BASIL & BAXTER'S – Restaurant

Do not judge the building from the parking lot. Inside, Basil and Baxter's runs a Gulf-focused kitchen under a culinary-school-trained chef, with an owner who grew up in Niceville. Starters lean local: banging shrimp in sweet chili aioli, shrimp beignets, black mussels in spicy cream, seared ahi tuna, a Maryland-style crab cake. Signature cavatappi queso mac arrives topped with pulled pork, buffalo chicken or blackened Gulf shrimp. Entrees run grouper etouffee, grouper nantua, shrimp and grits over gouda, lobster ravioli, Baxter's pasta, a wagyu burger, a twelve-ounce ribeye and a porterhouse pork chop. Open Monday through Saturday, four until nine.

Cuisine: Restaurant