EDITORIAL: Cooking with confidence on the restaurant scene

For every restaurant that goes down in Destin, two seem to spring up to take its place.

Such was the case as The Log reported that Salad Creations and Z’s Fish House had become the latest victims of the lean economy. Salad Creations had been around about a year but Z’s, which began as the elegant Zampieri’s Harbor Grille, was a Destin mainstay for about three years. The slow economy forced the upscale restaurant to retool its brand a few months back to the more down-to-earth Z’s, but the change wasn’t enough to save the restaurant.

The very next issue we reported how Destin was becoming something of a little Italy with four eateries set to sling the sauce and toss the pizza pies.

La Famiglia is set to open any day and offer authentic fare from the Rella family, who come to Destin direct from Rome. For a more hands-on experience, Panhandle Pizza makes the pie with fresh ingredients in an oven-ready dish and lets patrons do the baking.

Then there’s Sauce, which cooks up recipes direct from Naples. Meanwhile, Red Brick Pizza down the road offers a more Americanized spin on the Italian specialties.

After a difficult winter in 2008, we were doubtful about dining prospects in Destin — especially in the face of a rash of closings.

“I don’t know how many more restaurants Destin can handle opening,” Destin Area Chamber of Commerce CEO and President Shane Moody told The Log at the time. “We only have 60,000 to 80,000 people for three months of the year. The rest of the time we only have about 20,000, and you can only support so many restaurants with a small population like that.”

But flash forward to the present day and we can almost smell the success in the air. HarborWalk continues to draw diners looking for a taste of The Big Easy to the west end of the harbor. Their eastern neighbors are also prospering. After the closing of the short-lived Woody’s, the area has bounced back with restaurants and watering holes like Baby J’s, Dewey Destin’s Harborside and the Red Door Saloon.

All these success stories of 2009 will no doubt continue to whet the appetites of those looking to carve out a slice of the American dining dream in Destin. Meanwhile, if Destin diners approve of the multitude of menus, they must vote with their wallets — especially with the tourists packing it up and the shoulder season upon us.

So dig in, Destin, and savor the variety that has brought so many memorable meals to the masses.