Category: Dining

At Christiano’s It’s Just Mangia! — JUST EAT!

By Anne Hunter

You might expect Christiano’s—located inside a strip-mall on Highway 98 between Highway 393 and Scenic Highway 30A—to be just another restaurant in the chain of food options for locals and vacationers that line the Gulf of Mexico. But when you step through the door of Chris and Rene Chirum’s Italian beach eatery, the vibe is more like a formal Michelin-starred restaurant in SoHo, Manhattan, meets the deep south soul of Alabama – all just a few miles from the beach.

Chef Chris, who trained at Johnson Wells Culinary School in Providence Rhode Island and cooked in fine dining French restaurants in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, before heading south to the kitchens of Sandestin, believes in good food. Everything at Christiano’s is made from scratch. “Some people are content with the Carrabba’s of the world, but not me.”  Chirum believes that once people are presented with really good food they seek it out. “When I was a kid, about six-years old, my buddy used to come to the house. One day he asked, why is your mom’s spaghetti so good? I didn’t know until I went to his house and his mom made spaghetti for us. All she did was take Campbell’s Tomato Soup, boil it and pour it over spaghetti. Then, I understood.”

While Chirum credits his mother for developing his passion for good food, he credits his mother-in law for the inspiration to open Christiano’s and points to the framed photograph of a beautiful young woman who seems to be looking over Christiano’s, “She helped us open the place. She loved the ravioli and would come here all of the time and eat it.” Chirum continues, “I am a Yankee. My wife is southern, and her mama is really southern. So, her mama called me her Eye-talian Yankee Son-In-Law. My name is Chris but all of my wife’s brothers and sisters called me Christiano. They came up with the name of the restaurant.”

A match made in heaven, Chris met Rene at a Christmas Party. He was the Executive Chef at Elephant Walk Restaurant in Sandestin and she was a physician’s liaison for a hospital that was hosting a Christmas party at Chris’ restaurant. “ I met her then and she didn’t like me. Years down the road we went on a date and she didn’t care for me then either, but then I made soup for her on our second date and that was it.  It was Zuppa Squisita  that did it!”

The couple purchased the space that was once Guglielmo’s Italian Grill. “We have been in this location now for almost for seven years. Chris had opportunities to relocate to bigger and better things, but our parents were here and we wanted to have time for our children as a family – so we decided to stay,” says Rene.

The relaxed, upscale yet casual Italian eatery welcomes all guests, including those in tank tops and flip flops or suits and ties – and there is room for everyone – including a family room that seats 18 people.  Rene says, “People come straight off the beach and also for anniversaries and fine dining.” A family of four can split a $20 pizza while a business executive can feast on Veal Marsala, Filet Mignon, or Rack of Lamb as a couple celebrating their anniversary in the corner, finishes the meal with homemade pie. “There is something for everyone.”

I stopped in for lunch with my friend Dr. Hillary Glenn and at chef’s recommendation, ordered the Pasta a la Louie, a signature lunch dish with rigatoni, marinara, meatballs and sausage.  “My dad loves sauce, he grew up eating sauce. We had sauce every Sunday and my mom would cook rigatoni. He called them stove pipes. Friday’s we had fish,” Chef Chirum says. No surprise, it was excellent and I feel as though I have just discovered a secret treasure.

Christiano’s serves the kind of food that you think about in your quiet time, the kind of food that your taste buds take you back for.  So, I went back – only to discover that an artist named Rosalie plays piano on Friday nights –  classic oldies from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.  “Rosalie also makes the coffee and amaretto cake, she painted our menu, and many of the murals and artwork around the walls,” explained Rene, before looking lovingly Chris, “I think everyone was happy tonight.”

CHRISTIANO’S is owned by Chris and Rene Chirum and located at 4942 US Hwy 98 W, Santa Rosa Beach, FL. Lunch hours are 11pm-2pm and dinner from 5pm-9pm.  For more information or to make reservations call (850) 267-2185 or visit www.meatballssrb.com.

 

By Sarah Stewart

SoWal Life caught up with Qun Lin, owner and chef at VKI Japanese Steakhouse, as he prepared sushi rolls for his guests.

How long have you been a sushi chef?

For nine years but we opened VKI five years ago. Before that I lived in New York City.

Did you go to culinary school?

No, when I was in my early 20’s  I was trained by my uncle.  He has owned a sushi restaurant in Brooklyn called Bayridge Sushi for 20 years and my family owns Lin’s Asian Cuisine in Miramar Beach.  

Do you have a favorite sushi roll to prepare?

The “Sexy Roll.” Inside the roll is fresh King Crab, avocado and cucumber with crunchy spicy tuna and fresh tuna on top.

How is your offseason?

The majority of our customers are locals which we get year round. During the season it’s busy but we have a lot of regulars in the offseason which keeps it pretty stable. We have the sushi bar but we also have the Hibachi tables which families really enjoy. It’s something different that you don’t get everywhere.

Where do you source your seafood?

We like to source whatever we can locally from Harbor Docks in Destin.

So are you guys Japanese since this is a Japanese Steak House?

No, we’re actually all Chinese here!

A little about VKI

VKI is a family owned and operated Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar. Open for business since February of 2012, they look forward to continuing their growth within the South Walton community. The menu consists of a wide range of steak, seafood, chicken, Japanese sushi, Tempura, Katsu and Sashimi. Traditionally, Japanese food is fresh, healthy, and low in fat. Asian culinary philosophy says that food should satisfy all the senses. The freshest ingredients are combined with great care in a presentation that will delight the eyes as well as the taste buds. They also offer hot and cold sake and a variety of beer and wine. Whether you enjoy their Hibachi grill or the sushi bar, it’s a journey of delicious and interactive dining.

