I know I’ll be keeping it local at my family’s restaurant- Bubba Garcias! Hope y’all have a great weekend!
Want some other Cinco de Mayo spots in the South? Check out some of my favs here!
I currently wear several professional hats, one of them being a contributor to The Southern C. On an otherwise normal Wednesday afternoon at our Athens headquarters, Cheri (one of TSC creators) offered up her extra tickets to the St. Simons Food and Spirits Festival. Being a lover of food and spirits, I jumped at the chance to go.
I arrived in St. Simons on Friday before the big event and to my surprise I found my parents up to their elbows in pulled pork and cornmeal. As soon as I dropped my bags and said a quick hello, I too was thrown into the assembly line. I really shouldn’t have been that surprised…our restaurants have always been a family affair.
trays and trays of “pig pinatas”
After a long morning of transporting and set up…the Gnat’s and Bubba’s tasting tables were ready to go.
With my parents settled in their booths, my brother and I perused the tasting tent with forks and souvenir wine glasses at the ready! Unfortunately I was so preoccupied with feeding myself, I failed to take a lot of photos. I’ll do better next year but here are a few…
tasting tent under the oaks
Chuck T slingin’ chicken and ribs at Southern Soul’s booth
photo courtesy Southern Soul
photo courtesy Southern Soul
After running circles in the tasting tent, Keith and I made our way to the market area.
Viola’s Market tent was incredible. They had essentially recreated their unique shop under the oaks for the afternoon.
Next up: Lisa Kerns Jewelery…always a fun/dangerous (for my bank acct that is) booth.
As I checked out Lisa’s newest creations, I realized my brother Keith had found something of equal interest to him in the tent next door….dessert- specifically Annie Clyde’s Homemade Cakes.
Annie Clyde’s Homemade Cakes was started by Brenda Clyde, Annie’s daughter. Her mother Annie worked to perfect her pound cakes and spent hours teaching Brenda her technique. Today, Brenda carries on her mother’s pound cake legacy baking these homemade minis for others to enjoy.
What is it about miniature things that makes you want them even more? We weren’t hungry AT ALL by this point, yet we couldn’t help ourselves. After staring at the impressive spread of mini cakes and pies, we just had to buy a few. These minis were perfectly round little pound cakes adorned with an array of flavored toppings; we opted for country caramel and velvety vanilla. Making pound cake and eating lots of it is one of my most vivid childhood memories. My grandmother was famous for hers and over the years taught all the grandchildren how to make it. To me, there are few desserts better than a classic pound cake. Not terribly difficult to make, but there is a delicate balance between texture and flavor, and when done right it is simply heaven. Although different from the ones we grew up with, these sweet confections took us right back to the blue and white kitchen in Birmingham, Alabama where we had sifted flour and licked the mixing bowl many years before.
Finally at 4:00 that afternoon, our tasting binge had come to an end. I missed the demos from the culinary heavyweights like Nathalie Dupree but I had a great time hanging out with the fam and some of my favorite local restaurants. After breaking down the tent, we headed home to take our rightful places on the sofa.
This festival was the first festival of its kind; celebrating the vibrant restaurant and retail community of the Golden Isles while raising money and awareness for Hospice of the Golden Isles. It was wonderful to see so many people come out in support of this special event. Can’t wait to go next year!
Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner! It’s obviously not a traditional American holiday, but over the years it has grown in popularity, bringing together different types of people to celebrate and enjoy Mexican culture. In preparation for this year’s Cinco de Mayo, I thought I’d update my previous list of favorite Mexican joints in the South. Here we go!
5. Güero’s Taco Bar– Austin TX
photo Austin CVB
I’ve only been to Austin once in my life, but it made quite an impression. Luckily before I went, I got some helpful hints from a fellow grad student and Austin native. She pointed me in the right direction, and I ended up spending most of my time (outside of the National Preservation Conference) in SOCO (South Congress). After a long day of traveling, I had a hankering for a ‘rita on the rocks. My friends and I headed down the street and found Güero’s Taco Bar. Güero’s is located in a former seed and feed store circa the late 1800s. Back in the day, it served as a neighborhood meeting place for all of South Austin’s characters (picture dice games in the back room and bookies paying off bets on the front porch). As Austin experienced the development boom of the 70s and 80s, the SOCO neighborhood held onto its eclectic roots. In 1993 the owners of Güero’s came along and rescued the abandoned feed and seed store, having outgrown their original taco stand. Their food hit the spot- homemade tortillas, salsa bar, lots of variety and the house margarita packed a punch!
image Birmingham Happy Hour
Nestled in one of the many curves of Highland Avenue in Birmingham, Rojo is a lively bar and restaurant that’s a favorite among locals, visitors, and apparently Bob Dylan (the rock legend gave a shout out to Rojo during his radio show on XM radio show). The location is also perfect, close to downtown and close to the burbs, so you never know who you’ll run into. As one might expect the interior is decked in deep reds, dark wood and brick, and funky decor. Rojo also features lots of outdoor seating, perfect for people watching and enjoying the view of this gorgeous neighborhood. Their two sided menu is perfect for everyone in your party: one side features Latin fare and the other American favorites. My go to is the nachos (any topping) or the mahi mahi arugula tacos and house margarita on the rocks!
