Private Hibachi Chef in Destin

Destin is the biggest market we serve and the one with the most setup variables, because the housing splits three ways. There are high-rise condos along Scenic 98 and the beach, low-rise complexes and townhomes, and detached houses in the neighbourhoods behind. Each has a different answer to the same question. Condos are the reason we ask about your balcony before we confirm: a lot of Destin buildings prohibit open-flame cooking on balconies, and even where they do not, most balconies are too narrow and too enclosed for us to work safely. The good news is that many complexes have a poolside pavilion, grilling area or clubhouse that can be reserved, and that is usually the right venue. Detached houses and townhomes are straightforward. Tell us which of the three you are in when you enquire and we will tell you immediately whether it works.

Six by four feet of level surface, open sky above, three feet of chef clearance. In detached Destin houses that is the driveway, patio or rear deck — simple. In condos it is almost never the balcony: too narrow, usually roofed by the balcony above, and frequently prohibited by the building. What works instead is a reservable poolside pavilion, an outdoor grilling area, or a ground-floor patio. If you are in a condo, please check with the front desk or rental manager about a reservable outdoor space before you book us, and send us the name of it. We would rather sort that out a week ahead than at the door.

We come in on US-98 and arrive 45 minutes before the seating — a little earlier for high-rise complexes, because the loading route is the slow part. For condos we need to know the building's service entrance or loading zone, whether there is a luggage cart or freight elevator, and any parking pass arrangement. For houses we just need one driveway space held. Destin traffic on 98 in July is genuinely bad between four and six, and we build that into our arrival rather than into your seating time.

Destin is our biggest bachelorette market by volume, and it behaves differently from 30A: the groups are often staying in a condo rather than a house, and they are here for the harbour and the boats as much as the beach. That makes the pre-going-out dinner the booking we do most — an early seating, the full show, and everyone fed and photographed before the group heads to the harbour. Birthdays run the other way, usually families in a beach house wanting the kids' volcano moment. The variable in both is the venue, not the party, which is why every Destin enquiry starts with the same question about where you are staying rather than what you want to eat.