By Tanner C. Latham
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You'll only find friendly sharks flanking the seafood buffet at Pelican Point.
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Shrimp and Salt Marshes
Exit east off I-95 at the coastal Georgia town of Eulonia, and soon you're winding along back roads barely wide enough for two cars. Keep your nose toward the Sapelo River, and after a few turns you'll find yourself dead-ending at a gravel parking lot. Welcome to Pelican Point Restaurant. Owner Mike Phillips was a fisherman and shrimper in these parts for almost 20 years before he built Pelican Point near his seafood docks. Today, he handpicks for his restaurant the shrimp, red snapper, mahi-mahi, and other varieties of seafood from those same docks managed by his son, Charlie.
You'll notice the freshness right away as you wade through the all-you-can-eat buffet and its more than 25 seafood items ($22.95). If you're not quite that hungry, try the Fresh Fried Shrimp ($16.95), a small mound of sweet Georgia whites landed right off the coast. No matter what you decide, you must try a cup of their spicy crab stew (accompanying all the entrées and the buffet); it's a must-slurp.
Pelican Point Restaurant: On the Sapelo River in Crescent, Georgia; (912) 832-4295. Directions: From I-95, take Exit 58, and go east 4 miles. Turn left onto Johnson Road, drive 3 miles, and turn left onto Sapelo Drive. The road dead-ends into the restaurant's parking lot.
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The Blow Fly Inn sits near Bayou Bernard.
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Note: This article has been updated on October 31, 2005. At this time, we are unable to reach this business (or homeowner) after Hurricane Katrina. Please contact us if you have any information regarding its status.
Serenity on the Bayou
Resist all urges to swat the fly garnishing your garnish. At first, the plastic insect perched on your parsley might surprise you, but relax--it's just a little wink from owner Scott Weinberg and the gang at Blow Fly Inn in Gulfport, Mississippi. The flashing lights and clanking coins of the nearby casinos seem a lifetime away here on the banks of the serene Bayou Bernard. Snag a table out on the deck close to sunset when about the only shows around are the easy ripples from an occasional outboard puttering by.
Settle in with a cup of the She-Crab Bisque ($2.95), and sail on to the Combination Po'boy ($6.50) heaped with fried shrimp and oysters.
Blow Fly Inn: 1201 Washington Avenue, Gulfport, MS 39507; (228) 896-9812.
This article is from the March 2004 issue of Southern Living. Because prices, dates, and other specifics are subject to change, please check all information to make sure it's still current before making your travel plans.
