A Heavenly Vibe at Huc-a-Poo’s

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

Huc -A-Poo’s Bites & Booze is the epitome of life. It’s where stories are born. It’s the kind of place Pat Conroy and Earnest Hemingway write about in novels. It’s a genuine, local bar with an environment that can’t be created. It’s not store-bought. It’s not forced. No one has a care in the world. It’s a place where nothing matters–what you wear, who you are, where you come from. You can just be. It’s care free, non-judgmental. It’s come one, come all. It’s family owned and operated. It’s the kind of place where time and seasons escape. Laid back. Eclectic. It doesn’t have a website. You won’t find brochures on it. It’s not touristy. It’s unpretentious, unassuming. The slogan on the paper menu reads: Huc-A-Poo’s – 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. It’s the characters who create the atmosphere. These folks along with my friend, April (pictured left above) inspired my experience.
Steven – He wore a multi-colored Beanie hat and liked to call me brat, but oddly, in an endearing way. He said, “My brother owns this place. Wanna meet him?” 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, “shhhhh.” He wandered from table to bar top, to staircase and his brothers referred to him as Huc-A-Poo’s PR guy. He was right at home.

The Bartender – 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 – Each band member bled music. It ran through their veins. They felt every note. They expressed 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 – 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 – The Federale: Mexican pizza with grilled chicken, red onions, bell peppers, fresh tomatoes and jalapenos. It was massive and only $15 bucks. We’ll get at least four meals out of it from the leftovers! Landshark 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 wouldn’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 Tybee 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 – 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-Poo’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. It’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-Poo’s is a place that sets the standard, that you’ll continue comparing other environments to again and again. They’ve found a new regular in me.

Huc-A-Poo's Bites & Booze on Urbanspoon

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Where Friendship and Fine Food Collide

The Crab Shack
Tybee Island, Georgia

I’m convinced that all I really need in this world is a lifelong friend and a pile of crab legs on the Southern seacoast. There are times when my soul feels so content, like if in that moment life were to end, I could slip from the Earth with a smile on my face. That satisfaction, that fulfillment only comes from good conversation–the kind where you can bear your soul and not be judged, paired with the taste of food so fresh it was swimming in the Atlantic only moments before it landed on your plate. My blog, Some Kinda Good is all about good food and good company, and that’s what I experienced over the weekend at The Crab Shack on Tybee Island with Jennifer, my friend of 17 years.

Located just off highway 80 as you make your way onto Tybee Island, The Crab Shack–Where the Elite Eat in Their Bare Feet–is THE destination for all things seafood. Known for their Lowcountry boil, the restaurant has been voted Best Seafood and Best Outdoor Dining since 1998.

Offering indoor and outdoor dining, there’s really no bad seat in the house. When we first arrived, we sat on the deck overlooking Chimney Creek, and later moved inside to the screened in porch area when it started to rain. Since we visited in October, the boat was decorated for Halloween. From your table, you can hear boat motors cranking up and seagulls overhead.

The menu features the Captain Crab’s Sampler where you can try an assortment of seasonal shellfish with corn, potatoes and sausage. It also offers a variety of crabs–Snow, Alaskan King, Blue, Dungeness or Stone. Not only does The Crab Shack serve seafood, but true to its Southern region, they tout “The best barbecue on the beach or anywhere else.” The sides include corn, potatoes, sausage, smashed taters and slaw.

I ordered a Landshark Lager–only fitting being on the island–with a cup of Boston Clam Chowder and the Half and Half dinner: A half pound of snow crab legs with a half pound of wild Georgia shrimp for $19. 99.  It came with corn on the cob. There are holes in the center of each table for discarding shrimp hulls and empty shells and I love being able to just toss your paper plate when you’re done. It’s casual dining on the coast, the way it should be.

This is the large deck that overlooks the creek. Age old Spanish-moss covered oak trees hang over the area, creating an ambiance where it’s impossible to be unhappy.

You can also feed live baby alligators on the premises. There are 78 to be exact! Pretty cool to see.

Once we acted like tourists and took our photo with the Croc (this made me feel like we were 12 again on a family vacation), we took our to-go cups of sweet tea and made our way out to the beach. Jennifer is the red-head on the left, and that’s me on the right.

I counted 53 pelicans fishing over the ocean that evening, watched the sunset by the lighthouse and touched down in the Atlantic one more time. We rode 80 West back home with the windows down and Southern rock on the radio, the palm trees passing in the wind.

