A Cellar Secret at Wine World

Wine World is a place I dine at most often. Years ago, my brother and sister instituted sibling wine lunch which we strive to attend on the weekly. Our restaurant of choice is always Wine World Destin for its delicious fare, wonderful service, and relaxed atmosphere.

If you’ve ever been to Wine World Destin it’s hard not to notice the private cellar room that sits off to the side. We have passed by this room numerous times always wondering how we can enjoy a meal in this special spot. To our surprise it wasn’t hard to book and extremely reasonable especially for what was offered.

We reserved a couple months in advance for a Saturday night. They offer a 4 or 5 course meal that’s prepared exclusively for you by the chef. We let the chef know in advance about any allergies or food preferences and she was very gracious to accommodate. She sent us over the menu to review weeks before our reservation. It sounded delicious and it was!

Once we arrived, we were pleasantly ushered in the private room where drink orders were taken and served. The servers were very attentive to our every need. The first course was poached shrimp sitting along the rim of a cocktail glass filled with Bloody Mary Gazpacho. After finishing the shrimp my first impulse was to toss my head back and gulp down the Gazpacho. However, I refrained and used a spoon instead.

Course two arrived. A crisp arugula salad with roasted squash and drizzle of honey vinaigrette served between two delicious goat cheese croquettes. Course 3 was paprika crusted scallops resting on brown butter wilted spinach with wild mushrooms. I was already getting full but managed to enjoy course 4, roasted chicken roulade with roasted red peppers, chimichurri, snuggled up against tri colored couscous. Right before I was able to wave the white flag the lovely waitress brought out bourbon crème brûlée and I immediately put the flag away!

The meal was simply delicious, the service was impeccable, and dining in the private cellar room was worth every penny. In fact, I was expecting to pay a pretty penny for this experience but to my surprise it was extremely reasonable. This was fine dining at its best and will definitely be my preferred place for a special occasion.

Locals' Tip

Wine World has an extensive wine list, however, if you chose to bring your own bottle for a special occasion or purchase one from the Wine World package store the corking fee is very reasonable.

Published by Kristina Laszewski
Monday, November 29, 2021