Food is a big part of what we do at Scenic 98 Coastal. Our approach is to write about places we enjoy, where the experience is always satisfying. We don’t consider ourselves food critics, but we enjoy all kinds of options from no frills to fancy.  It’s all about the experience, and a good dining experience comes in many flavors.

We’ve been fortunate to have become friends with Collier Merrill and the dynamo who is Maria Goldberg, Director of Marketing, Public Relations, and Events for the past 15 years at Great Southern Restaurants in Pensacola. Truly wonderful people in every regard, they have embraced Scenic 98 Coastal and have been ready to lend a hand or an introduction at every turn since our launch in April 2022.

With five local eating establishments in Pensacola, including the original Fish House Restaurant on the harbor, with great food and The Deck Bar for events and entertaining, this was the catalyst for the resurgence of Pensacola’s waterfront dining and entertainment. Next door to Fish House is the recently renovated Atlas Oyster House, a sister restaurant with a great vibe and fresh seafood that we have previously written about. 

On the famous Mississippi Blues trail, which once had a stop in Pensacola, you will find Five Sisters Blues Cafe. Located on West Belmont in a historic old building that was once Gussie’s Record Shop, the fare at Five Sisters is Creole-style Southern cuisine with live blues music served most nights. 

Then there is the local Italian favorite, Angelena’s Ristorante Italiano on East Intendencia in downtown Pensacola. In addition to its Italian cuisine, they offer handmade pasta and wood-fired dishes. Palafox House, with the Great Southern Events team, is Pensacola’s premier venue for planning and hosting celebrations for larger groups.

One of Pensacola’s fine dining establishments, opened in 1998, is Jackson’s Steakhouse, a refined venue serving premium steaks, chops, and seafood. It’s located in a historic 1860s building at 400 Palafox Street facing Plaza Ferdinand, where in July 1821, General Andrew Jackson accepted the transfer of Florida to the United States from Spain. Jackson’s, named in the General’s honor, later became the 7th President of the United States.

Jackson’s is a destination for celebratory occasions. Matt Mabe is the General Manager and has a passion for creating a genuine connection and relationship with each guest. Matt elevates the dining experience with each visit, and is a seasoned and gifted mixologist who honed his craft studying under highly renowned mixologists in the Memphis area before moving to Pensacola in 2021 to be closer to family.

Jackson’s founding Executive Chef, Irv Miller, is recognized as one of Florida’s leading chefs and is considered one of the pioneers of Florida Coastal Cooking. With his distinctive style and powerful vision, he is known for translating bold ideas into Southern-influenced cuisine featuring fresh, local Gulf seafood and incredible meats and produce from small regional producers. The result is an incredible dining experience.

Each season, Jackson’s menu transitions from Fall/Winter to Spring/Summer, and back again. Maria and her team invite the press to attend a seated ‘menu tasting’ to introduce Chef Irv’s new recipes, as well as a couple of signature cocktails created by Matt. The experience is always fun, and we always look forward to being included.

These semi-annual events are not just a show and tell. With almost 40 people at two large tables, Maria welcomes everyone and reminds us that our honest critiques of the food and drink are welcomed and expected. Following the tasting, we will each be quizzed about what we thought, our likes and dislikes, and what we think could be improved upon.

After introducing the team responsible for the evening’s experience, we go around the room and introduce ourselves and tell everyone which “foodie” publication we represent. This is our third event of this sort, with last year’s Jackson’s Fall/Winter menu tasting and another menu tasting at Angelena’s. 

The evening's 2025 Spring/Summer Preview Menu selection of food and drink is presented at each seat. As soon as we sit down, our excitement builds. Matt and Chef Irv introduce the cocktails and cuisine we are soon to enjoy, and share their thoughts behind each creation. 

We begin with a ‘Horn of Plenty’ Tartine, which is seared Tallahassee farmed black trumpet mushrooms, toasted rustic bread, chèvre arugula, lemon, extra virgin olive oil, grape tomatoes,  and BG196 honey with marigold petals. Outstanding! While menu tastings are not full restaurant servings, but a ‘taste’, I would have enjoyed this appetizer as my meal and been very happy. The mushrooms were incredible.

