The Classic Joint: Part 1

By Alex Golden

What is a Classic Joint?  It is a place where all participants (proprietors, employees, vendors, customers and any others involved) have come together to create a unique, enduring and impactful establishment.  This can be done through great food, drink, atmosphere, music, or a combination of any or all of these.  Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives” does an incredible job of finding such places all over the place.  They typically concentrate on the food aspect of a place, and all the places they look at are restaurants (at least what I have seen), but it is a great example of finding places people love and exploring exactly why they are loved.  In this segment of exploring Classic Joints, I will explore a recent family trip taken in June of 2021, where we hit 4 of the very best!

We loaded up the family truckster and headed for Destin, Florida, a summer vacation spot for my family since 1974!  We took a long hiatus from the mid 80’s to the late 90’s but really started back up again when I had kids.  Silver Dunes is in Destin – not Seaside, Grayton, Rosemary or any other part of the Destin area built after 1990 (or so it seems).  Silver Dunes is nestled on the original Red Neck Riviera between and amongst several high-rise condominium complexes that are the primary reason for the crowded roads, restaurants, outlet malls and beaches in the Destin area.  However, Silver Dunes has managed to maintain its original charm.  It has a single small pool to service the whole complex, but it has less units per sq ft of land than others do, so it is not a problem.   The Beach has umbrella service available and due to lower population is typically able to provide front row service to your family.  The people-watching on the beach is awesome – as ALL walks of people stroll by in front of your spot in the sand; and the blue waters that stretch out before you are just as blue as further east on Florida’s emerald coast (though you might have to endure a few more advertising boats and planes than other less crowded spots!)  Typically, we cook fresh seafood ourselves from Sexton’s or Destin Ice – just a short drive away – but there are other great spots in Destin, if you can avoid the crowds sufficiently – Harbor Docks, Dewey Destin’s, Louisiana Lagniappe, The Back Porch and High Tide in Ft. Walton are a few that have survived since I was a child in the 70’s.  The primary advantage to Silver Dunes is it’s design – a “high rise” (only 4 stories tall) in the back facing the beach with sawtooth 2 and 4 story buildings going down each side of the property leaving a giant open green space (that’s right – grass!) between.  The Beach and the Pool are wonderful, but I simply cannot adequately describe the fun I had playing in that green space as a child and watching, as a father, my children play in that space as well.  I would trade it for absolutely NOTHING.  Silver Dunes is a true Classic Joint and still worth it.

Once in Destin, the next Classic Joint to mention (already mentioned above) is The Back Porch.  I barely remember it as a child – simply a place we could walk to (a long way back then – so tired) to get a great cheeseburger.  It was acquired in 1983 by a General Cobb who insisted on serving an amberjack sandwich, which changed it (for the better) forever.  They remodeled, expanding exponentially over the years, but maintain the best fish sandwiches I have had anywhere in the world, and the atmosphere is unlike any other.  No shoes, nor shirt necessary (they are encouraged however), but it is the only place that I can tolerate that kind of heat while waiting on my food – still feels like I am just standing on the back porch of a small A-frame house waiting on some great joint food to enjoy!  It is a laid-back classic joint that may have equals, but no one can beat.

I now, must return to my story of the long trek to Destin, because of course, flying is out of the question – only a 9-hour drive – that must be endured to truly appreciate the fruits of the true family beach vacation.  However, one particular year when I was very young, my parents decided to stop in Jackson, Mississippi to spend the night and stop at a steak restaurant.  Not many chains back then, so we were referred to Crechale’s… a family place that had great steak and seafood.  We have been stopping there ever since for their “Kings Cut” Ribeye, the soft-shell crab and the onion rings – oh my – the onion rings!!!  And the atmosphere has not changed in 50 years.  Same family who seats you and same jukebox (well it is a new jukebox, but same concept) that wails “Hail… hail… the gang’s all here” for a birthday celebration that happens almost every night.  Covid nearly did it in, but it is making a comeback and trying to re-staff as we speak.  I hope it survives – not many like it – a true Classic Joint.

At the end of our trip, we are normally just ready to be home and make the entire trek in a day with as few stops as possible.  But this year, we decided to exploit the opportunity to be able to drive into Greenville, Mississippi to the famous (at least to us Arkansans) original Doe’s Eat Place!!!  The tamales, soaked salads, and of course, STEAKS here are absolutely incredible!  Cooked in a unique broiler oven, and done to perfection by the family for years, is accompanied by the butter drippings that accumulate in this unique style of cooking, which make the fried potatoes an even bigger treat than normal.  And by the way, this is all done in an old house in a small older neighborhood of Greenville.  The Grill Room is the Living Room as you walk in the house and on to the back for dine in seating around a very large stove where there are skillets and big pots for frying the fries.  It is filled with locals and others who have heard about the incredible flavor produced in that little house…. And not just from the food.  The waitresses and other help who have mostly been there for generations (or at least years) are all in with treating each customer like their favorite uncle at a family BBQ.  It is an experience like no other, that I thoroughly recommend you take the time to enjoy.

We made it back to Little Rock a little later than usual that year, but we had a story to go with it.  I was overjoyed to have been able to enjoy it being straddled by the two small generations of my immediate family – 1) my parents, 2) my wife and myself, and 3) my kids – now old enough to appreciate.  Knowing how my father used to run over there with clients back in the 70’s and 80’s and how impressed he was with it even back then, and to get to see him introduce this place to my children and them actually enjoy it!  There are no words to describe the experience… And that is why these places are all Classic Joints!!!  Better try all of them quick – the world does not stop changing and these places won’t be around forever!

En Vino Veritas!

Alex