Posts Tagged ‘Jackson’s Steak House’

1st annual Great Southern Bake-Off to support breast cancer awareness

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

Good Grits Girls bake for a good cause. bake-off

Tuesday, October 25, 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., Twelve Good Grits Girls, employees of the Great Southern Restaurant Group (The Fish House, Atlas Oyster House and Jackson’s Steakhouse), will join together on the Fish House Deck to submit over 1000 cupcakes to the public for judging. The winner will be crowned the Great Southern Cupcake Queen. Judges are our own Great Southern pastry chefs Trina Confusione (Fish House) and Miko Franklin (Jackson’s Steakhouse), and Partners/Owners Mrs. Collier (Cate) Merrill and Pensacola Celebrity Chef Jim Shirley.

People’s Choice: The public will pay 5 dollars for a chance to taste all of the cupcakes. Cupcake tasters will receive two voting tickets. After tasting cupcakes at each station, the guests will leave their tickets with their favorite baker. The baker who has the most cards will win people’s choice. Prizes for the winner will be donated by the restaurant.

100% of the tasting fees will be donated to the American Cancer Society.

Judges will announce their choice along with the crowd’s favorite at 6:30 p.m.

Door Prizes: Provided for attending guests by area boutiques and salons such as Style Downtown and Escape Wellness Spa.

Drink Specials: Pomegranate and ginger martinis and pink sparkling wine.

Entertainment: Provided by Lucas Crutchfield.

We are all very competitive when it comes to our baking skills. We frequently bring in a new baking recipe for each other to try. We thought that making it a fun event and tying it to such a cause as breast cancer, particularly during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, would be an ideal way to have fun doing what we love for a cause we believe in. We hope that people will come and enjoy the evening with us. “It’s just a few days before the breast cancer walk on Saturday, so in a way it’s our own little pep rally,” says Lindsey Voorhees, a Fish House manager.

‘The List’ of Pensacola restaurants

Monday, September 12th, 2011

Quick Bites – by Julio Diaz special to The Pensacola News JournalWine Spectator Award of Excellence 2011

Congratulations to the six Pensacola-area restaurants that appeared on “The List.”

Atlas Oyster House, The Fish House, The Grand Marlin, Jackson’s Steakhouse, McGuire’s Irish Pub and the Melting Pot appear in the cover feature on the Aug. 31 issue of Wine Spectator magazine — “The List” — as winners of the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for their wine programs in 2011.

Restaurants that win this award, per Wine Spectator, “offer a well-chosen selection of quality producers, along with a thematic match to the menu in both price and style. Typically, these lists offer at least 100 selections.”

To view the wine list for The Fish House – click here

To view the wine list for The Atlas Oyster House – click here

To view the wine list for Jackson’s Steakhouse – click here

Congratulations to our other restaurant friends for making ‘The List.’  To learn more about our restaurants click here!

Kiss and Tell report.

Monday, June 13th, 2011

Pensacola Celebrity Chefs

Pensacola Celebrity Chefs

Since we last reported, our house has been filled with merriment. We have had many wonderful events on the deck, most notably the welcome-home party of the University of West Florida’s baseball team, where they celebrated their NCAA Division II College World Series victory. And we have become home to the Pensacola Bama Club and their happy-hour meet-ups, which will take place the third Thursday of every month on The Deck Bar. If you are an Alabama fan, come on by and join in the fun. Membership to the club is very affordable and they have lots of fun events. If you don’t like Alabama — well, sorry — start your own team’s happy hour at our house. There are seven days in a week and three bars to choose from. We’d love to have you! Call Shelley Yates for more information: (850) 748-9001.


Our bartender Samantha was selected as a finalist in GoPensacola’s Sexy Server Contest. The results will be posted on GoPensacola.com. Be sure to tell Samantha that you voted for her. Even if you didn’t, she loves to hear that.

