Blue Mabel in 30A's Blue Mountain
Blue Mabel is a smokehouse in the Blue Mountain area along 30A. It’s a cute-sized place with a menu that offers some great options. From Bourbon Glazed Pork Belly to a 14-Ounce Bone-In Ribeye, the menu provides meat-eaters a plethora of choices. Blue Mabel also serves salads and sides such as Crispy Brussel Sprouts.
Being from Texas, I would not exactly call Blue Mabel a smokehouse by my Texas standards. However, they pride themselves on their meat and the way it is prepared. If you come in with the right-sized expectations (knowing it is not a smokehouse in Central Texas), you will be pleased! Blue Mabel works hard to give their guests homemade, made-from-scratch dishes, and they succeed.
30A’s Blue Mountain doesn’t have that many dining options. Therefore, Blue Mabel really provides a lovely dining experience in the area. The restaurant has an authentic local feel with a great mix of patrons, not just visitors to the area.
This visit, I ordered the Blue Mountain BLT - slow cooked and hand-pulled pork butt, fried green tomato, kale-green apple cole slaw, drippings ‘n vinegar sauce served on an open-faced brioche bun. Since it was served open-faced, the sandwich was definitely a knife-and-fork dish! And, it was substantial. The flavors worked very well together. The tender pork, tangy slaw (more like a salad), vinegar sauce, fried green tomatoes, and crunchy onions provided a mix of flavors and textures that complemented each other exceptionally well. Nothing competed too much with each other, and the balance of ingredients melded together for a wonderful dish. It was delicious! I ate the entire thing.
The French fries were also tasty. They had a bold seasoning to them. They were not a boring, same old fry!
My daughter ordered the Mabel Burger – two four-ounce short rib/brisket patties, provolone, Blue Mable sauce, beef fat, griddled onions, and house pickles. Her burger was scrumptious and also substantial. The dish was a little rich for her liking, which was more of a reflection of her personal taste than a criticism of the entree. The patty was moist, greasy, and full of meatiness. The flavors worked well and provided a very satisfying, very rich burger.
Blue Mabel is a great place to dine on the West side of 30A. Reservations are recommended for dinner, and check their service times to ensure you do not show up when they are closed.
Blue Mabel 2260 W. County Hwy 30A Santa Rosa Beach, Florida 32459 850-744-0040 http://bluemabel.com/