Man Dies of Gumbo in RV!

I went to Bubba’s Seafood House in Orange Beach, Alabama last night at the recommendation of a few locals.  http://bubbasseafoodhouse.com/ My waiter Jaime couldn’t have been more helpful.  I had a half dozen oysters on the half shell and an oyster and shrimp po’ boy.   Boy was it good-  lived up to the recommendations.  Bubba’s is on the main drag at the beach with a fun bar and restaurant.  I loved their tee shirt with “Bubba’s” on the front (natch) and lettering on the back, “A quaint little drinking village, with a fishing problem.  Orange Beach, Al.”

I almost wrote up my experience last night for the View, but I hesitated thinking I should wait until tonight.  Well, my intuition paid  off.  Tonight I went to King Neptune’s www.kingneptuneseafoodrestaurant.com based on the Yelp recommendations for gumbo.  I met Al Sawyer, the owner, outside, because he was nice enough to caution me to avoid some low hanging branches in the parking lot (with my RV.)  Al was sitting on a red bench outside smoking a cigarette and wearing a checkered Bear Bryant hat with Jeannie, one of his star waitresses, who came to work fourteen years ago at age fifteen to help out for just one night and is still there. Once I learned he was the owner, I overcame my natural shyness and asked what he recommended for an appetizer because I knew I was having gumbo for an entree.  When he suggested the fried green tomatoes, I knew I didn’t even need to refer to a menu.  The six slices of corn meal tomatoes were accompanied by four corn meal shrimp with both remoulade and cocktail sauce.  Wonderful!  I did glance at the menu while I enjoyed this light little dish and noted I might have ordered a steamed Ocean Platter for Two, which includes one pound of Aquila Royal Red Shrimp, two Alaskan King crab claws, 8 oz. of cocktail crab claws, one Alaskan Snow crab cluster, four steamed oysters, and one Dungeness cluster.  They would have had to lock me in the Dungeness after that!

The decor matched the wonderful food with red and blue neon lights, and walls full of pictures both old and new, including some with Bobby Flay, who did a Food Channel show with Al.  Here’s a copy of the gumbo recipe www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/foodnation-with-bobby-flay/gumbo-recipe/index.html

Elvis and Fats Domino were crooning the background music, but I was surprised to see Erin Burnett covering the news on the TV behind the bar.  There was a great poster on the wall with this nice red tomato and the text, “Year of Alabama Food”, but, as I looked closely, it didn’t have a year on it.  As it turns out, it’s another Alabama promotion like the golf trail, that promotes famous Alabama dishes, secret recipes, and a trail of great food and restaurants.  You really have to see this site.  It’s wonderful! http://www.yearofalabamafood.com/http://www.yearofalabamafood.com/

Well, I could spend a year in Alabama enjoying the sites and the food, but I think I would roux the day!  Just one more famous recipe and they may find me passed out in my RV from too much gumbo!  I’m heading for Manatee Springs, Florida tomorrow where, if the  folks don’t live longer, at least they’re all on Medicare.  God, Al, and Bubba knows I need it!