Perry's will keep old, make new friends
By Coleen Coffield
Daily News Columnist

Niceville - Perry's Legendary Seafood & Steaks in Niceville is not a rebirth of the venerable Fort Walton Beach Italian restaurant (which was spelled Perri's).

But it is part of what may be a trend in Niceville: new restaurants that continue the format of their predecessors. We saw it a few weeks ago with Anthony's, which is nearly identical to the former Kubi's.

The new owner has made some changes, making the restaurant his own, which explains why some menu items are marked as new.

One of those new items was on the appetizer menu. Fire Cracker Shrimp is reminiscent of the popular Bang Bang shrimp found at Bonefish Grill. Each shrimp in our generous order had a crunchy bread coating. The shrimp were then tossed in a garlic sauce that the menu identified as spicy.

While I didn't detect much in the way of spice, I did enjoy this dish, and it proved to be one of the more popular items we ordered.

Another good choice from the appetizer menu was an order of smoked tuna dip. It was a study in restraint; not too creamy and not too smoky, but very tasty.

Seafood was a recurring item among the appetizers. We also enjoyed a dark seafood gumbo (available with or without rice), and nicely seasoned steamed shrimp. Other seafood appetizers include marinated grilled shrimp and fried crab claws. Fried mushrooms and Buffalo Wings are non-seafood options.

The entree portion of the menu focuses on seafood and steak, and a few chicken items are offered as well. There is also a specials board just inside the front door. On our visit, an appetizer and entree were posted as specials.

Perry's does a good job with fried and chargrilled seafood. Grouper is delicious either way. The fried version produces a crisp crust and moist interior; while the chargrilled grouper has excellent flavor.

Other fried seafood options include flounder; soft shell crabs, and a platter of shrimp, oysters and grouper. Sweet king crab legs are steamed, and served with melted butter on the side.

Among the steak offerings is an 8-ounce filet, a 12-ounce rib-eye, a 7-ounce sirloin and a 10-ounce New York strip. Steaks are judiciously seasoned and are cooked to order. As is common with steaks, I liked the JP's Filet for its tender texture, and the rib-eye for its excellent flavor.

Many restaurants tend to cook steaks so that they are up to one degree more done than ordered. Perry's gets it right, but be aware that means that your steak might be less done than expected.

For example, if you order your steak medium-rare, expect a warm, red center, not the warm pink center that many restaurants serve as medium-rare, but should actually be identified as medium.

Among the chicken entrees is chargrilled chicken topped with chipotle barbecue sauce, cheese and bacon; marinated chargrilled chicken; and Yardbird chicken tenders.

I love the chicken tenders served at Yardbirds in Fort Walton Beach (which has common ownership with Perry's), and was happy to see them on the Perry's lunch and dinner menus.

Entree salads all start with fresh greens. They are then topped with items found elsewhere on the menu. Fried, grilled or blackened grouper; chargrilled chicken; fried or grilled shrimp; and sirloin steak all highlight salads at Perry's.

Sandwiches continue the steak and seafood theme. Grouper, fried shrimp and fried oysters are available on sandwiches. There is also a sirloin burger and a steak sandwich. Chicken is offered on a sandwich fried, grilled or blackened.

In addition to the Yardbird chicken tenders, lunch entrees include a grouper plate, fish fingers, fried shrimp or oysters, a combination seafood platter, and a grilled chicken plate.

Desserts include a rich quadruple chocolate mousse pie. Key lime pie, and Grandma's Carrot Cake. While I liked all of the desserts, the carrot cake was really special. It was very moist, and had a good, balanced flavor.

Service was friendly. Our server had good knowledge of the menu, and gave enthusiastic recommendations when asked. The atmosphere is warm and comfortable.

It is a classic neighborhood restaurant, filled with locals who dine there often, and are recognized by the staff.

Adjacent to the restaurant is Perry's Sports Pub. The pub stays open an hour longer than the restaurant every day.