Never judge a restaurant by its name. Recently I had the chance to dine at Stinky’s Fish Camp, a new hotspot in the quaint little coastal town of Navarre, Florida. The name leaves you with a bit of an iffy feeling, though it does spark conversation. With brunch, lunch, dinner, late night and oysters all which ways to choose from if you are looking for something to eat chances are Stinky’s Fish Camp has it.
After a movie night out with my mom we decided to head over to Stinky’s Fish Camp and see what they had to offer for a little light snacking. We checked out their dinner menu, they had everything from Po’Boy sandwiches to Ribs, it seems there is something for everyone. Having eaten a big lunch we were a bit hungry but nothing that would require a full meal so we checked out the appetizer section of the menu. Pardon the darkness, yours truly here forgot to turn the flash on for this photo:
Wedge salad, crawfish pie, fried brie, how is a girl who loves good food supposed to choose? But choose we did, we ended up with 1/2 a dozen raw oysters, fried green tomatoes, boudin bites and their gumbo. While we waited they brought us out some crackers with some kind of garlic butter spread. I am not sure exactly what it is called but it was delicious.
As we waited I really took in the feel of the place and what I noticed was that it would be great for either a date night out or just a casual dinner. The mood could be romantic due to dim lighting but the decorations of fish and and things of the like make you feel welcome even if you aren’t all decked out, which we were definitely not. The staff there was extremely on top of things, if it wasn’t our waitress checking on us it was one of the others that were out on the floor. Anytime one of them would pass by, they would check on us to see if we needed anything. Drinks stayed refilled, dining needs were always checked and you just felt welcome, they were truly first class “hosts”. Finally the food arrived and so began the true test of what this restaurant has to offer. Wonderful staff is great but if the food leaves nothing to be desired a restaurant won’t be going far.
There are no photos of the oysters because really you can’t make a raw oyster look very appealing so I am sparing you guys. My thoughts on the foods we ordered are:
- Gumbo: It was very smoky tasting, not that it was a bad thing. When I think of gumbo I don’t really think of smokey flavor. If you love the taste of smoked chicken, sausage, etc. then chances are you will really enjoy this gumbo. I just didn’t particularly enjoy a smokey gumbo.
- Fried Green Tomatoes: They were cooked perfectly. Tasted just the way a fried green tomato should. The crispy outside wasn’t to crispy you thought it was overcooked nor was it not crispy enough that it tasted soggy, it really was cooked just right. I did have to add a little salt to mine but that isn’t surprising because too much salt for a normal person seems to always be just right for me. My mom didn’t have to add any to hers. The sauces that the fried green tomatoes were laid on was tangy and the perfect compliment to the tomatoes.
- Raw Oysters: Well what really can you say about raw oysters, they tasted like raw oysters should. I added my lemon, hot sauce and horseradish and ate away. They were pretty big that several of the oysters I had to break into two parts, so it was like getting double for your money.
- Boudin Bites: My absolute favorite part of our meal (and I love oysters so this is saying a lot). The boudin bits were cooked to a hush puppy consistency but the middle was soft filled with the boudin mixture. They came with a decoration of mini salad that had a sweet and tangy dressing. The boudin bites had a dip that was sweet that when paired really complimented each other. Though I preferred just to eat them alone because their flavor was just right for my taste buds.
The price for our meal was right around $25 with tip and that included a coffee (with refills), a sweet tea (with refills), three appetizers and 1/2 dozen oysters. The rest of the dinner menu meals range from about $10-15 (some are a little more depending on market price, some a little less) per person without drinks, appetizers, and desserts. They do have a good wine menu and speciality mixed drinks as well.
As I said the staff went above and beyond, the food overall was tasty. While the name Stinky’s Fish Camp may leave little to be desired in your mind, chances are if you take the time to eat there you will be impressed just as I was. I will definitely be going back to see if their actual meals are as good as the appetizers were. So, if you are ever down here in my lovely little beach town of Navarre, FL head over and check out Stinky’s Fish Camp. Tell them Toni sent you!
Disclosure: I was not asked to post this and I paid for my own meal. All views are my own and 100 % honest!
Toni Patton
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The name certainly is misleading! Sounds like a great meal though.
Looks good, maybe they could change the name, lol!
Sounds yummy!
I love gumbo. It’s hard to find a place that serves a good bowl of gumbo.
I love gunbo. We just had some last week, here in Fort Walton Beach, at http://crabshackmarina.com/
(I also got a great photo of some raw oysters)
I am going to love your new Coastal Life section.
well darn.. didn’t catch that typo in time 🙂
That wedge salad sounds delish!
We ate at Stinky’s Superbowl Sunday and enjoyed our meal. I had the catfish mouniere(probably spelled that wrong) and my husband had the fried fish basket. My dinner was presented like something off of Top Chef, definitely not my idea of fish camp fare. It was plated beautifully and tasted great. I’ve been kicking myself ever since for not ordering the fried Green Tomatoes. I thought it was a little pricey for a weekly dinner out for locals. I found most of the entrees between $15-$22 but for a once a month treat, I’ll definitely be going back. I told my husband next time maybe we could try a few different appetizers.
We had been planning to try Stinky’s on 30A but never seemed to get closer than Destin so I was excited to see one open here in Navarre. It seems toonlyopen for dinner right now, hopefully they will be open for lunch soon.
Oh I forgot to add the butter served with the crackers is a red bean butter. They blend red beans with the butter which gives it that unique taste. I liked that a lot!