The Camera is Great!

The new Panasonic DMC-TS1 camera arrived a couple of days ago... Now for a few test pictures.

Our favorite restaurant is Peace River Seafood, about 2 miles East of I-75 on Rt 17 in Punta Gorda. Jim and Kelly, the owners, catch and cook blue crabs, Maryland style. They are as good as any I've had since I was 14, and I've had a lot of crabs. In fact, when I die, if there is any justice in the world, I should be buried at sea; preferably in shallow brackish water. It's only fair.

Beautiful, photogenic, food like this gives me a chance to play with the new camera so here is a snapshot of dinner, no flash, at 12.1 megapixels.

Click on the picture to see it in it's tasty glory. What you can't fully appreciate from the picture are these facts:

1. The Bud Light Draft Beer in the background is just about 32 degrees... perfect!

2. The spice on the crab is authentic J.O. Brand #2 Crab Seasoning from Baltimore, Maryland! See http://www.jospices.com/ for the story on my favorite crab seasoning. To find it in Florida is a real treat.

3. The pictured crab was 9 and 3/8th inches point to point, very heavy, served so hot I couldn't eat it for a few minutes, (hence the photo op), and it was as sweet as crabmeat gets. This is a sublime meal in my book.

There are other things to like about this crab house too. For example, the correct condiments are served, vinegar, real melted butter, delicious boiled new potatoes, and the aformentioned J. O. Spice. They even have a talking parrot on the front porch!

The service is great too! Chris, the best waiter in Florida, either thinks I'm a food critic from Fodor's or a big tipper. Neither are true but his attentive service anticipates my every want. I call ahead to make sure the big crabs are available before driving the 120 mile round trip. Chris never gives me bad information. Crabbing is an unpredictable pursuit. Some days they are big, heavy and plentiful; other days you can't catch much of anything. I appreciate his honest apprasial of the day's catch..

Kelly, the owner, once said, "I'd like to have a dollar for everyone who said they were from Maryland". We accomodate! The walls of the restaurant are becoming papered with dollar bills denoting the origin of the diner's addiction to Callinectes sapidus, (the Beautiful Swimmer), aka Blue Crab.

So there you have it. A day in the life of a carniverous ex-Marylander who found culinary salvation in Punta Gorda, Florida. This last photo says it all best!