Chefs get connected to help fight autism

Friday, April 15th, 2011
Chef Billy Ballou of The Fish House will be preparing East Bay oysters on the half shell for “Connecting the Pieces” Gala. / Katie King/kking@pnj.com

Chef Billy Ballou of The Fish House will be preparing East Bay oysters on the half shell for “Connecting the Pieces” Gala. / Katie King/kking@pnj.com

Area chefs help battle autism at ‘Connecting the Pieces’ Gala

Written by
Rebecca Ross

On April 20, the oysters will undoubtedly be a hit with fundraising foodies.

Ballou, along with several other area chefs, will tempt appetites for a good cause at Autism Pensacola’s eighth annual “Connecting the Pieces” Gala. The event, at the Sanders Beach Corinne Jones Community Center, will raise money for Kids for Camp, a summer learning program for children with autism.

The menu is delicious from start to finish.

East Bay oysters from The Fish House, 150 pounds or so, will be the star of the oyster bar. The Great Southern Restaurant Group’s other restaurants, Jackson’s Steakhouse and the Atlas Oyster House, will kick off the evening with passed appetizers: shrimp and chicken satay glazed with Moroccan spiced apricot jam and rim tuna tacos.

Ballou, who created a grilled watermelon salad for last year’s gala, is happy to be back.

“It’s a really good cause,” he said. “And I enjoy seeing what the other chefs are doing.”

This year, the main course is a Gulf Coast take on the classic surf-and-turf.

McGuire’s Irish Pub and Flounder’s Chowder House will present a “Town and Beach” entree consisting of chargrilled tri-tip sirloin steak with an apple brandy-scented demi glace, miso barbecue-glazed triggerfish, rosemary-roasted fingerling potatoes and lemon honey snip-top carrots.

Chef Mark Murphy of Flounder’s Chowder House will prepare about 400 entrees for fundraiser attendees.

“There’s always a good crowd,” he said. “We’ll make a few extra, just in case.”

Like Ballou, Murphy is happy to donate his time and skills to Autism Pensacola. The cause, he revealed, hits close to home.

“I have two family members who have children with autism,” he said. “I always wear my autism pin on my hat to show my support.”

The gala is a chance for area chefs to not only help raise money, but mix and mingle.

“It’s nice to spend time with everyone,” Murphy said. “We’re all friends. If someone needs something, we’ll help each other out.”

Susan Byram is the executive director of Autism Pensacola, which serves Santa Rosa and Escambia counties. She described the gala — and all those helping hands — as vital to the success of their summer camp program.

“Because we offer high quality teaching, our staffing costs are quite high,” she said. “Plus, parents have a significant financial burden. More than 50 percent of our families qualify for some support from us.”

This year, Autism Pensacola hopes to raise $150,000 at the gala.

Byram said she is ever grateful for the support shown by area restaurants and the community.

“Everyone has been incredibly generous,” she said. “Each year, we all look forward to the gala. The food is amazing and so are the participants.”

And the gala chefs are eager to sate all those healthy appetites.

“I’ll be there with my oyster knife,” Ballou promised. “I’m ready.”

Other chefs scheduled to participate in the event include Blake Rushing of Elise Coastal Dining, Dan Dunn of H2O Cajun Asian Grill, Irv Miller of Jackson’s and Jim Shirley of The Fish House.

‘Dress rehearsal’ for New York City dinner

Monday, April 4th, 2011

Pensacola Celebrity Chefs prepared for their New York City debut with the ‘Prelude to the James Beard House’ dinner

Clockwise from lower left, Chefs Irv Miller, Frank Taylor, Gus Silivos, Dan Dunn and Jim Shirley work together to put the finishing touches on their dessert, goat cheese and ricotta-filled crepes with caramelized peaches and spiced candied pecans. / Bruce Graner/bgraner@pnj.com

Clockwise from lower left, Chefs Irv Miller, Frank Taylor, Gus Silivos, Dan Dunn and Jim Shirley work together to put the finishing touches on their dessert, goat cheese and ricotta-filled crepes with caramelized peaches and spiced candied pecans. / Bruce Graner/bgraner@pnj.com

Written by • Julio Diaz • jdiaz@pnj.com

Sunday night, about 100 foodies packed the Global Grill, 27 Palafox Place, for a special dinner by the Pensacola Celebrity Chefs.

