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Saturday, June 14, 2014

Fairhope State of Mind {Eats & Drinks, Summer ‘14}


I am NOT ready to go home- stomping feet! I am NOT ready to go home!
J & I left the beach yesterday in pouring down rain after a week of perfect beach weather and made a pit stop in one of our favorite locales, Fairhope, AL. For those of you who follow the Uptown Acorn, you know how much I love the Eastern Shore.
We arrived around lunch time and checked into the Fairhope Inn. It is such a cozy bed & breakfast style inn. With only 3 rooms in the main house, the Inn is the perfect place to stay in downtown Fairhope. We stayed in the “Red Room”.
fairhope Inn
lobby2
lobby3
Located in the heart of downtown Fairhope lies the beautiful Fairhope Inn and Restaurant. Warm and Elegant are what many describe the 107 year-old home. True Southern hospitality awaits your arrival as you enter the quaint town.
Upon a recommendation of Leslie Ann of Fairhope Supply Company blog, J & I had lunch at Locals, a local eatery which features foods with the finest locally sourced ingredients.
  • Bread is baked fresh daily by Sweet Olive, Fairhope,AL
  • Cheese is from Sweet Home Farm Cheese in Elberta, AL
  • Veggies are from Local famers here in Baldwin County
locals facade
J & I both devoured the bison burger on freshly baked wheat buns, topped with local blue cheese, sautéed mushrooms, and garlic aioli. We shared a side of green beans and squash and a side of freshly cut fries. Let me just say this meal was fresh and delicious, and the service was impeccable.
local
locals burger
locals burger2
For happy hour, we met Leslie Ann and her husband at Pinzone's, a local Italian restaurant and bar, for a couple cocktails. It was great meeting her husband and talking blog “stuff”.
pinzones
pinzones ron and leslie
pinzones group
pinzones cocktails
pinzones wine
For dinner, we dined at the more upscale Fairhope Inn Restaurant. We love to dine on the glass enclosed porch.
“Chef/Owner and Culinary Institute of America graduate Tyler J. Kean invites you to come and experience fine dining in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere, expertly prepared meals planned from a menu that changes with the seasons. Chef Tyler takes his past experiences in restaurants that stretch from New York to New Orleans and pours them into his restaurant that he acquired in Nov. of 2000. Rich colors, large tropical plants and candle light help provide an elegant backdrop for some of the best dining on the coast.”
After a couple cocktails at the bar, we were seated promptly.
fairhope inn lobby
fairhope inn bar
fairhope inn cocktails2
For appetizers, we shared the crab cake with sweet potato hay and a tomato caper aioli and half dozen oysters on the half shell.
crab cakes
oysters
For dinner, I had the catch of the day, grouper, the daily selection of sustainable seafood pan seared served with an seasonal succotash and lemon sage beurre blanc, and Jeff loved his grilled pork tenderloin with whipped sweet potatoes, braised “Local Appetite” Farms Russian red kale, with Point Clear honey and Cippolini onion jus.
grouper
tenderloin
For dessert, we shared the apple crisp. All was delicious. We love to dine at the Fairhope Inn when we are in this charming city.
apple crisp
Eating and drinking Fairhope-style, y’all!

9 comments:

  1. I want to travel with you and J! I haven't been a beach person in a while, but I'm sure you could nudge me to me one! ;) You are killing me with those beautiful pictures of your meals--I love bison burgers, and that one looks amazing. Don't you just love restaurants that only use local farmers and ingredients? Giving back to the economy and community is all what it is about!

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  2. We had so much fun visiting with you in Fairhope! It's always good to see other bloggers and fellow Gulf Coast-ers!
    Safe travels home!

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  3. Fairhope is on my travel list. Just this afternoon I checked the milage. Says it's only 9+ hours drive from Austin. Just might have to get in the car and head that way. '-)
    Sorry your vacation is winding up. Glad you had terrific beach weather.

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  4. Looks like the perfect spot to end a more than fabulous week of vacationing!! I am recuperating this weekend. LOL Those littles are busy busy busy!! Not to mention LOUD!!!! I ended my week being shot with pompoms from their launchers. Apparently, they thought it would be a blast to make Miss Lauren the target of the secret agents. Okay, I may have instigated the whole thing to keep them entertained until music time. ROFL

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  5. Ron, You and J have some of the best vacations! When we lived on Navarre Beach we would go to Fairhope several times per year....love the town.
    xx,
    Sherry

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  6. Oh my gosh Ron everything looked sooooooo good!!

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  7. Ron- You are such a lucky guy. Love your trip and the great places you stay and what you eat. I am so glad you touched base with Leslie Ann I love that gal.

    I might, or might not, be just mentioning you for a little blip in my blog tomorrow-...lol xo Diana

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  8. I am so glad that you had a terrific vacation and that the weather was great. The food looks wonderful and I can see why you want to stay in Fairhope.

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  9. The bison burger looks and sounds delicious, Ron. Thanks for sharing!

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