LIFE LIST UPDATE – No. 175: Eat at Big Daddy’s Grill in Fairhope

My wife and I visited Big Daddy’s Grill in Fairhope for the first time ever on Friday night. A number of our friends had recommended this restaurant, and I’ve wanted to eat there ever since their Big Daddy Burger was named to the Alabama Tourism Department’s list of “100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama Before You Die.”

Established in 2007, Big Daddy’s Grill is a seafood restaurant owned by Jason “Big Daddy” Newsom and located on Baldwin County’s Fish River at 16452 Ferry Road in Fairhope, Ala. Known for their seafood selections, they also specialize in hamburgers and poboy sandwhiches. During the months of March through October, Big Daddy's is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. It’s open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays. For more information about the restaurant, visit its Web site at www.bigdaddysgrill.net.

While it’s true that Big Daddy’s Grill is a seafood restaurant, I had to try the Big Daddy Burger since it comes so highly recommended. To say that this was one of the best hamburgers I’ve ever eaten would not be an understatement. Between two buns baked fresh at the Heavenly Creations Bakery in Fairhope, this monster burger contains half a pound of beef, sautéed onions, American cheese, pickles, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, raw onion, Swiss cheese and bacon. In 2008, The Mobile Press-Register named this hamburger to its “19 Burgers to Eat Before You Die” list.

For an appetizer, we ordered fried pickles, which were also excellent, and two fresh and tasty salads. For her main course, my wife ordered a crab claw basket, which came back overflowing with fried crab claws and French fries. That meal included so many crab claws that she couldn’t finish them all, which provided me with an excellent opportunity to sample them for myself. I don’t know how they could have been any better.

We also ordered two sweet teas, which came in giant, plastic Pepsi glasses that our waitress kept topped off throughout our visit. I was also pleasantly surprised by the restaurant’s beer selection. While there, I sampled a refreshing cup of Painted Black IPA, which is brewed a short distance from the restaurant at the Fairhope Brewing Co. on Nichols Avenue in Fairhope. It was also outstanding and would have made the trip worthwhile had I had nothing else to eat or drink.

Another cool thing about this restaurant was that while the parking lot was packed with vehicles and the place appeared to be very crowded, there was almost no wait. A few minutes after we’d given the hostess our names we found ourselves seated at a large comfortable picnic table on the restaurant’s back porch. From there we not only got to enjoy our meal, but we also got to enjoy the scenic view of the Fish River. Total cost of the meal was around $50 (and worth every penny).

All in all, we really enjoyed our trip to Big Daddy’s Grill, and if you’ve never been, I highly recommend that you check it out. In my opinion, it’s one of the finest restaurants in Baldwin and Mobile counties. How many of you have ever eaten there? What did you think about it? What did you eat during your visit? What menu selection would you recommend trying? Let us know in the comments section below.