Go for a Cheeseburger in Miramar Beach

By Jan Waddy, The News Herald, Panama City, Fla.

Apr. 24–Jimmy Buffett’s song has never tasted so good.

After eating a cheeseburger in paradise at Margaritaville in Pier Park on a Friday afternoon, I decided that the next day I would head down U.S. 98 to Cheeseburger in Paradise, the restaurant.

It opened in September in well, paradise, Miramar Beach.

The Margaritaville menu had suggested using Heinz 57 on the cheeseburger and washing it down with a draft beer. At Cheeseburger in Paradise, its namesake also was on the menu, but I opted for the minicheeseburgers.

I split an order of six for $7.99 (four for $5.99, 10 for $11.99). They were as good as the large cheeseburger I had the day before, and I liked the small size.

“A lot of people come in here thinking it’s Margaritaville,” said Scott Raven, managing partner of Cheeseburger in Paradise. “We are partnered with Outback,” he said. “Margaritaville is Jimmy Buffett.”

There is no one on stilts making balloon animals, no screens playing Jimmy Buffett concerts and no store with Buffett merchandise.

But there is a great menu and live music.

The menu has all of Buffett’s favorite things on it. “The cheeseburger is what made us famous,” said Raven, but he admits his favorite is El Cubano — ham, salami, pork, Swiss, mayo, mustard and pickles on Cuban bread ($8.99). He said they also are known for their pina coladas.

The Bayou Crab and Spinach Dip ($7.99) was a perfect beginning. The lump crabmeat mixed with spinach and Asiago cheese is served with tortilla chips that remind me of the thin, crispy chips I grew up eating at Tex-Mex restaurants. Other island-inspired favorites include BBQ Jerk Ribs, Costa Rican Steak Wrap and Son of a Son of a Sailor Salad.

“This store has great local engagement,” said Raven. During Spring Break, this location was the No. 1 store out of 39 across the United States. And that’s in spite of it being the smallest venue, seating 205.

Raven said they also won over Snowbirds with their prices, since they don’t raise them depending on the season.

Local entertainers play at Cheeseburger in Paradise, with live music at the tiki bar from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. every Friday and Saturday night. On Friday, April 25, Dave DeMonki will play. On Saturday, April 26, Stevie Hall performs.

Has Jimmy Buffett played there?

“Not yet,” said Raven. “Yes, I’ve met him before.” After all, this is the seventh store he has opened.

“Jimmy is just like his music,” he said. ” He’s laid back. He’s relaxed. He’s a great guy.”

Other Cheeseburger in Paradise locations Raven has opened include New York, his birthplace, Indiana, New Jersey and Illinois. “If he (Jimmy Buffett) sat down here everyone would know who he was,” said Raven. But he isn’t so sure Buffett would be recognized at the New Jersey restaurant.

Raven said all the restaurants “have that island feel,” but are a little different on the outside. “This one is the brand new design,” he said, with all the artwork on the walls.

Cheeseburger in Paradise hosts phlockings where Parrotheads can reminisce about Jimmy Buffett. The next one is in June.

“There are Parrotheads all over the country. It’s a lifestyle,” said Raven. But he admits he doesn’t live that way.

Is Raven a fan?

“Of course I am,” he said. “I know all his songs. I hear them every day.”

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