See more pictures below from our visit to The Crab Shack–and be sure to grab a good friend and make the trip. The only time you won’t find them open is on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

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The Hostess City Offers More Than River Street


The Six Pence Pub
Gallery Espresso
Savannah, Georgia

It was 57 degrees on a partly sunny January day in Savannah as I strolled through the brick streets under the live mossy oak and Southern magnolia trees. On the corner of West Perry Street and Bull, we dined outside at The Six Pence Pub where the warmth of french onion soup and a fresh garden salad hit the spot.

Who doesn’t love an old red telephone booth and an Irish pub? The place is just cool.

A perfect lunch indeed. Not too heavy, just right.

Provolone cheese is melted over the top of the broth-based soup. On the inside, you’ll find croutons and caramelized onions.

I love the freshness of green parsley, and the little soup bowl atop the white doily is so quaint.

After shopping in the City Market, we visited Gallery Espresso, just up the block from The Six Pence Pub, for some coffee and one giant peanut butter cookie. I’m convinced that every SCAD student and resident of Savannah had the same idea. There wasn’t a seat available in the entire place.

Now I love a good Starbucks, but there’s something special about getting that cup of Joe from a local establishment. Filled with an eclectic mix of chairs and couches, beverages are served in ceramic coffee mugs. Customers play chess, listen to iPods and surf the net on laptops. Cakes and cookies sit covered on the counter top and the smell of coffee grounds and hot tea fill the room. Stacked newspapers and magazines lie around saying, “read me!”  The atmosphere has a good vibe and I’d go back to experience the oldest coffee house in Savannah again.

Have you been to The Six Pence Pub or Gallery Espresso? Tell me about your favorite, local hot spot.

Six Pence Pub on Urbanspoon

Crab Legs at Christmastime

The Shell House
Savannah, Georgia 

There’s nothing like cracking open a crab leg and pulling one long, succulent, in-tact piece of crab meat out of the shell, preparing it for its butter bath. Pair that with a good, cold drink of sweet tea with a fat lemon wedge and a little Jimmy Buffett, and life is good.

Last night I visited The Shell House. The prices were high, but the portions compensate and the food was delicious. I ordered snow crab legs, my favorite kind of seafood next to crab cakes. Hushpuppies and green beans were its counterparts and I’m telling you what, it doesn’t get much better. Here we are a week from Christmas and we’re eating seafood like it’s the Fourth of July. Who needs sweet potato casserole when you’re 45 minutes from the Georgia Coast? I say bring on the crustaceans, anytime of year! The restaurant was quite busy, even on a Sunday night, which is always a good sign. The only downside to eating crab legs is that you’re always the last one to finish because it takes a little bit of work. When you taste that meat though, it’s worth every minute of the time you spend getting to it.

The tables at The Shell House have holes in the center, so when you finish peeling those shrimp or cracking those crab legs open or shucking those oysters, you can conveniently discard all your trash. It’s a casual atmosphere…don’t go expecting white table cloths or fine china. In fact, you’ll eat off of paper plates and drink out of plastic cups but it’s hard to beat the amount of food you get for the price. It’s fresh and hearty. That’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout!

A Shrimp Supper Worth the Drive

A great place for dinner on the weekends.

The Oyster Bar Restaurant, Raw Bar and Ale House
Savannah, Georgia 

Over the weekend, we met some friends at The Oyster Bar Restaurant, Raw Bar and Ale House on River Street in Savannah. I ordered the Shrimp Trio–fried shrimp, shrimp scampi and bacon-wrapped shrimp stuffed with crab meat. Man alive! It was Some Kinda Good. I had a caesar salad and baked potato alongside it. The bacon-wrapped shrimp, stuffed with crab meat, was the description that caught my attention and what made me order the dish. I love seafood and I mean, how could you not like any crustacean wrapped in bacon? Before the food arrived, the waiter brought out what they referred to as “hushpuppies,” but they tasted more like little doughnut holes served with honey butter. I ordered a good glass of red wine, an Australian variety of Shiraz, and had a good time reminiscing about our college days with old and new friends.

The Shrimp Trio Dish…pretty much delectable.

If you’ve never visited River Street in Savannah, it’ll be worth your time. I have been several times, but never during the Christmas season. I just recently moved back to Southeast Georgia, and Savannah is only a short 45 minutes away. It was a comfortable 60 degrees, no wind blowing, no wait and no crowds. I would definitely visit The Oyster Bar again and would highly recommend it. Besides, you just can’t go wrong with friendly service, quality food and a great atmosphere.

Little balls of bliss served with honey butter

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