REVIEW

The northeast coast of Florida is one of the country’s great shrimping regions, and it’s said to be the birthplace of the commercial shrimping industry. The specific variety of shrimp pulled from the sea varies with the time of year, and we won’t pretend to understand all the differences between them. What we found during a March trip through the region were shrimp that were uniformly soft and dry, with fugitive flavor. Not among our favorites, though they are much loved by others. The best we found were served at O’Steen’s in St. Augustine.

Minorcan clam chowder is a specialty of the region in and around St. Augustine. It’s a tomato based chowder with a strong kick courtesy of the local datil peppers, which are habanero-hot. Like it hotter? Bottles of datil sauce are on the table. Shake away!

A squat box of a building, O’Steen’s doesn’t appear promising at first glance, but there are a couple of clues that something special is going on inside. First of all, there’s the sign, a shrimp dressed in hat and cane. Anthropomorphized food outside a restaurant is reason to be hopeful for good food within. Secondly, virtually any time of day that O’Steen’s is open you’ll see people gathered outside, some sitting on benches, waiting for their turn at a table (leave your name at the window).

O’Steen’s is not a large restaurant, but they have a large following. Expect to wait (you might be able to shorten the wait if you’re willing to sit at the counter).

What makes their wait worthwhile is the expertly fried O’Steen’s shrimp. The frying, and breading, is done with a lighter hand at O’Steen’s than at most other local eateries, resulting in shrimp that, while paler of crust, have better texture. They are served with that ubiquitous local dip that resembles Russian dressing made with Dat’l Do It hot sauce. These shrimp don’t need the sauce, but it’s fun to drag a few through for variety.

O’Steen’s opened in 1965.

We also found our favorite version of the local red Minorcan clam chowder, along with some fine Southern-styled side dishes, including rice with a sweet and chunky tomato gravy and good hush pups. Lots of other good homestyle cooking is available besides the shrimp, and some say the fried chicken is a winner. All priced to attract a local clientele.

Here’s a closeup of the roadside sign. Hmmm… what should we order?

LAF TRAK: 

FOOD: 

BEST THING TO EAT: Minorcan clam chowder