Connecting visitors with Panama City’s best oyster recipes and cultural tradition

PANAMA CITY, Fla., July 31, 2017 – Panama City today announced the Panama City Oyster Trail slated to launch on August 5 – National Oyster Day. The trail is designed to connect visitors to Panama City oyster purveyors, raw bars and restaurants, and to celebrate and support the watermen who harvest wild oysters, a generations-old sustainable industry and an engrained cultural treasure in the region.

“Oysters are a way of life in Panama City, and have been for a long time,” said Jennifer Vigil, Destination Panama City President and CEO. “We are excited to share this immersive experience with visitors who want to learn more about oysters, where they come from and how they contribute to the environment as well as our genuine sense of hospitality.”

More than a dozen Panama City restaurants are included in the Oyster Trail. The first stop on the trail is Gene’s Oyster Bar. Gene’s is a quintessential Northwest Florida oyster bar with 10 stools that has gained such fame that it earned its own historical marker. From there, the trail takes visitors to stops as diverse as Bayou Joe’s Marina & Grill, where boaters step from their vessels directly onto Joe’s outdoor dining room, to g. Foley’s, a chef-driven restaurant serving a creative seasonal menu based on locally sourced ingredients. In Panama City’s historic St. Andrews district, visitors can drop in Hunt’s Oyster Bar to witness the elite skills of Honor Allen, an oyster shucker who won the 2016 U.S. National Oyster Shucking Championship in Maryland and is slated to compete in Galway, Ireland to vie for the World Oyster Opening Championship in September. View a list of all restaurants here: http://destinationpanamacity.com/oyster-trail/

Whether you’re craving raw, baked, char-grilled or fried, Panama City serves up the tasty local bivalves in almost every method imaginable. At any old-school dive, oysters are shucked in front of diners and served on the half shell accompanied by saltine crackers, a lemon wedge and house-made cocktail sauce. For a little punch, the Cajun baked oysters at Captain’s Table Fish House bring the heat, or a po’ boy at Millie’s Café offers the perfect balance of soft baguette countered by crisply battered oysters. Chef Chris Infinger at g. Foley’s creates a unique flavor combination serving fried oysters with smoked chili aioli, andouille sausage and red pepper. The astonishing range of how local chefs prepare oysters presents a fascinating case study in Panama City’s surprising culinary diversity, so diners are certain to discover something to please every palate.

The Oyster Trail is open year-round as Gulf Coast oysters don’t change significantly in flavor throughout the year. Because of the warm waters, the oysters never go dormant and stay mild and somewhat soft all year round.

For more information visit: www.destinationpanamacity.com.