As we enjoyed our Horn of Plenty, we were served a Summer Drift signature cocktail of Matt’s creation: Drumshanbo Brazilian pineapple gin, fresh lime juice, ginger-infused pineapple juice, Grand Marnier, soda water, with lime. When I read the ingredients, I thought it might be too sweet for my taste, but it wasn’t at all. Several chimed in that they would like to take this cocktail by the gallons to serve friends at the beach this summer because it was so refreshing!

Next came the Boudin Ball appetizer: Hickory-wood smoked pork shoulder, chicken livers, Cajun holy trinity and spice, garlic, parsley, white rice, crisp fried with bayou tartar sauce, and served with homemade bread and butter pickles. It didn’t remind me of any boudin experience I have had, but I loved it. It all worked so well together. I’d order it again. Linda, probably not.

For the entree tasting, we had pan-seared U-10 Atlantic Sea scallops, mango lime salsa fresca, sweet'n'spicy red jalapeño jelly, with crispy yucca chips. I don’t usually order sea scallops, but I do enjoy them, and these were tasty with a different preparation.. I wasn’t fond of the yucca chips. The follow-up comments were mixed on the yucca chips.

The scallops were followed by the Grouper Peyroux. This consisted of open-fire grilled Gulf Coast grouper, tomato Provençal sauce, dry vermouth, shallots, capers, parsley, brown butter, and olive oil toasted bread crumbs. I wouldn’t normally order fish with a tomato sauce component, and Chef Irv admitted that they forgot to add the brown butter, which would have added to the flavor, so it wasn’t exactly served as they hoped, but I ate every bite, and the tomato Provençal grew on me.

The second cocktail was the Herb & Vine: Tito’s vodka, fresh sour mix, watermelon purée basil, Cointreau, and lime. Again, when I read the ingredients, I thought it was too sweet, but it wasn’t. Probably not my go-to, but I did enjoy it. Several guests suggested they would like it served with a salted rim on the glass, margarita-style. To each, his own. I like the honesty of the comments throughout the post-tasting, and the staff were taking notes.

The last tasting was grilled double-cut New Zealand lamb chops, cucumber salad, sherry vinegar, shaved red onion, sweet basil, roasted Peruvian purple potatoes, with spearmint smoked tomato chutney. By this time, you are pretty satisfied, so the last item on the menu had better hit a home run. This one did. While everyone enjoyed each course, this was the crowd favorite.

As we wrapped up, Maria introduced Collier Merrill, a lifelong resident of Pensacola and founder, along with his brothers, of Great Southern Restaurant Group. Collier is extremely active in helping lead the city’s growth and development. Often working behind the scenes, he has been instrumental in bringing leading-edge industries, including American Magic, the America’s Cup entrant from its former home base in Newport, Rhode Island, to its new facility at the Port of Pensacola. 

This is a huge win for the city, as the components necessary to compete in the America’s Cup require around 200 high-tech jobs. These families have fallen in love with Pensacola and have attracted many others in the competitive sailing community to discover its best attributes, with perfect sailing conditions, beaches, lifestyle, and all the amenities it has to offer.

One caveat I learned was that as the American Magic boat-building team readies its new hangar facility, it is building carbon-fiber rockets for the Starlink satellite deployment. This is huge, as these technicians are state-of-the-art craftsmen who have another 18 months or so before the newest America’s Cup hulls will begin construction. 

Already, groups of premier racing classes of sailors have found Pensacola for the first time and have fallen in love. I saw some racing across the water on a visit last week. Bobby Switzer was introduced at the menu tasting. He hosted a week-long Foil Week event a few weeks ago that attracted many enthusiasts. More on that later.

Suffice it to say, this Scenic 98 Coastal gig has a lot of perks. Being included in Jackson’s Steakhouse and Angelena’s menu tastings is always a treat. Thank you, Maria, Taylor, Collier, and especially Matt and Chef Irv, for a delightful evening.