Grills and Dumplings
Port Canaveral and Vero Beach, Florida
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
Clear, 85°
“A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles.”
After a breakfast with mama we headed south to Port Canaveral to Grills Seafood and Tiki Bar for lunch. It sits on the waterfront where cruise ships embark for the Caribbean sailings. Grills started out years ago as a fishing charter business where people always asked where the best seafood was so, they added the restaurant dockside to their marina. People can go out on deep sea fishing charters and come back to have their “fresh catch” prepared for them or packaged to take home.
In my mind, I have always envisioned what a great tiki bar should be and this is about as close as possible - an indoor seating area and a large outdoor waterfront area with many four and eight top tables around the thatched roof tiki bar serving beer or drinks with umbrellas in them. This fits the bill with a variety of great food including seafood, steaks, and Mexican to name a few. The place was packed for lunch but it only took a few minutes until a table became available and the service was quick and attentive.
After the meal we headed to Ron Jon’s in Cocoa Beach to grab a couple items before hitting I95 south to Vero Beach. A quick gas stop and a chat with Mindy and Jeff it was decided we would park the RV at the local Cracker Barrel for the night. The manager said it was ok to leave it so we packed their car with everything needed for the night and headed a couple miles to their house.
The weather was great with a slight breeze so we headed to their back patio for drinks and to catch up on things since it had been two years since I last saw them. We sat around enjoying the afternoon and just before sunset ate a great meal that Mindy had prepared. Chicken and dumplings, a salad, mashed potatoes with creamed peas finished off with a fresh lemon sorbet. After dinner we sat in the living room and visited while drinking shots of Brinley Gold Shipwreck rum. It was so gooood! They both volunteer at the Save the Chimps Sanctuary which was so interesting to hear about and I will write more about in another post.
Wednesday morning awoke to the smell of coffee and Jeff was in the kitchen preparing omelettes for everyone. We had a great breakfast and I thought we would leave and be back on the road by noon but everyone was having a great time so it was a surprise that we fixed lunch and continued to enjoy the day together.
It was about 4:30 when we finally departed for Key Largo but had to make a couple of stops along the way for a Florida Sun Pass to handle the toll roads along the way. Somewhere along the way I must have missed the turn to the toll road as we proceeded along US 1 which did not require a toll. Arriving at the campground the security did not find the reservation and called several people to find out where we were to go for the night. After about 30 minutes of checking I told them I was not sent a confirmation number but they did give a site number 79 so he looked and it was empty so were finally allowed to park. It was hot; I was exhausted so it was time to break in the AC unit. It was turned on; everything cooled off and it was great sleeping temperature during the night.
Jeff and Mindy it was great seeing you again and spending time together, thanks for hosting us it was a wonderful time talking, me telling stories, and having a wonderful time laughing together.