| Carbelle Junction: Old-Fashioned Goodness in Carabelle |
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| June 03, 2009 |
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I have fallen in love with Northwest Florida, specifically the area in and around Apalachicola. I hope you've seen me having the time of my life at the Florida Seafood Festival on my video (next Florida Seafood Festival will be held in Apalachicola on November 6 and 7, 2009).
I recently had the good fortune of spending four days in the area and one of those days, I lunched at Carrabelle Junction in Carrabelle, a tiny town with a host of fishing opportunities and filled with wonderful, friendly Floridians (one of my companion travelers needed to get to the library for an Internet connection: the owner of the restaurant where she was dining just handed over the keys to his truck, gave her directions and asked her how long she thought she'd be. When was the last time something like that happened?).
Carrabelle Junction is a funky sandwich and ice cream shop filled with quirky little bits of memorabilia, the creation of owner Ron Gempel, who put down roots here after years in San Francisco. He came back to the area because he has a brother nearby, and when he saw it, he was reminded of growing up in South Florida, "when it looked like this." This is classic small town, laid-back America.
Gempel serves up tasty, freshly-made sandwiches, daily blue-plate specials and rich ice cream and ice cream treats (including a classic egg cream: who would ever except to get this NYC treat in Carrabelle, Florida?). I regret not having a malted or a Casanova, a creamsicle milkshake. Honestly, when someone didn't claim his Casanova for a few minutes, I admit to fleeting thoughts of thievery: Yes, apparently, I would steal a creamsicle milkshake!
Carabelle Junction is open for breakfast, too, and until 4 p.m. for afternoon treats. Stop in and let Ron know I sent you.
Carrabelle Junction
88 Tallahassee Street and Hwy 98
Carrabelle 850-697-9550 |
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| Carrabelle Junction: Open for Espresso, Coffee, Pastries and Sandwiches in Carrabelle |
| Credit: Barb Freda |
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