A Heavenly Vibe at Huc-a-Poo’s

Huc-A-Poo’s Bites & Booze
Tybee Island, Georgia

Hucย -A-Pooโ€™s Bites & Booze is the epitome of life. Itโ€™s where stories are born. Itโ€™s the kind of place Pat Conroyย and Earnest Hemingwayย write about in novels. Itโ€™s a genuine, local bar with an environment that canโ€™t be created. Itโ€™s not store-bought. Itโ€™s not forced. No one has a care in the world. Itโ€™s a place where nothing matters–whatย you wear, who you are, where you come from. You can just be. Itโ€™s care free, non-judgmental. Itโ€™s come one, come all. It’s family owned and operated. Itโ€™s the kind of place where time and seasons escape. Laid back. Eclectic. It doesnโ€™t have a website. You wonโ€™t find brochures on it. Itโ€™s not touristy. Itโ€™s unpretentious, unassuming. The slogan on the paper menu reads: Huc-A-Pooโ€™s โ€“ Where the Mind and Spirits Meet. I would imagine heaven to have the same vibe.

The Cast of Characters
The people in a place make all the difference. Itโ€™s the characters who create the atmosphere. These folks along with my friend, April (pictured left above) inspired my experience.
Steven โ€“ He wore a multi-colored Beanie hat and liked to call me brat, but oddly, in an endearing way. He said, โ€œMy brother owns this place. Wanna meet him?โ€ He led me into the kitchen and I got a behind the scenes tour. Throughout the night, he would look at me across the room and put his finger to his lips and say, โ€œshhhhh.โ€ย He wandered from table to bar top, to staircase and his brothers referred to him as Huc-A-Pooโ€™s PR guy. He was right at home.

The Bartender โ€“ He would pop out from behind the bar and groove to the music, moving from customer to customer bringing drinks, taking checks. He had a beard and obviously loved his job.

The Band – The Royal Noise: Jazz, Funk, Soul โ€“ Each band member bled music. It ran through their veins. They felt every note. They expressedย pure passion in a saxophone, a drum set, a bass and electric guitar. It was evident they were born to play. Take a listen.

The Staff –ย A close-nit group of folks who appeared to be all related. They were long-haired, free-spirited and kind with tanned skin worn from the sun. Very welcoming. Really hospitable. No uniforms, they wore whatever they pleased. Shorts, T-shirts, flip-flops, even in November.

The Food
Pizza. Beer. Saturday night.

We ordered a $15 specialty pizza โ€“ The Federale: Mexican pizza with grilled chicken, red onions, bell peppers, fresh tomatoes and jalapenos. It was massive and only $15 bucks. Weโ€™ll get at least four meals out of it from the leftovers! Landsharkย Lagers with lime slices only made sense to drink. You can order pizza by the $4 slice or a whole pie. Make your choice from 12 different specialty pies or build your own. Wraps, nachos and hot dogs are on the menu too, even low carb salads. The food tasted great, but honestly it wouldnโ€™t have mattered.

The Cost
Nothing on the menu is priced over $7 with the exception of the $15 whole pies, which would cost at least $30 anywhere else. Amazingly affordable.

The Location
Located in the Tybeeย Oaks Shopping Center just a few miles from the beach off of Highway 80, Huc-A-Poo’s has over 2,500 Likes on Facebook. Let’s help them get to 3,000.

The Crowd
On a Saturday night in early November, the age group ranged from 25 โ€“ 60 with the majority of the crowd being locals, others, first-time visitors like myself. With the exception of a young, drunk athlete who tried to eat my face upon arrival, everybody there was awesome.

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Huc-A-Pooโ€™s combined all my favorite things in one place-Good food and good company, and live music in an incredible atmosphere on the Georgia coast. Itโ€™s the kind of environment you happen upon once in a blue moon, the kind of place that has the potential to make me relocate. Huc-A-Pooโ€™s is a place that sets the standard, that youโ€™ll continue comparing other environments to again and again. Theyโ€™ve found a new regular in me.

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Dining the Way the South Intended

South City Kitchen
Midtown Atlanta, Georgia

In a city as large as Atlanta, Georgia choosing a place to dine is like being on a weight-loss plan and trying to fill your plate with only your favorite dishes on Thanksgiving. That was the situation last Saturday as we drove aroundย the A-T-Lย in search of the perfect brunch spot. It was South City Kitchen thatย won me over–theย lively patio full of happyย customers drew me in andย as soon as I laid eyes on the menu, I knew we’d made the right choice.

We wereย greeted politely, then led through the cool, sophisticated dining room outย onto the more relaxed patio. We took a seat in the wicker chairs andย soon after, our well-dressed waiter delivered a bread basket and poured us up aย cold glass of purified water.ย It’s the little detailsย that really take a dining experience up a notch, like watchingย your server pourย water into a clean drinking glass while sitting outside in theย June humidity.ย ย Filled with warm, soft biscuits and golden corn muffins, the basket also sported softened butter and cold apple butter for spreading. One bite of that biscuit and it was circa 1991 and I was in myย Grandma’s kitchen without a care in the world.

On the menu, you’ll find many southern classics like Buttermilk Fried Chicken,ย BBQ Pork Sandwiches, She-Crab Soup and Grits & Grillades. Unpredictable side options like corn and tomato, kale salad and fingerlings are a nice surprise. The prices ranged anywhere fromย $5.95 for theirย House Made Granola to $19 for the Shrimp & Red Mule Grits- stone ground from Athens, Georgia.

The atmosphere isย settling like a slower paceย from a previousย time. As a customer, you get the feelingย you’re a respected guest. The restaurant’s most popular menu item is the Buttermilk Fried Chicken. Shrimp & Red Mule Grits takes second place.

I decided on the Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Waffle with pure maple syrup for $17. I must admit, I’ve always been curious of the combination. Crazy as it seems, it works. The crunchy fried chicken with theย buttery waffle…now I know why it’s a Snoop Doggย favorite. Right on Snoop Doggy Dog!

We finished the meal with a sweet and fruity Watermelon Sorbet, available by oneย scoopย or two, with coffee.

Finding parking was the only challenge to eating here, but after the chicken & waffle dish, it sureย didn’t hurt me to walk a few blocks. Open since 1993, South City Kitchenย lives up to its motto…dining the way the South intended.

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