The five chefs — Frank Taylor of the Global Grill, Irv Miller of Jackson’s Steakhouse, Dan Dunn of H2O, Jim Shirley of The Fish House and Gus Silivos of Nancy’s Haute Affairs — presented the dinner as a dress rehearsal for their June 28 dinner at New York City’s prestigious James Beard House. Dedicated to celebrating America’s diverse culinary heritage and future, the Beard House is considered the stage for America’s finest chefs.

The honor comes at a price: The chefs must cover all of the expenses, including travel and all the food that will be served, including shipping costs for local ingredients.

“You have to check the Grits a Ya Ya,” Shirley joked.

The five chefs felt the trip was worthwhile to promote Pensacola tourism and cuisine. Proceeds from Sunday’s dinner will help defray the expenses. (more…)

CHEF’S CORNER: Jim Shirley of The Fish House

Monday, February 28th, 2011

JIM SHIRLEY • THE FISH HOUSE

 Alligator Point Clams by Fish House chef Jim Shirley. (Bruce Graner/bgraner@pnj.com)

Alligator Point Clams by Fish House chef Jim Shirley. (Bruce Graner/bgraner@pnj.com)

Pensacola is oyster country, by far the number-one bivalve requested in this neck of the woods. And for good reason, too; they are all around us. Pasco Gibson of Milton’s Nichols Seafood has great East Bay oysters, and Apalachicola — just down the coast — is world-famous for theirs.

But if you travel a few miles east, you roll into Alligator Point, where aqua farmers produce some of the tastiest clams you’ve ever had! Florida is not yet known for clams, but the littlenecks from Alligator Point are spot on, which may change that perspective. It’s worth a trip to Joe Patti or Maria’s to grab a bag for a quick sauté. Better pop a bottle of Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc to clear the palate. (more…)

Lessons for cooking up a good time Cooking classes offer a tasty mix of information and fun

Monday, February 7th, 2011

REBECCA ROSS • The Pensacola News Journal • RROSS@PNJ.COM • FEBRUARY 5, 2011

The recipe is simple.

Katie King / kking@pnj.com The Fish House Sushi Chef Hiromi Miles demonstrates how to make nigiri sushi, sashimi sushi, miso soup, and various sushi sauces on Tuesday night during the Sweet Tea Southern Cooking series at The Fish House.

Katie King / kking@pnj.com The Fish House Sushi Chef Hiromi Miles demonstrates how to make nigiri sushi, sashimi sushi, miso soup, and various sushi sauces on Tuesday night during the Sweet Tea Southern Cooking series at The Fish House.

Take a lively crowd and a chef, mix well. Add a sprinkle of questions, a pinch of laughter and a dash of romance.

Serve with a refreshing beverage and voila! You’ve got yourself a cooking class.

Culinary education on the Gulf Coast has never been so edu-taining. From French cuisine to cupcakes, locals are eating up instruction from professional chefs.

Ben and Wendy Boyer, of Pensacola, certainly enjoyed their Feb. 1 cooking class at Jasmine Fusion on Nine Mile Road. Along with other attendees, the couple fired up a cook top and learned to prepare chili paste from chef Praijira Chan.

Wendy Boyer, 34, said the hands-on evening class was a Christmas gift from her husband.

“It was exactly the kind of thing the two of us enjoy,” said the mom of three boys. “It was a very different but fun date night.”

And it’s an experience the Boyers are sure to repeat.

“Oh, I’d definitely take another class with Ben,” Wendy Boyer said, chuckling. “Maybe he’ll learn to cook some other meals.”

(more…)