It’s like moving the earth, moon, and every single star to get my group of mom friends out together on a Friday night. After much planning and schedule coordination, we achieved just that a few weeks ago!

We decided to head to the newly re-imagined Cuvee Kitchen + Wine Bar. The original Cuvee Bistro opened nearly a decade ago and was a local favorite. The new version (same location) features a seasonal menu that boasts sushi, gourmet charcuterie, small plates, craft cocktails, and an extensive wine list.

Sharing small plates is my favorite way to eat. I can usually find quite a few things on a menu that I want to try, so this way I can have my cake and eat it, too. A few of us ladies ended up doing just that.

You can make your own charcuterie board with lots of different cheese and cured meats to choose from. If you’ve never tried Drunken Goat, you simply must! It’s a firmer goat cheese and the rind is soaked in red wine, giving it a purple hue. It’s a favorite in my house.

I’m a sucker for a good Ceasar salad, and this one was pretty good. I’ll admit, the old Cuvee’s Caesar was my favorite with its fried eggplant “croutons.” Oh yes.

We have lots of great options for sushi in Destin, but the rolls at Cuvee Kitchen + Wine Bar are unique and inventive. We loved the Hot Mama with spicy tuna and jalapeno.

The Pulled Pork Flatbread was definitely tasty, but I’d love to try the Spanish flatbread with Spanish chorizo and cheeses next time.

Classic meatballs over polenta were excellent!

We really enjoyed ourselves at Cuvee. We ate delicious food, sipped great wine, and added to our laugh lines- a perfect girls’ night out in my opinion!

The icing on the cake was a few beers at The Boathouse. This salty seafood shack on Destin Harbor is an institution and SO MUCH FUN on a Friday night! There is a fun singer doing country music covers and plenty of good people watching.

I’m already looking forward to our next moms’ night out on the town!

The talk of the town in and around Destin is Emeril Lagasse’s new restaurant! Emeril and his family have made a home in Northwest Florida and we are so excited he’s brought a restaurant to our area.  Emeril’s Coastal Italian opened a few weeks ago at Grand Boulevard in Miramar Beach. Everyone has been raving about the food and atmosphere and we were finally able to give it a try.

We were joined by our sweet friends Shelly and Kevin- double dates make it more fun! Most of the menu is small plates, so the four of us shared just about everything.

Even my mushroom-hating (so he says) husband loved these sausage stuffed mushrooms. They were huge!

There were a few flat breads to choose from and we selected the “Wise Guy,” which was similar to a supreme pizza. Super tasty and hearty.

We all shared this gigantic meatball. It was huge!

My absolutely FAVORITE thing we tried was the Fettucini Nero- squid ink pasta with crab meat, almonds, tons of garlic, and a few spicy red peppers. This was insanely delicious.

Other highlights included a crispy lion fish that was on special, pizza pocket bread, skillet shrimp, and some roasted brussels sprouts. I’m not kidding when I say everything we ordered was delicious. I don’t think we left a crumb on any plate. We devoured it all!

And let us not forget dessert! Jason and I tried the banana cream pie (Emeril serves this specialty in all of his restaurants). The presentation was fun layered in a glass.

We also tried the house made rum raisin ice cream (Jason can’t have dessert without ice cream 😉 ) and our friends ordered the signature olive oil cake.

The restaurant itself is beautiful- bright and open with plenty of seating and socializing space. We were blown away by our experience and cannot wait to go back! There are at least 15 other things I want to try on the menu.