Two New Dining Places in 2024

 In 2024, I have been reading more books than menus and I am behind my dining bucket goal for the year. But recently I visited two new places in Brevard. Both of these establishments are in buildings that have been previous restaurants that were popular. But places close, even the ones doing well, and new places try their hand at the business of serving food, drinks and maybe entertainment.

Gere is my first impression of Gettin Crabby and Marker 99.

The Gettin Crabby Crab House is located on US1 in Palm Bay. For many years it was Ozzie's Crab House, which previously was in Grant when I moved to Florida back in 1979. That's right, on June 1, I will have lived in Florida for 45 years.

The new place is in just the small house, located between Palm Bat Road and Port Malabar Road, on the river side of US1. I always like to take a picture of the menu.

Unsurprisingly, there is a lot of crab and seafood on the menu. It was mid afternoon and I had just finished a photo walk at the Turkey Creek Sanctuary, I was not full meal hungry but ready for a beer and maybe an appetizer. They had beer on tap and also a full liquor bar, as seen in this shot...

The place is not very big but they do have picnic tables outside that are tended by servers. Not to be invasive, I took this shot of a couple who were eating a large platter of crabs...

I decided on the oyster stew. It was very flavorful and had six large oysters in it. Most places are charging $11 just for that. My only problem was not enough potato and/or vegetables in the "stew".

The bartender's name was Jaime and she was very attentive and answered my questions. Like I said, it was not too fancy but the food and service were great. I give the place a 3.0 (Great) and I plan to try it for a full meal.

The second new place was Marker 99 Restaurant and Lounge, located on US1 and the Indian River, just North of Post Road. The previous name was Captain Katanas.

I had spent the morning on a photo walk at Brevard Zoo and I was ready for a nice lunch and maybe a beer. They have been open for a while but I wanted to let them settle in a little before I tried them. 

The entry way is the same as before but they have added a fire pit with seats in the area, I guess it is a good place to wait when it is crowded.

The sign along US1...hard to miss.

The view of the renovated building from the parking lot.

Seating choices are plentiful including, indoor table and an indoor bar, tables outside on the dock, an outside bar and a deck with tables near the bar. I went straight to the outside bar. The view from my bar stool...

The menu is quite large, they call themselves a Fusion Restaurant. I was surprised they did not have a lunch menu...

My bartender was Hickory and it was his first day. He had just moved to the area from Virginia. He was being helped by Nicole, who had been there since last June. We talked quite a bit because there were no other customers at the outdoor bar. Most people were sitting on the outside dock. Than a couple showed up and sat at the bar. They were looking for a house, moving down from Maryland.

I decided to order the Caribbean Fish Tacos (although they spelt it Carribean). The fish is cobia which I got grilled, served with coleslaw, fresh avocado, mango & pineapple salsa, and a light coconut cream.

After I had finished the first taco, which was delicious, Nicole stopped by and asked if I like to try their house hat sauce, made fresh by the kitchen. I said sure and she disappeared to the kitchen and brought back this orange sauce.

The hot sauce was wonderful and not too hot. It mixed well with the softer fruit flavors on the taco.

They did have a good variety of beers on tap, including my favorite, Orange Blossom Pilsner. This beer is brewed in Orlando and I happen to know the owner. I was drinking his beers with him last Thanksgiving, thanks to the Monroe family.

The beer was a little expensive but overall I was very happy with the experience. I give the place a 3.5 (Great to Excellent) and definitely will be back. I was told that the Argentinian Steak Tacos are really good. They also have Ceviche, Tequenos, and Patacones.