Bogey's: We'll Always Have DeFuniak Springs...
400 U.S. 90 East (Hotel DeFuniak), DeFuniak Springs, (850) 951-2233
Hours:
Breakfast, Tues.-Sat., 7-10 a.m.; Lunch, Tues.-Fri., 11 a.m.-2 p.m.;
Dinner, Tues.-Sat. at 5 p.m.
Reservations: Accepted
Children’s Menu: Will accommodate major credit cards
Dress: Casual
By Bruce Collier
OCtober 16, 2008 Issue
Bogey's Restaurant is part of the historic Hotel DeFuniak in equally
historic DeFuniak Springs. The hotel, worth an article itself, is a
throwback to the old fashioned, small-sized and privately owned
establishments that offered guests breakfast, lunch and dinner, all in
the same building, without the need to search out the town for places
to eat. I have eaten lunch at Bogey's several times over the years—I
work just around the corner—but this was my first dinner. Breakfast
and lunch are also served, and the restaurant has a full bar.
We ate at Bogey's on a rainy weeknight, and I was encouraged to see
that the dining room was well attended when we arrived. It's a single
room, with a small lounge area near the bar for those just there for
drinks or an appetizer. Bogey's has a handwritten list of early-bird
specials, and some specially priced starters that probably vary daily.
The dining room is intimate, with tables nicely spaced for
conversation without too much fear of eavesdropping. Carved wooden
chairs, table linen, and muted lighting provide an adult-romantic
feel. The walls are decorated with French and Italian liqueur ads from
the early 20th century, as well as movie posters (several of Bogart
films, naturally) and black-and-whites of Sinatra, Louis Armstrong and
Miles Davis. Miles actually looks like he's not angry, a rare shot.
The menu offers appetizers, salads, fish and seafood entrees, and
house specialties. The style varies from Asian/Caribbean fusion to
Italian to American/Continental. It's a fairly wide variety. When's
the last time you saw veal scaloppini on the same page as fish and
chips? It's possible to satisfy pretty much any taste from this menu.
Service, in the person of Theresa, was friendly and attentive, never
rushed.
We started with Bahamian shrimp skewers and crab-stuffed mushroom
caps. Six good-sized shrimp, plump and butterflied, came on a bed of
shredded lettuce, dressed with a honey/garlic/soy dressing. They went
fast. The mushrooms were lighter than I was expecting (a good thing),
and the crab stuffing emphasized crab over stuffing. Six (maybe more)
piping hot mushrooms yielded about two bites each, with a buttery
béarnaise sauce. It was one of the best versions I've tasted of this
sometimes-heavy dish.
Other starters are crab cake, soft-shelled crab, baked Brie, spinach
and artichoke dip, and oysters Rockefeller. There are also salads that
can serve as a main course: Montego Bay (with fried fish), Caesar,
grilled or blackened shrimp salad, and a house salad.
Prime rib was a special feature that night—I think it may be a weekly
thing—so my dining companion went for it. I chose soft-shelled crab,
which I hadn't had in about a year. The beef was slightly rarer than
the medium my friend had ordered, but she finished it all up. On the
side were mixed vegetables, and we both shared a basket (two actually)
of hot-from-the-oven bread, crusty and garlicky.
Two soft-shelled crab arrived (many places serve only one), sautéed
and hunkered down in a pool of beurre blanc. I got the mixed
vegetables, but baked potato is also available as a side, and there
was a special that night of asparagus. I ate all there was, and let
the bread pick up the rest. I did not taste soft-shelled crab until I
was nearly 30, and I've been making up for lost time since then.
Two-soft-shelled crab for $16.95 is a bargain.
Other main course choices are New York strip, filet mignon, chicken
marsala, several veal selections, shrimp scampi, stuffed shrimp, catch
of the day, and fried shrimp. The catch of the day (farm-raised
tilapia that day) comes prepared with a number of sauces - piccata,
almondine, Lorenzo, and Normandie. The nightly specials also include
some fish variations.
We decided to split one dessert, though many were offered. Of
tiramisu, "ice cream" versions of key lime pie and bananas Foster, a
crème brulee cheesecake, chocolate bombe, and a bourbon pecan pie,
with chose the latter, served warm with vanilla ice cream. I ate most
of it, the prime rib having satisfied my friend until lunch the
following day. The pie was the thick kind, just warm enough not to
melt the ice cream right away. The server recited desserts, so I
expect they change from night to night.
Lest you think DeFuniak Springs is nothing but an outpost of fast food
joints and country buffets (it has both), drive into the center of
town, to the fancy little hotel across the street from the police
station, and slip into Bogey's. You can get one of a number of
thoughtfully prepared items from an impressive variety of styles and
won't bankrupt yourself in the process.
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