If you previously read the overview of our trip to the Gulf Coast of Alabama, you'll remember that the weather wasn't all that great for the first couple of days we were there. We really wanted a drink after we checked into the hotel, but the little poolside cabana bar at the hotel we stayed at was closed due to air temperatures in the 60's coupled with persistent high winds and off-and-on rain showers coming off the gulf. We decided to head out, get the lay-of-the-land and find someplace where we could wet our whistle. We didn't have to go far from our hotel where we found a place called Live Bait.
Live Bait is one of many similar bar/restaurant/music venues up and down Perdido Beach Boulevard - also known as Alabama's Coastal Connection. Whereas we found a number of bars and restaurants along the beach in the Destin, FL area when we were there a few years back, we only found a couple three places along the stretch of the Alabama/Florida Gulf Coast on this trip. Most of the buildings along the beach on the south side of Perdido Beach Blvd. were hotels or condos, while many of the restaurants and bars were on the north side of the road. Live Bait was one of those situated across the road from beachfront property.
Live Bait originally opened in 1995 making it one of the more established local hangouts in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores. The restaurant/bar - owned by Mike and Rita Callahan - features two live music areas including a dance club, and a tiki bar that hosts karaoke starting at 7 p.m. most nights.
We pulled in during the late afternoon and found a spot in an already nearly full parking lot out front. (see map) We walked into the place and there was a good-sized crowd seated inside listening to a guitarist/singer playing on a stage. The main dining space had a step-up bar, then a lower level with the stage at one end. There was an enclosed patio area off the dining room.
It was a little loud in the main dining room from the music and chatter going on, so we asked the hostess if there was an outside bar. She took us out to the Tiki Bar. It was cool outside, but we were sheltered from the strong breeze coming off the gulf.
We ended up at a table along the wall opposite the bar. The hostess dropped off a couple menus and one of the bartenders came over to take our drink order. We saw that Live Bait had their own take on the New Orleans classic Hurricane cocktail - three different types of rum, passion fruit juice and lemon juice. We both signed up for one of those to get us going.
The menu at Live Bait was a little bit all over the place. Of course, they had seafood selections, as well as steaks, chicken, sandwiches, and burgers. Their signature burger is the Bait Burger as shown on the right. (Photo courtesy Live Bait Facebook page.) It features three burger patties with three different types of cheese and a whole bunch of other stuff on it. In fact, while we were there, a guy sitting at a table near us with his significant other had one brought to him. I wanted to get a picture of it, but I didn't want to bug him as he was looking at the burger from all different types of angles figuring out where to begin. His girlfriend (or wife) was just shaking her head.
On weekends, Live Bait hosts a brunch from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. (UPDATE - Live Bait is now open 7 days a week at 7 a.m. with a full breakfast menu.) In addition to brunch items such as shrimp and grits, Bananas Foster French toast, and a New York strip steak Oscar, Live Bait has build-your-own omelets, different varieties of Eggs Benedict, pancakes (including red velvet pancakes topped with a cream cheese icing), Belgian waffles (including a waffle infused with Fruity Pebbles cereal), and a country fried steak and eggs. What caught my attention, however, was their French toast that is dipped in a house-made custard and flat-grilled. I've heard about custard-battered French toast before, but I had never seen in on a menu until now. I wanted to come back and try it at some point, but for a number of reasons we never did.
We weren't certain that we wanted to eat a full meal at Live Bait as we had lunch on the road just about three hours previously. But my wife thought a couple drinks and an appetizer would suffice on this visit. They had a lot of fried foods on the appetizer menu including deep-fried alligator. But they also had oysters-on-the-half shell, as well as charred oysters, oysters Rockefeller, and something they called Bama Bait Oysters served on the half shell with sausage, cooked peppers and onions, then topped with gouda cheese. That was interesting, to say the least, but we ordered a dozen of the raw oysters instead. When they were brought to the table, I could hardly believe what was in front of me. They were all large and meaty, some of the biggest oysters I'd ever seen. My wife - who is skittish about oysters (and even more so after this vacation) - seemed to like them just fine. They were rich in flavor and very filling.
We had noticed a small crowd had formed over by the railing on the far side of the tiki bar looking down into the backwater bayou that was between the bar and The Club, Live Bait's dance bar which also hosts live music from time to time. When the bartender came over to check on us, my wife asked what was going on over on the other side. "Oh, we have some gators out there and they're probably looking at one," he said. We meandered over to the railing and waited for the people to clear out. Sure enough, there was about a 4 to 5 foot long alligator just poking his head up above the water line.
The bartender came over and said, "Yep, there he is. We have a few smaller ones in here and a couple bigger ones. They come and go from time to time."
We decided that we wanted to go somewhere else for dinner, but we kept Live Bait in mind for breakfast at some point. Unfortunately, that never came about as the flu (or food poisoning, as my wife still thinks it was - but not from these oysters) came into play a day or two later knocking us out for awhile. But I really liked the oysters-on-the-half shell at Live Bait and we got halfway tipsy on the delicious hurricanes they had. Places like Live Bait that specialize in seafood and full menus are all up and down the highway that goes from Gulf Shores to the Florida-Alabama line. Some are going to be better than others and I thought that Live Bait was good enough for one of those types of places.
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