Indian Pass Raw Bar(2)

    Much of the attraction of Florida's Forgotten Coast is its remote location.
   While its beaches and pristine local water are considered among the best in the United States, there are no large hotels, big restaurant locations or other mass tourism outlets. Get off I-10 and head south to U.S. 98, then hunt-and-peck your way around.
   There's some new construction of waterfront homes, but local development rules keep a lid on things.
    "I don't worry about development hurting the quality of our oysters," McNeill says. "Any problems we've had are from Mother Nature, not man-made."
    The oysters come from beds owned by the McNeills or leased nearby. They're in or close to Apalachicola Bay, fed by the pristine Apalachicola River and guarded from the Gulf of Mexico by St. George and St. Vincent islands.
    The rest of the small crew at the Indian Pass Raw Bar is family -- or like family. Marketing and PR is largely confined to sponsoring an annual fishing tournament the last week of June. The event has raised more than $30,000 for the local volunteer fire department.
    That work is handled by Jim's wife, Melissa, who came down from Atlanta for a two-week spring break in 1993 and never really went back.
    "All I wanted was some gumbo and beer," she says.
    Randy Branson has been managing the place since it opened.
    "Down here, you do seafood, construction or work at the (paper) mill (in nearby Port St. Joe)," he says. "But the mill's closed now. I just kinda fell into this."
    The other regular employees are "Gator" Weiland and Audrey Squire. He's the man of few words wearing a baseball cap. She's the resident poet.
    On any given day, the clientele is as likely to be locals from Port St. Joe as it is to be an NFL player, singer Lee Greenwood or some tourists from Germany or New Zealand.
   The McNeills, Randy and Gator keep shucking while Audrey keeps things moving, in an ambiance that can't be faked, embellished or re-created.
    "As long as you enjoy doing something, do it," Jim says. "We'll tell anyone how we make anything. We've had folks from other restaurants come by to see. It ain't hard."
    "You either love this place or not," Gator says. "Most people who love oysters are good people."