Go ahead.

Fill in the blank.

I am waiting.

What would you say is one of the best things about vacation?

The rest? The relaxation? The lack of a schedule? The adventure? All of the above?

I love all of those things as well but today let’s focus on the FOOD! Now when Chris and I vacation we usually try to find the local places to patronize. Of course we have to fulfill Chris’s Dunkin Donuts addiction so there are those but some of the best places we have found over the years have been the tried and true local places. Our recent week at the beach found us in search of shrimp. Always shrimp.

I feel like we didn’t really eat that many meals out this time due to having taken some meals along and having leftovers from when we did eat out but I found my fair share of shrimp. As well as some other goodies.

First up – when we arrived and it was too early to check in we needed a late lunch so we found Lake Powell Pizza located in Carillon Beach to help fill our bellies. Their pizzas were huge (think leftovers even with small sized pizzas) and delicious.

Another thing we love are crepes and when we saw a crepe place next to the Starbucks in the Seacrest Beach / Rosemary Beach area we had to try it. Creative Crepes delivered – not the best we have ever had but it filled the tummy just like we needed. I guess they would be considered kind of a fast food crepe place if there is such a thing.

Now let’s get to our beloved shrimp, shall we?

We found LuLu’s in Destin and while the place is probably jam packed during the warmer months it was uncrowded and quiet the day we visited. I chose the shrimp tacos and the addition of black beans in the bottom of the tacos made me happy. Sometimes fish or shrimp tacos only have cabbage and some pico and these were a nice diversion from that. The picked onion on top and the tortilla chips on the side were a bonus.

Chris likes to find places with great names to eat and he found Bayou Bill’s Crab House in Panama City Beach that turned out to be a great place to grab dinner. The almandine beans served with our meals were off the hook and we both went home with leftovers. I chose the crab stuffed shrimp and while the shrimp were small they were incredibly tasty.

Our final meal out before we headed home was at Stinky’s Fish Camp in Santa Rosa Beach. It was super uncrowded (except around the bar) and we had a great appetizer of Bang Bang Shrimp and I followed that with an interesting Shrimp and Beet Salad with raspberry yogurt dressing. I think I would have liked it better with unpickled beets but it was pretty tasty and the shrimp were a winner as always.

So there you go — food pictures to start your Monday off and to remind me of some great meals. When you travel, where do you tend to eat? Do you cook your own meals or like us do a combination? I would love to hear all about it –don’t forget to Comment for a Cause for Asheville Cat Weirdos Emergency Vet Fund.