Though the Florida coastline sports miles and miles of gorgeous beaches, only a few in 2002 ranked among the nation's Top 10, a list that appears each year on Memorial Day, compiled by beach expert Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, better known as Doctor Beach.I challenge all the smart-ass locals out there to guess where they are: Key Biscayne? Daytona? Naples?
Guess again.
Two of them are right here in Tampa Bay, probably a short drive from your door. Ranked No. 4 after an amazing stretch in Hawaii is our own Fort De Soto Park; 1,136 acres of natural beauty just south of St. Petersburg. Holding down No. 5 on the list is 650-acre Caladesi Island, just off Clearwater — with its pristine sand and native vegetation that have been miraculously preserved from development. Both are spectacular locales to picnic, sun, swim, canoe or kayak. At Fort De Soto you can also skate and bike along miles of paved trail — or bring your mutt for a run and swim in a special dog park.
If you're really lazy, skip the arduous task of hauling coolers and grills to the beach and order restaurant take-out instead from Caldwell's BBQ & Grill near Fort De Soto Park. Or sample the perfectly respectable fare sold from Caladesi Island's state-run concession stand, like its little basket of fried crab fritters or a tangy, icy orange smoothie. Then kickback with your easy eats and enjoy the idyllic surroundings, the cleansing rush of frothy surf, the florescent sun and hot sand, and some of the state's most exotic wildlife.
For a mini vacation, take the ferry from Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin to Caladesi Island ($7 roundtrip per person), only reachable by boat. The mild breeze buffets the ferry and snags your hat, but it's a lovely way to spend a half-hour.
When you get off, wander the crystalline sand and loll in the steamy gulf waters, or explore the nature trails. If you own a boat, there's a nice dock just off the beach where you can leave your vessel while you picnic. When you get hungry, head for the island's concession stand, a modern, weathered wood structure with great covered porches and roomy picnic tables set in the shade, plus clean bathrooms and outdoor showers.
Start with a hamburger ($3.75), so-so because it's thin with lots of filler, but fortify it with a bag of chips or an order of fried crab fritters ($5 a dozen). Wash it down with an icy orange smoothie ($3.19) that leaves a citrusy spell on your tongue, then sets a cold course down your gullet — cooling your body with its frosty charm. If you're still hungry or hot, finish with a Haagen-Daz ice cream bar ($2.75), sweet and wintry.
At Fort De Soto, there are four concession stands in the park serving various standard menu items such as hot dogs and fried shrimp, but I recommend a restaurant that sits just outside the park at a shopping center in Tierra Verde. It's called Caldwell's BBQ & Grill, operated by members of the same Pinellas family pretty much since the 1950s.
The restaurant was originally located in St. Pete Beach and operated by Walter "Pop" Caldwell Henry. Basic American fare like steaks and chops were on the menu. In 1991, Pop retired, and the business was leased to a Tennessee couple who switched to barbecue, but when they went out of business in 1996, the Henrys got back in.
"I was forced to learn the barbecue business," explained Pop's son, Glenn Allen Henry, who, with his wife Lois and son Jason, operates the restaurant now. "I didn't even know how to turn the pit on."
He must be a fast learner; the barbecued pork ribs are divine, seasoned and smoked in a hickory wood pit for hours. They are so tender that, when you bite them, they fall off the bone. Henry makes two different kinds of homemade sauce to go with the ribs, one sweeter and gingery and one mustard-based, plus he supplies one that's hotter, tantalizingly dubbed "Brenda's Booty Burner," made by a friend.
The pulled-pork barbecue sandwich ($6.99) was just as good, large chunks of meat set on a fresh bun. It comes with two sides: Skip the disappointing potato salad in favor of the baked beans and crunchy, colorful coleslaw. Finish with banana cream pie ($2.99). Its crust is slightly mushy, but the whole thing is redeemed by a creamy filling reminiscent of those you might savor at a lavish, after-service feed at a local Baptist church.
If you're picnicking with a crowd, send somebody ahead to reserve a picnic shelter and order a family pack (for take-out only), your choice of ribs, pork, beef, pulled or whole chicken, or various combinations of all. We tried one designed to feed four to five people ($34.99): 1 rack of ribs and 1 pound of pulled pork with a choice of a quart of baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw or macaroni salad. For bigger groups, the restaurant can cater the party.
Plus, it's open all day on Memorial Day.
Happy summer!
Caladesi Island State Park#1 Causeway Blvd.
Dunedin
727-469-5918
Kayak rental: $10/hour for a single,
$20 for a double
Ferry hours: 10 a.m.- 6:30 p.m. summer
Park open 8 a.m. to sundown
Fort De Soto Park3500 Pinellas Bayway
Tierra Verde
727-582-2267
Rentals: canoe, $16/hour; kayak,
$14/hour; double kayak, $17/hour; bicycle,
$6/hour. Canoe Outpost, 727-864-1991.
Park open 8 a.m. to sundown
Food Editor Sara Kennedy dines anonymously, and Weekly Planet pays for her meals. She can be reached at sara.kennedy@weeklyplanet.com or 813-248-8888 ext. 116.
This article appears in May 14-20, 2003.