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Blackwater Grill Restaurant Review

Saturday night I had a hankering for some good Cajun food and luckily we have Blackwater Grill on St. Simons Island.  Located in Redfern Village, an area populated with several great restaurants, Blackwater Grill offers some excellent Cajun fare along with numerous other great dishes.  Like Southern Soul BBQ, Blackwater has been featured on the nationally syndicated Tv series Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and have been written about in many national magazines. 

When I go to Blackwater it’s because I want some Gumbo and I want some Jambalaya.  Two dishes that my Mother had perfected and since her passing, I just don’t get very often anymore.  Upon entering, you’ll be surrounded by the somewhat typical nautical style that adorns many seafood restaurants but don’t be put off.  Yes the interior is a bit kitschy but the food is the main attraction.  I always start off with a cup of their house gumbo which is chock-a-bloc full of chicken and sweet and spicy Andouille sausage and comes in a classic dark roux.  Soup is poured into the cup and on top of a bed of rice so make sure you mix your gumbo up a bit before diving in.  Now my favorite part, the Jambalaya.  I feel though I have to interject here that Blackwater’s Shrimp and Grits are about as delicious as any you’ll find in any Southern restaurant so if Jambalaya is not your thing, you have to try the Shrimp and Grits.  And don’t let the portion size fool you.  Every time I order the S&Gs, I think I’ll have no problem finishing and every time I am wrong!  Back to my Jambalaya.  A plate full of spicy red rice, Andouille sausage and shrimp all jumbled together.  Just a fantastic meal that really gets your taste buds popping.  And yes it’s true, I rarely can finish it all but that’s ok cause it heats up just fine the next day.  From what I understand from the wait staff, the Jambalaya is made in one very large batch from which each order is appropriated from. 
Joining me for dinner, was my lovely and determined dinner companion Mindy also known as my girlfriend.  She ordered the 10 ounce center cut pork chop that is chargrilled and served with a fresh apple glaze.  Her meal was just as good and she raved about the meal too.  With me having an uber spicy meal and Mindy have a pork chop, we decided to go with a Riesling to accompany our dinner and chose one from Columbia Winery.  The sweeter Riesling took the edge off the spicy food just enough but without tampering with the meal’s flavors.

I don’t know how we did it but we went ahead with dessert.  I had noticed a Sourcream Pound Cake topped with strawberries in sauce and powdered sugar down in the dessert section.  When we placed our dinner order, I asked our server to go ahead and take a piece of the Pound Cake out of the refrigerator (my assumption) to bring it up to room temperature for dessert.  It was just right and really really tasty.  We devoured it in what seemed like a few seconds!
The meal was great and exactly what I was hoping to get when we chose Blackwater Grill.  Service was respectable and we didn't seem to be rushed at all as you might expect on a busy weekend night. Our bill was $81 with a $16 gratuity for an appetizer, two entrees, a bottle of wine and dessert. 


I would like to take a moment and advise that as we are now in the tourist season, I have to recommend calling ahead for reservations.  The last time I tried for Blackwater Grill, the wait was 50 minutes and we had to choose another restaurant.  Mindy and I went on a Saturday night at about 6pm and found ourselves waiting at the bar for about 20 minutes for a table.  We also experienced a non-reservation wait at Coastal Kitchen on Sunday night at 5:30pm.  I am reminded that as we live in such a beautiful place, people also want to come and spend their vacations in our beautiful place.  This makes for full restaurants throughout most of the Summer and making a simple phone call for a reservation can save you a lot of trouble later on.  It's just something you'll have to get used to when you live on the beautiful Coast of Georgia.



Blackwater Jambalaya


Blackwater Jambalaya


My Dinner Date Mindy


Columbia Winer Riesling


Blackwater Pork Chop with Grits & Asparagus



Sourcream Pound Cake with stawberries and vanilla ice cream


Dessert didn't last long!


 Blackwater Grill is located at 260 Redfern Village on St. Simons Island, Georgia and you can call them for a reservation at 912-634-6333. 
http://www.blackwatergrill.com
There is a great little condo complex called Skiff Landing that is right in the Redfern neighborhood.  You can walk to numerous restaurants and a few night spots.  Units in Skif Landing run in the low to mid $100,00's and as of this blog writing, there are three available.  Call me if you would like to live in one of the livliest condo complexes on St. Simons Island Georgia.

Jeff Williams, Realtor
Coastal Georgia Real Estate Associates
Saint Simons Island Georgia
912-270-0032
www.kimtag.com/jeffwilliams

Comments

  1. UnknownJune 18, 2012 at 8:58 PM

    It is one of my favorite restaurants in the county. The food is always the best as well as the service.

    ReplyDelete

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