3. Sr. Sol– Athens, GA
Sr Sol frozen house margarita
When I first moved to Athens, my friend Libby (now experienced Athenian) introduced me to the legendary Sr. Sol. It’s located next to a gas station on the west side of Athens, and looks slightly sketchy at first glance…but once inside, all of your fears will subside. Sr. Sol serves up some of the best Mexican food in Athens. There is something for everyone at Sr. Sol; lots of taco options, enchiladas, fajitas, sopes, the list goes on and on… Adventurous eaters wanting to channel their inner Anthony Bourdain are in luck here; they have tripe and beef tongue on the menu. I must say they’re frozen house margaritas are awesome: ice cold, refreshing, good tequila kick, and plenty of salt!
2. Fat Mama’s– Natchez, MS
Knock You Naked Margarita
Home of the “Knock You Naked” margarita, Fat Mama’s is a laid back, neighborhood tamale stand in the heart of Natchez, Mississippi. Opening in the mid 1980s, on the iconic Natchez Trace, Fat Mama’s became one of the favorite stops along the trace. After the National Park Service created the Natchez Trace National Park, Fat Mama’s moved to their current location in downtown Natchez and were able to expand their menu adding new southwest inspired eats to accompany their famous margaritas and tamales. Their margaritas are dangerously good- frozen tangy lime concoctions with one hell of a kick! To top it off, the “knock you naked” ritas are served in NEON plastic cups, salt or no salt, and a firecracker drink swizzle- presentation is everything!
1. Bubba Garcias– St. Simons Island, GA
photo by H2O Design
One of these had to be at the beach…Home of the $8,000 margarita, Bubba Garcias is a funky, tex-mex cantina located in Redfern Village and the sister restaurant to Gnat’s Landing Bar and Grill on St. Simons Island. Since my family owns Gnat’s and Bubba’s, I’m obviously partially biased, but I can promise you that Bubba’s serves up authentic Mexican plates along with some new favorites with a Southern spin. My go-to when I’m home are the Cali Club tacos- fried chicken fingers, bacon, tomatoes, spinach, guacamole, and chipotle cream…add a splash of hot sauce and enjoy!
The margaritas are just as unique as the food. While my parents were building Gnat’s (late 1990s) my stepfather, Robert “Boz” Bostock, was bartending at the popular loggia bar on Sea Island. I recently asked him to retell me the story of the $8,000 margarita so here it is…”One day a group of 8 guys bellied up to the bar and started asking (rather convincingly I might add, been on the golf course all day) for what they called the 8000 Dollar Margarita. They gave me the list of the ingredients, and I told them I’d do my best to reproduce their favorite margarita. It turns out they were from Texas and that earlier that year they decided to agree unanimously on the best margarita they ever had. They traveled across the border to cantina after cantina, tasting, getting recipes from locals, buying exotic tequilas, orange liqueurs, bizzare sour mixes and experiment with different proportions. After a few months, they finally agreed on a recipe; they then totaled all of their receipts from travel and ingredients and the total tab was (you guessed it) $8,000. I can honestly say this cocktail is VERY strong but sooo smooth; the beer seems to help blend everything together.”
$8,000 margarita
Wanna give it a try? Here are the ingredients in equal parts: Premium tequila (although some of the guys said they like Jose Cuervo just fine), Cointreau, Minute Maid lime aide concentrate (defrosted and undiluted), and beer (we use PBR or Dos Equis).
So that’s my new and improved must visit spots for Cinco de Mayo! Bottom’s up y’all…
Feeling a nostalgic after a visit home to St. Simons Island… One of my inspirations for this blog is my family’s restaurant business…my step-father and mother are the creative/driving forces behind the biz, but all of us kids have worked there at one time or another (some still do). The first restaurant, Gnat’s Landing, opened in 1999. A beachy, bar and grill, with a quirky/laid back attitude, Gnat’s serves up good ole American fare, inspired by family recipes and travels around the country. The decor is a cross between vintage emporium and local dive, complete with monogrammed mosaic bar top, old chandelier in the ladies’ room, mermaid sculpture strung up above the bar stools, and patio full of rainbow colored Adirondack chairs.
The story of Gnat’s has had new meaning for me in recent years studying historic preservation, because of HP’s emphasis on adaptive reuse of existing structures. The building Gnat’s occupies, is by no means historically significant, but it resides in one of the oldest “shopping villages” in St. Simons Island (Redfern Village), and was recycled. The previous tenant was a restaurant, and old bbq joint, with minimal seating, and our parentals transformed it into the bright, open-air (weather-permitting) eatery it is today. Having reused an existing structure, plus the personal touches, allowed for the Gnat’s to have an immediate flavor/ambiance, as opposed to stucco boxes in strip mall type developments.
Our sister restaurant, Bubba Garcias, is also in Redfern Village, and housed in an adapted space. Bubba’s is a tex-mex style cantina, perfect for having a margarita or 3. Taking a nod from the mosaic bar top from Gnat’s, all of the table tops in Bubba’s are mosaics created by family members and employees, comprised of old dishes, bottle caps, and old photographs.
Bubba Garcias
The newest addition to the restaurant family is the Bubba’s Up Bar. Directly above the cantina, in a former office space, is a true throwback to a 1970s basement…think That 70s show. The entire bar is a reclaimed single piece of wood and the decor is made up of personal retro pieces and thrift-store finds over the years.
In such a risky time for creative independent businesses, it is inspiring that we are still thriving. If you are ever in Southeast Georgia…check ’em out!
Em's on the road 