Acme Oyster House: A Taste of New Orleans?

Acme Oyster House in Sandestin? Since we never got the chance to visit the one in New Orleans, we knew we shouldn’t miss out on the oyster house’s branch around Miramar Beach. But did they deliver or disappoint?

Summary

We were in Destin for a destination wedding. One night, I hopped online to try to find a good dinner place. Then I spotted Acme Oyster House in Sandestin.

Now we’d heard that this place had New Orleans roots.

When I heard these 2 words, I was immediately transported back to the food we had in Louisiana, specifically Baton Rouge and New Orleans, back in 2020. Just about anything we ate there turned out to be delectable, especially the food from a place called Parrain’s.

Naturally, we figured Acme Oyster House would give us a similar experience.

The GOOD: What I LIKE about Acme Oyster House

The original Acme Oyster House in New Orleans dates all the way back to 1910. This had me thinking that if Acme Oyster House has been around for a long time, in their case over 100 years, then they’re practically an institution.

Plus, back in 2013, the Louisiana Restaurant Association honored the oyster house’s leaders as Restaurateurs of the Year.

So they must know a thing or two about making good food, huh?

All of this set the stage for our expectations, before we even walked through the door.

The Chargrilled Oysters

Just looking at these, we knew these would be rich, buttery, and perfectly chargrilled. And we were right.

We took the lemon and squeezed it all over the oysters.

I like how the lemon and bread serve to mellow out the decadence of this dish, as these oysters can get quite rich and salty.

Acme Oyster House Chicken & Andouille Gumbo

(My partner, Chef G, has worked as a chef for over 20 years.)

In Chef G’s opinion, this gumbo was “really good,” in that you could taste its various flavors in different layers.

He explained further that with the first bite, you could taste the pepper in the gumbo.

With another, you could make out the combination of spices they used to enhance its flavor. He liked that the spices used were just right, and not overpowering.

In Chef G’s opinion, the layers of flavors made this gumbo special.

The BAD: What I DON’T LIKE about Acme Oyster House

Caesar Salad

Once I got my order, I noticed that the salad was mostly lettuce and croutons. They added some parmesan cheese, which was hopefully Parmigiano Reggiano, but I’m not sure. They placed the Caesar dressing on the side, per my request.

While it wasn’t part of the original recipe, I guess I couldn’t help but look for dots of anchovies or Worcestershire sauce, for umami. Really, anything that would set the Caesar salad apart from the most humdrum, deli version.

Yet I didn’t find any twist that made this Caesar salad exciting—it turned out to be core garden variety.

Though I’ll admit, I may have messed up the orchestra of ingredients when I asked them to keep the dressing on the side, I dunno.

Fried Fish Platter with Red Beans and Rice

Before I mention what I didn’t like, I’ll give credit where it’s due. They fried the fish evenly, to perfection, and expertly kept the crust crispy, while the inside of the fish stayed tender.

Both the fish and oil tasted fresh.

In this case, the fish didn’t have an off-putting, ‘fishy’ odor that lingered, and the oil had a clean, neutral taste to it.

However, when it came to the red beans, I immediately looked for a spice—any spice—that could lift the flavor. I wasn’t looking for anything crazy, just something complementary to make the flavor uniquely Acme Oyster House.

That didn’t exist.While the red beans’ texture held up, the flavor fell flat.

Just a theory, but it seems many restaurants offer milder flavors.
I wonder if they do this on purpose. Do most restaurant patrons prefer this?

Chef G says the flavor of this was “traditional,” and that this dish is supposed to taste a certain way.

But because I said that the red beans were bland, he ended up saying that they may have been “a bit underseasoned.” Of course, I realize he was trying to be agreeable, lol.

So OK, maybe red beans aren’t meant to be very seasoned.

Our palates differ. Something I find ‘delicious’ may end up being “a bit too spicy’ for Chef G. What can I say, I’m Asian-American, and grew up eating more heavily spiced food.

Boom Boom Shrimp

I’m guessing this was Acme Oyster House’s version of Bang Bang Shrimp. Maybe they just used a different name because the latter is likely trademarked.

Now when I look at something that’s saucy and bright and almost festive, I guess I expect it to be full of flavor and umami.

Except it wasn’t. It was OK, maybe 6/10. The brightly colored shrimp was nothing to write home about.

Or if I did write home about it, I feel like I would’ve written, “Dear mom and dad, The Boom Boom Shrimp at Acme Oyster House was just OK. Fairly mid. In fact, dad, I think you’d hate it. Love you guys.”

On the contrary, we could probably all agree that flavor is a matter of personal preference. Which reminded me of this key lime pie I had in Key West.

As I recall this experience, I remember the pastry chef that likely owned the shop. She seemed exhausted, but looked like she was proud of her craft. Her key lime pie turned out to have a very distinct taste, like ingredients were measured accurately, resulting in balanced flavors. With a very mild hint of bitterness from key lime, the chef managed to make this key lime pie flavor her own. Somehow, she also succeeded in reducing the pie’s known sweetness. As a matter of fact, I’ll go so far as to assume that this pastry chef has won awards for this recipe.

Nevertheless, I didn’t think that this ultra-refined key lime pie was for me.

So maybe this Boom Boom Shrimp just wasn’t my cup of tea.

I’d recommend the Acme Oyster House

⭐⭐⭐🌠 (3.5/5)

To me, the level of spice at Acme Oyster House was a little less than impressive. In my opinion, other restaurants make food that are spiced closer to my palate.

But hey, my palate may not be the same as yours at all. If you like milder, more toned down flavors and quality you can expect, this oyster house is definitely worth checking out.

Have you eaten at Acme Oyster House? What did you think of their food?