Sassy Southern Cooking with a French Twist

Circumstantial Roadside Find

Ravenous travelers along the sparsely populated restaurant stretch of Highway 17 between Beaufort and Charleston have an appealing new option to stop and satisfy grumbling bellies.

Its uncomplicated name, Edisto Restaurant, matches its basic steak and fried seafood menu, spartan decor and friendly, countrified service. There is nothing basic, however, about the restaurant’s menu mainstays: fried seafood and steaks. The new husband and wife owner team (he doubles as chef and hails from The Sunset Grill on Edisto Beach), spare no expense on top-shelf cuts of Midwestern, grain-fed beef and fresh-off-the-boat seafood, which is predominantly from local waters. So, for the most part, I didn’t take exception to the almost-downtown entree prices, which lurk around $20.

But, there was one grating problem here that raised the ire of both my palate and my pocketbook. It came in the form of shoddy culinary technique and budgetary shortcuts in a sauce and vinaigrette that were, frankly, heinous enough to be permanently shelved or in dire need of marked improvement. Truly, why pair an exceptional, deftly seasoned and perfectly fried hush puppy with a had-to-be-faux hollandaise that had the texture of moistened sawdust and an acrid, medicinal tarragon aftertaste? Or serve a doctored-up Italian vinaigrette that tasted like it came out of a bottle but was billed as “house made”? It defied logic while kicking the perceived value of an otherwise precious place into a truculent taste tailspin. This element, if and until it changes, modestly dampens my desire to make a 30-mile trek for more of the same.

For now, if I happened to be hungry and in the hood, Edisto Restaurant would be my first pick to satiate my seemingly ever-present craving for excellent fried scallops (or any fried seafood!), an ache I feared might never again be sated with the unfortunate demise of my former fave fried seafood hot spots – The Anchor Line and Tidewater Grill. Fortunately, Edisto Restaurant has arrived to fill a much needed void in this arena.

The restaurant also throws out a healthy and heartwarming dose of homespun congeniality – the kind rarely seen in our increasingly impersonal and speedy world. Our server was the picture of endearment, answering questions with monk-like honesty and engaging, when appropriate, in pleasant banter. Equally remarkable was the restaurant’s utter cleanliness. There was not a speck of dust or misplaced crumb to be found and the air smelled as fresh and clean as a forest in fall. Amazing, given the amount of fried seafood platters and grilled steaks that hog the menu’s abbreviated real estate.

Vegetarians may feel a bit out of their element in this practically vegetable-free (save a half-frozen salad, soggy cole slaw or one of three types of potato preparations) environment, but carnivores and seafood fans will be in seventh heaven, indeed. Entree portions are gargantuan, which packs on even more added value and probably are responsible for the added pound I’m sensing I’m lugging about this morning. The cup of chunky, roe-rich crab soup ($3.95), redolent with butter, cream and a kiss of sherry sweetness, probably has something to do with it, as well.

The rib eye, a beautifully aged piece of moist beef, marbled magnificently with just the right amount of fat, rivaled any I’ve had downtown or anywhere, at least in a long time. Chef Vickery mastered the seasoning and temperature of the steak like a pro. Paired with the restaurant’s signature stuffed potato, pregnant with baked flesh that was folded with what seemed like a pound of cheese, sour cream and butter, was a royal indulgence. The fried seafood combo of scallops and flounder, both sweet, milky and lightly battered, was another source of pure joy, peppered with the added pleasure of an ample supply of the restaurant’s stellar hush puppies. Our server was kind enough to throw a few fried oysters into the mix, and they, too proved to be examples of the best our local waters has to offer, fried with skill of a true Lowcountry fry master.

Stuffed to the gills, we opted to pass on the dessert choices (key lime pie, brownie a la mode, and ice cream) since our server told us they were not house made nor was she aware of where they were prepared.

The restaurant is housed in the original location of the legendary Toomers Place, where I’m told folks would line up in days past for shad roe and other Lowcountry gems. The little, white roadside bungalow that is Edisto Restaurant offers some big and tasty reasons to visit and with some little improvements by the new owners, may very well one day join Toomers Place ranks as a place to visit from near and far. For now, stop by when the circumstances are right – you’re nearby, hungry for big servings of great seafood and beef, and ready to be treated with kindness and care.

Edisto Restaurant
19804 Highway 17, Jacksonboro
(843) 893-3663
Mon.-Tues., 5 – 9 p.m., Thus.-Sat., 5-10 p.m.

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