Happily Living On The EDGE

Heather and Chris saw a great opportunity as they watched a building rise above the water, just across from where they were docking their boats and operating their water sports business. “We fell in love with the unique building and its over-the-water location, which provides plenty of docking space for our boats and for transient boat dockage, which is in short supply in this market,” says Heather. “When the building was complete and became available, we decided to move and expand our current business, and at the same time to add food and beverage service in an amazing location.” The 11,000 square foot, two-level building, unlike so many waterfront places, is actually built directly on top of the water and provides panoramic views of the historic Destin Harbor, the East Pass, the fishing fleet, and miles and miles of the Gulf of Mexico.
The Edge Seafood Restaurant & Skybar lives up to its name in so many ways – the location takes full advantage of the water that surrounds it and the second-story cocktail lounge with its amazing sunsets and its upscale menu of specialty cocktails and expertly crafted small plates. “Skybar will open each day at 4:00 pm, and will feature live music and a firepit that we will light each evening as the sun goes down,” says Heather. The Edge offers a more casual dining experience and a family-friendly atmosphere, with a chalkboard menu of daily specials that reflect the best of local and seasonal seafood. Heather was able to draw on her experience in the hospitality field to enlist some of the best staff around. “Chef Nicolas has been in the area for over a decade,” she says, “and has trained under the best chefs along the Emerald Coast, and we are thrilled to have him at The Edge.”

The menu will showcase such local dishes as ceviche, conch fritters, hand-breaded coconut shrimp, and whole snapper. There will be options for those who don’t eat seafood, with dishes featuring chicken, duck, and beef. In addition to serving the freshest local seafood in the local style, The Edge will offer a “cook your catch” option for guests coming in off their boats with their dinner in hand. The dress and atmosphere for The Edge is casual, and there will be underwater lights and fish feeders so families can feed the fish before or after their meals.

The challenges of building a new restaurant during the past couple of years were not lost on Heather and Chris. They struggled to get certain items, and had to work with their contractor to find out-of-the-box solutions to supply chain issues. “We were having a terrible time finding dining tables,” Heather says. “Our amazing general contractor located a bowling alley in Georgia that was being torn down, bought the lanes, transported the wood to Destin, and custom-built our beautiful tables and bar tops!” Chris and Heather feel as if they are honoring the memory of Chris’s dad, Captain Larry Thomas, a local charter boat captain who lost his battle with cancer 18 years ago. “Being part of the harbor makes us feel connected to him and to our fishing heritage, and we honor him with our name and our heritage.”

SUN-THU 11am-10pm | FRI-SAT 11am-11pm
302 Harbor Blvd, Destin, FL 32541 (850) 659-3549 | @edgeseafood