Quen Lin invites locals to come in and enjoy “Sushi Happy Hour” from 4-6pm everyday.

VKI is located at 4552 US Hwy 98 W, Santa Rosa Beach, FL (next to Louis Louis). Lunch hours are 11pm-3pm and dinner from 3pm-10pm.  For more information or to make reservations call (850) 267-2555.

CRUST Artisan Eatery: A Small Restaurant Experience

By Sarah Stewart

When I walked into CRUST, owner Mark Fressell had already begun his day’s tasks which include making a variety of pastas from scratch. His passion for Italian culinary tradition was evident as he explained each process. Today he was making an organic orecchiette (little ear) pasta without eggs. Mark explains, “In Southern Italy eggs were a luxury and so the people made pasta with water. I’m using water instead of eggs and equal proportions of all purpose organic white flour and semolina which is durum wheat with a higher protein content than regular flour. This is not a delicate pasta, it’s going to have a little bite to it when you chew it. I also like to make trofie (a thin hand twisted pasta) and pici (a hand rolled thick spaghetti-like pasta).”

Then Mark took out another ball of dough he was working on for ravioli and explained, “This is an egg based pasta which is associated with northern Italy.  For every three cups of flour it will have five eggs in it. This pasta will be very delicate, soft and light. Each pasta has a sauce that is appropriate for it.  The sauce that I would use for this egg based pasta is totally different from one I would use for the heavier orecchiette. This is a pasta you would find in Bologna, the gastronomical center of Italy, the bread basket. This is where most of the really good northern Italian recipes come from.

What led you to open a restaurant? Did you go to culinary school?

No, I’m self taught. I’m originally from the Bronx but I worked in Atlanta as an engineer for 33 years. I was part of the system working behind a desk. I woke up one day and decided I wasn’t going to work again. I reached a point in my life where I said If I’m going to do what I really want to do, what my passions are, I’ve got to do it now. One of the beauties of my job when I was a professional engineer is that I traveled a lot and ate in a lot of really good restaurants. For instance, Il Mulino in New York and Aqua (formerly in San Francisco).  You can tell the difference between a place where they’re doing it right and a place that is looking for shortcuts. So, I bought books, I learned and I read and I practiced and when I felt like I was good enough, I hung my shingle. I moved here to Santa Rosa Beach 19 years ago. In 2010 I decided to open up a little artisan bakery and restaurant that’s uncompromising in the quality of the ingredients I use and the preparation. We’ve defied all odds, no liquor or beer license and probably the worst restaurant location in Walton County, but we have a loyal following!

What do you think is the reason for your success?

I don’t rush things, I do it right. I always tell people I worked as an engineer for 33 years, I didn’t get out of that business to make bad food. If you look at Italian food recipes very few of them have more than five or six ingredients.  To make Italian food and make it well the ingredients have to be the best available. For instance parmesan reggiano cheese, (I call it the undisputed king of cheese), there’s lots ways you can go with it.  You can buy domestic which is ok or you can buy 18 or 24 month aged Italian parmesan reggiano. I buy 24 month aged Italian parmesan reggiano because it’s that much better, it’s that good.  I’m not happy with the sausage that’s commercially available so I make my own.  The reason I make my own is because I can totally control what goes in it.  I use Duroc pork. I’m unhappy with the lack of fat in the sausage you find at the grocery store. They’ve taken all the fat out of pork products and my opinion is, if you have a health issue, don’t eat two pieces eat one, but eat the one piece that’s made properly!

What’s the best thing about eating in a small restaurant like CRUST?

I don’t turn tables. People come here for an experience.  When people book a table with me it’s normally for the whole night. I’m not rushing people out.  The food that I make is not fast food, it takes a while to make.  Some people get it and some people don’t. The people who get it really like it because it’s an old way of eating. You sit down, enjoy the company you’re with, have a few glasses of wine, enjoy multiple courses, you take your time. Notice there is no television in here and I will not put a television in here. I’m trying to bring back the lost art of conversation.  What I’m doing right now (hand making pasta) would be impossible or impractical to do if you were serving 150-200 people a night. I’m totally happy serving 25-30 people a night. I control the quality of the food, and the pace of the courses. Some people get it some people don’t.  If you want to come with a date or a group of friends, sit down and enjoy a leisurely evening then this is the place for you.

CRUST, located at 4812 US Hwy 98, (next to Copy Systems), is currently open M-Sat from 5pm-9pm.  For more information or to make reservations call (850) 622-1022. Like them on  Facebook @CRUSTartisanbakery.

(Formerly The Seagrove V)

 

In the 1940’s, when Seagrove Beach was nothing more than a few houses hidden behind sand dunes, a man named Cube McGee saw something more. He saw a paradise unlike anywhere else in the world and decided to build a community around it.

Cube developed and shaped Seagrove into the vibrant, soulful place it is today. He was also a local celebrity, with his pet deer named Bambi. The both of them could be seen each morning on the beach, playing in the surf. Some even say, if you’re up early enough, you might still see a deer playing in the surf at sunrise.

So, to pay homage to Cube and his taste for adventure, we decided to keep the legend and the soul of 30A alive by naming our latest restaurant Surfing Deer—a place where folks can dine, create memories and enjoy the beauty of our beach.

XO Ann & George Hartley

Surfing Deer is located on the corner of 30A and 395 at 2743 County Highway 30A in Seagrove Beach, FL 32459.  Open Mon-Sat from 5pm-10pm. No Reservations.  For more information visit www.surfingdeer.com or call (850) 213-4200.