790 North goes east to new Destin location

Offering “white tablecloth dining” at the Inn at Crystal Beach is like hammering square pegs into round holes, says Katie Curle, the Inn’s director of operations.

Curle told The Log that’s why 790 on the Gulf, which opened at the Inn last month, will be a better fit than the BeachWalk Café, which occupied the same space through December of last year.

“We were looking for more moderately priced, more casual dining,” Curle said. “It had gotten to the point the clientele in this building couldn’t afford the BeachWalk Cafe ... Even people of means would say ‘Wow, it’s expensive.’ ”

BeachWalk was part of the Inn for 11 years, but the homeowners association terminated chef Tim Creehan’s lease last winter. Creehan has since reopened in Henderson Park Inn slightly west on Scenic Hwy. 98.

After the closing, Curle said the association hired Dale Peterson to market the restaurant space and then the Inn’s maintenance chief,

Harry Tapper, mentioned 790 North, at which he was a regular diner.

“When I ate there,” Curle said, “it was like the who’s who of Fort Walton Beach every time you turn around — we’re hoping that some of those people now know he’s opening here.”

790 owner Ed Ward told The Log that his restaurant draws and keeps customers with “Southern Louisiana hospitality” and a menu that includes gumbo — seafood, chicken and sausage, duck and andouille — fried catfish, meatloaf and shrimp. He said that over the years, a number of residents and staffers at the Inn had asked if he’d be interested in opening a second restaurant.

Running two restaurants is challenging, Ward said, “but I’ve been doing this for 32 years. My partner Christine Ward and I have quite a few wonderful people that work for us, who have risen to the challenge and made the transition. It’s made it a nice possibility.”

Initially, Ward said, most people didn’t know 790 on the Gulf existed, so the customers were residents and guests at the inn. After some active networking and promotion, diners from outside the Inn began showing up.

“80 percent told me they live in Destin, and how glad they were to have us here,” Ward said. “Our total focus for running a successful restaurant is focusing on repeat clientele, that can only be done with people who live here, Bluewater Bay and the surrounding areas.”

Curle said the restaurant’s relaxed atmosphere makes the Inn’s guests comfortable just dropping in for lunch or stopping by to pick up takeout.

BeachWalk and the Inn were tied up for six years in a dispute with the city over whether the restaurant had enough parking and whether it stayed within the size limit specified by a legal settlement. So far, Curle said, 790 hasn’t had a parking problem, and they’ve kept the size of 790 to less than 3,182 square feet. [Edited to correct the square footage]

790 on the Gulf staffers told The Log the menu is 80 to 85 percent identical to 790 North, with a few items subtracted and some additions, such as specialty steaks.

Call (850) 650-GULF for more information.