Savannah Sojourn--3
by Kurt Epps—The PubScout
In this last installment of the Savannah Sojourn Series, I’ll share the stories of our last day on this mini-vacation.
This is an account—reasonably condensed to cover three days in three successive posts— of our visits to local eateries and pubs, and there were many from which to choose. I’ve included a star rating for each place based on quality of food, diversity of beer and general ambience, with five stars being the highest.
Day Three
As I hinted in the last installment—Sojourn 2—we met up with some friendly local folks at the Crystal Beer Parlor. They inquired as to where we had been and where we were going in the time we had left.
We advised them that we planned a drive out to Tybee Island, about twenty miles outside Savannah. Frank Hardeman, one of the friendly folks and a former government official gave us two huge suggestions, both of which we followed.
First, he said, if good food was our priority on Tybee Island, we should look no further than a place called the Sundae Cafe. It was a storefront located in strip mall behind a BP station, and that despite its unassuming appearance and location, it provided absolutely the best food on the island.
And if Shrimp and Grits were important, there were none better in the entire state of Georgia—or some such encomium. Boom. I was sold.
So after checking out the Tybee Island Lighthouse, but deigning to walk up the 178 steps due to the foggy conditions; and after a quick visit to the “Wraparound Beach” of Tybee, we set the GPS for the Sundae Cafe.
“Unassuming” was an understatement.This little, two-room cafe had a full bar, a solid beer list and both booth and table seating. And, typical of the South, a very friendly, efficient server saw to our needs.
We were there for lunch, which turned out to be both good and bad. The good was our lunch food was positively excellent. I had a Spring Mix Salad, which I’d eat 365 days a year. Candied pecans, bleu cheese crumbles, red onions, cranberries and a Roasted Pecan Vinaigrette dressing made this large salad a 10—and it only cost $8.
Angie had the very fresh Southern Caprese Salad and thoroughly enjoyed it. Ty and the missus ordered the $12 Buffalo Shrimp Nachos, which the missus promised to share with me because the shrimp were large and plentiful, and she “wasn’t that hungry.” I never saw one.
The reason everything was so good was likely due to the fact that the Sundae Cafe uses only local fresh food for everything. The list of “Down Home Sides” alone was mightily impressive and read like a “Who’s Who” of Southern cookery.
The exclamation point as to how we knew this place was a hidden gem became obvious when ten burly Tybee Island cops and staff rolled up, took a table and began to enjoy their lunch hour. Their conversation about the food made it clear this was not their first “Sundae.” It was an apparent 4 stars for them as well.
But I did say there was something bad about our visit, and that was its timing. Those world class Shrimp and Grits (grits made in-house) were not available until dinner time.
And for that, we had made other plans.
When we told Frank Hardeman we had reservations at (perhaps) Savannah’s most famous restaurant, The Olde Pink House, he immediately gave us the name of the GM—Craig Jeffress—and told us to tell him that “Frank sent us.”
A word about those reservations in the house that has fourteen separate dining areas—including the ball room where we dined. It took us two days to get a reservation, and apparently we were lucky, because “in-season,” you need to make reservations sometimes a MONTH in advance.
The reason for that is three-fold: The food, the service and the Cool/Neat Factor of the ambience. Those fourteen rooms, not counting the one outside on the balcony or the seats on the sidewalk in use during the summer, offer unique dining experiences that range from intimate to public.
The Tavern in the basement belongs in the PubScout’s Hall of Fame as “The Quintessential Pub. The food is the same as that served upstairs, but in an environment that is darkly romantic and candlelit, with little private nooks and crannies perfect for an intimate meal.
That Tavern opens at about 4:45 each day and does not take reservations. That means first-come, first-served and you have to wait in line on the steps—which can become a three-hour wait some days.
And, as mentioned, the main reason for that is the food. Our buddy Frank declared that if we liked fish, the “Scored Flounder” with an Apricot Glaze was compulsory.
I’m not a fish fan, but both Ty and Angie are, and they took Frank’s advice. To say they loved it is an understatement, especially when Angie declared, “I’d drive to this restaurant for that dish in a heartbeat.”
She only lives in Myrtle Beach, a scant four hours away.
I know another person who was last in Savannah a quarter-century ago, and when we told her we went to the Olde Pink House, she asked if they still served that amazing “Scored Flounder.” She was happy to learn it was still available.
The missus, who ordered the incredible Gazpacho and a Crab Cake on Fried Green Tomatoes, took a taste at Ty’s behest. It was “daaaaaaaaaamned good,” according to the Crab Cake Queen.
I had the She-Crab soup, naturally, and it was nothing short of phenomenal (though Vic’s won by a nose). Shrimped out, I was in the mood for the Chicken Pot Pie, and by its presentation alone, I knew it would be good. The Jekyll Island Hop Dang Diggity IPA that accompanied it made it even better.
Another positive facet of the Olde Pink House experience was the service. Josh, our server, couldn’t have been more pleasant or efficient. Sean, the Dining Room Manager was the picture of affability—even with the mask on, and GM Craig Jeffress, maybe the most versatile GM in the business, was the model for Gandhi’s classic dictum—“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
For example, when Covid forced the restaurant to let many of its 400 employees go, Jeffress personally applied for the unemployment benefits of all 400. Additionally, he personally blends all the tequila, whiskey, bourbon and rum for the restaurant in various locations around the country.
He doesn’t do the vodka that goes into a fantastic Green Chile Bloody Mary, though. That comes from St. George’s in Alameda, CA. If you’re a fan of the concoction, don’t miss it. It can help pass the time if you have to wait to be seated...which you probably will.
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