The Goat Pen

I'm definitely a mountain person

Besides the restaurants near Gulf Shores, you're very close to Fairhope, which has an excellent assortment of great restaurants, and Mobile. New Orleans is a 2.5 hr drive, too. Day trips are very doable.

You know who I want to beat the shit out of right now--and just about every fucking day for that matter? My wife's great grandfather on her maternal grandmother's side. That asshole is the reason the family has their beach condos/homes at Myrtle Fucking Beach. Yeah, it was a great financial decision to start developing there during the 20's, but fucking a, just because the family has always gone there doesn't mean you people can't branch out. Give me Holden Beach, Atlantic Beach/Morehead or Topsail. I want to go to the beach to relax and get drunk in a quiet setting, not be around a bunch of asshat tourists.

Yeah. Woohoo. I get to play golf, but I get to deal with every touristy asswipe on the green earth.

AlabamAlum wrote:Besides the restaurants near Gulf Shores, you're very close to Fairhope, which has an excellent assortment of great restaurants, and Mobile. New Orleans is a 2.5 hr drive, too. Day trips are very doable.

There are a handful of good restaurants in Fairhope, but I've always felt that area was pretty devoid of great places to eat. My favorite place along there is called Ivy's in Robertsdale, Alabama - a little 1 stop light town on the way to the Beach.

eCat wrote:

AlabamAlum wrote:Besides the restaurants near Gulf Shores, you're very close to Fairhope, which has an excellent assortment of great restaurants, and Mobile. New Orleans is a 2.5 hr drive, too. Day trips are very doable.

There are a handful of good restaurants in Fairhope, but I've always felt that area was pretty devoid of great places to eat. My favorite place along there is called Ivy's in Robertsdale, Alabama - a little 1 stop light town on the way to the Beach.

Fairhope has two of my fav places. I could eat at Camellia Cafe and the Dragonfly just about every day.

How Camellia and Dragonfly ended up at #6 and #9 respectively on this list is shocking.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants ... abama.html

I have dined at every place on this list in the top 14, and while R bistro and Sunset are good, they are no where near Camellia or Dragonfly.

My wife's mother's boyfriend (or whatever you want to call him) is an old rich dude who bought a vacation home on the water in Fairhope last year.

His son made some comment about us being gold diggers (never met the guy) so I have politely declined all invitations to use the home.

I go to the old haunts in the area, Wintzells ...and if I have time for a drive, we hit the Mariner restaurant on Dog River - which is on the way to the most redneck island in the world - Dauphin Island - where you can buy a double wide with a view of the beach

AlabamAlum wrote:How Camellia and Dragonfly ended up at #6 and #9 respectively on this list is shocking.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants ... abama.html

I have dined at every place on this list in the top 14, and while R bistro and Sunset are good, they are no where near Camellia or Dragonfly.

Dragonfly is mexican right? Never been to Camelia.

eCat wrote:

hedge wrote:It's hard to overcome the hilljacks natural aversion to water...

I'm a bald fair complected Scott-Irish

2 minutes there and I burst into flames.

You could wear a suit of armor...

We know two families up here that have bought houses on Dauphin Island in the past 3 years.

Admittedly its been a while since I've been there but damn - its hard for me to act excited for them when they tell me how great it is. Maybe the place has gone upscale in the last few years.

"That asshole is the reason the family has their beach condos/homes at Myrtle Fucking Beach."

I've always heard North Myrtle is an enclave of the well to do...

I really wouldn't call Dragonfly Mexican or even Tex-Mex. They have tacos, but these are not your typical tacos. Definitely, more of a fusion of cultures. Asian, Southwest, Mexican, Cajun, etc. Love them.

Camellia is worthwhile. You should drop by both places next time in town.

Dauphin Island is great for seclusion, but one restaurant, one bar, one tiny grocery, and a 9-hole golf course? Nope. Not for me.

eCat at the beach:



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100% beach bum. Can do mountains, but not my first choice.

I want both. Love my beach place, but sipping some whiskey on a patio and watching the sun set behind Mount Le Conte is some special stuff.

The only two places in Fairhope I can recall trying out are Gambino's and Big Daddy's, both ok.

hedge wrote:"That asshole is the reason the family has their beach condos/homes at Myrtle Fucking Beach."

I've always heard North Myrtle is an enclave of the well to do...

There is a lot of money down there, whether it be from Yankees, locals who hit it big in development or people from Fayetteville/Sand HIlls/Charlotte who have places down there. If they're worth a shit, they're usually members of the The Dunes Club.

Bklyn wrote:100% beach bum. Can do mountains, but not my first choice.

Preach! (I would say brother like a baptist/deeply religious southerner, but I didn't want bullshit jokes about race)

aTm wrote:The only two places in Fairhope I can recall trying out are Gambino's and Big Daddy's, both ok.

Both meh. Gambino's is heavy tomato sauce and store-bought pasta, but hearty and cheap.

Let's all go to fairhope. Lunch at Dragonfly, dinner at Camillia. My treat.

I am a beach guy myself. Nothing more relaxing than just laying there and listening to the ocean and a nice breeze.

Stealing Hedge's thunder: "Probably a pain in the ass with everyone trying to roll you back into the ocean.............."


SUCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK ITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT HEDGE!!!!!