Catch of the Day --- Acme Oyster House

Anybody out there LOVE New Orleans cuisine as much as we do???  I'm sure we're not the only ones!  I don't care where you're from, once you've tasted Cajun cooking, there is absolutely, positively just no way to get it out of your head or your heart!!

We heard this past weekend that the famous Acme Oyster House had recently opened a location in none other than Gulf Shores, just a stone's throw from us.  Neither of us could get those visions of chargrilled oysters out of our heads, so we had absolutely no other choice but to jump in the car and go!   Saturday night found us taking a little drive over to Gulf Shores with thoughts of chargrilled oysters, red beans and rice, and softshell crabs dancing about in our heads. 

Acme in Gulf Shores has only been open a few months, but they're already doing everything right in our opinion. Typically, during the late summer in the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area, you are going to wait and wait and wait for a seat.  I'd already told Kenny on the way over there to be prepared to wait for at least 45 minutes to an hour.  Not so at Acme!  We were shocked to be seated immediately, and we even got a GREAT seat on the back porch overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway.  Their building is gigantic, and it boasts a large, welcoming back porch area perfect for enjoying a little ambiance with your meal.  Not to mention, there is a fabulous sandy play area for kids.  Nothing like having somewhere for the little ones to play and stay entertained while mom and dad have a few minutes of peace! 

When we sat down, we knew we were going to LOVE this place.  Where else do you get THREE choices of Tobassco on the table right off the bat?  Gotta love that!!

Then we got the menu.......Oh, my!!  Confused does not even begin to describe the feeling......TOO many things to ponder!  We knew what we came for, chargrilled oysters were a given, but what else?????  After lots of mulling it over, we decided we couldn't possibly eat EVERYTHING on the menu on our first visit, so we decided Kenny would try the New Orleans Medley (a sampling of gumbo, jambalaya, red beans & rice and grilled smoked sausage). I wasn't going to cave when it came to the Fried Softshell Crab Po-Boy!!! 

The chargrilled oysters were our "appetizer", and talk about appetizing!!!!!!  Kenny says they are not quite as perfect as Wintzell's (Wintzell's is the five star oyster house in his book), but I think they are pretty darn close, if not equally as good!  For me, the big difference maker was the French bread.  Wintzell's bread is buttered and toasted.  Acme's is not.  I, personally, prefer to soak up all that herbed butter, parmesan, and garlic sauce out of the oyster shell with plain French Bread so I can savor every last single morsel!  That was the only difference maker for me.  We both agreed, these oysters were simply amazing!

Chargrilled Oysters at Acme Oyster House
$18.49 per dozen



And now......for the main course.......

Kenny enjoyed his New Orleans Medley platter.  He said the gumbo was not his favorite gumbo ever (that was at Oceana's in New Orleans), but he didn't leave any in the bowl!  The chargrilled sausage was flavorful, as was the jambalya and red beans and rice.  The serving portions were surprisingly large for the $12.49 price.  Kenny said it definitely quenched his New Orleans fever, at least temporarily. 

New Orleans Medley platter at Acme Oyster House
$12.49

I've got to tell you that the Softshell Crab Po-Boy was probably THE BEST I have ever had!  In tiny print on the menu, I saw the heavenly words, "Tobasco infused mayonnaise".  Never in my life have I had Tobasco infused mayonnaise, but I knew it surely sounded like a winner to me!!  I can confirm I was not disappointed!!  If you try this sandwich, you MUST request the Tobasco infused mayonnaise.  If you don't, you are missing a treat!  The softshell crab portion size was extremely large, much larger than other places I have tried.  This was probably one of the very best Po-Boys I have ever tasted.  It will be difficult for me to not eat this again when we return.  I did request coleslaw instead of fries...I am picky about coleslaw, but this was quite tasty!!

There was no room for dessert.  We were, as we say in the south, "full as ticks"!  I did spy pecan cobbler, bread pudding, chocolate caramel pie, and cheesecake on the menu.  Maybe next time!

As we were leaving, I couldn't help but notice several delicious dishes coming out of the kitchen.  The fried oyster salad looked heavenly and was also quite a large portion.  Kenny saw, as he described it, a "Goliath" sized wedge salad.  I missed that because I was drooling over the fried oyster salad..... 

Overall, we would have to say that the Acme Oyster House in Gulf Shores had great food, great service, and definitely has great ambiance ...maintaining their excellent reputation in our book. We're looking forward to going through their menu meal by meal!!