’ve ever enjoyed. Whilst at Angler’s, playing yet-another form of video crack (this one is Buzztime Trivia and involves a sort of laptop and TV network), a friend stepped outside for a smoke.
He returned shortly and was laughing heartily. Seems a group of tourists were looking at the dredging ship that has been plying the waters south of the pier for several days. They asked Steve (we’ll protect his identity by withholding his last name) what sort of boat that was. His reply:
“That’s a dolphin processing boat. Sometimes there are just too many of them, and we have to thin them out.”
They bought it.
Filet of Flipper, anyone?
HarborWalk Village has all sorts of fun stuff planned for Memorial Day Weekend (which looks pretty strange on my keyboard. “Day Weekend”?) Anyway, there are kid’s things and fireworks tonight if you were first in line to pick up the newest Beachcomber. There will also be a tribute to a local patriot.
Saturday night our very own Elvis will perform from 7 to 9 p.m., and on Sunday there’ll be live entertainment from 6:30 to 8:30 followed by fireworks over the Destin Harbor. Thanks, Peter.
Speaking of HarborWalk, I was strolling the shops—an enjoyable habit of mine—and chanced upon Dean Minton, an incredibly gifted artist who makes a living doing caricatures of visitors and locals alike.
“Deano” has been at it quite awhile, and can work off a sitting person or—for those of you wondering what to give someone—off a picture! He’s a heck of a nice guy as well.
Speaking of the Destin Harbor, the charter boat guys have been all but shut down by the concern over the oil spill. Hey, folks, it’s slightly larger than 1 percent of the Gulf. As we used to say as kids playing cards, “Go fish!”
A spokeswoman for the Emerald Grande told me, "We’re working very aggressively with the TDC. The full impact has yet to be seen, but we’re hopeful. The charter industry has been devastated.”
Ellen Bragg, manager of the Best Western on Okaloosa Island said, “We haven’t had that many cancellations. We need to focus on other things to do here. There’s great history, wonderful shopping, and fine restaurants. Focus on the good things.”
On a happier note, Le Grand Cirque is now performing at Grand Boulevard at Sandestin®. An outgrowth of Cirque de Soleil, it’s been called “out of this world” by the Sidney Express and “beyond belief” by the London Times.
Need anything more? Visit www.cirquedestin.com or call 866-973-9610 for tickets.
Finally, local chanteuse Toni Drago has long envisioned a jazz venue for local and visiting performers. It’s improbably in the banquet room at the Bangkok House but last Thursday her dream came true.
Jeanie Carlin, a Wisconsin lass who spends a lot of time performing in Europe, came on stage only to be followed by our own gem, Dr. Cheryl Jones. The joint was jumpin’ and I urge you to spend your Thursday evenings there.
We close with a Polish proverb, in keeping with our whimsy earlier: “Fish, to taste right, must swim three times—in water, in butter, and in wine.”
