Private Hibachi Chef in Dune Allen Beach

Dune Allen is where 30A starts at the western end, and it is the quietest stretch of the road. Three coastal dune lakes — Oyster, Draper and Stallworth — squeeze the buildable land into a narrow ribbon, so the houses sit either gulf-front on the south side or lake-side on the north, with very little in between. That geography is good news for us: gulf-front decks here are large and largely unobstructed, and lake-side properties often have deep yards. What Dune Allen does not have is restaurants. Stinky's Fish Camp and a handful of others is the whole list, and in season that list is full. A group of ten staying in Dune Allen has a genuine dinner problem most nights of the week, which is most of why our west-end bookings come from here.

Six by four feet of level, open-sky surface with three feet of chef clearance. Gulf-front Dune Allen houses generally give us a wide elevated deck, which is the best surface and the best view; lake-side houses usually offer a driveway or rear yard. Because the lots are narrow and wind comes off the water hard here, we set the grill with a wind break where the deck allows — worth knowing if you are choosing between a west and east deck. We cannot cook under a covered deck section, which several gulf-front houses have at one end; we simply use the open end.

Straight in along 30A from the Santa Rosa Beach end, arriving 45 minutes before the seating. Dune Allen is a narrow corridor with 30A as the only through road and driveways coming directly off it, so we need one space held on the drive — stopping on 30A itself is not an option. Gulf-front houses often have parking under the house and a stair up to the deck; tell us the flights when you book. The lake-side lanes are short and quiet with easy access.

Dune Allen bookings are usually the group that wanted 30A without the crowds: eight to twelve people, gulf-front or lake-side house, and an evening built around being at the house rather than going out. Since there is very little to walk to, dinner is the event, and that suits hibachi better than almost any other town on the road. We get quiet bachelorette weekends here — the ones who chose the west end deliberately — and a steady run of family birthdays and anniversary dinners. The wind off the Gulf means we plan the setup around the deck's sheltered side, and the payoff is a table that watches the sun drop into the water while the grill is going.