Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Roastfish & Cornbread...Zoe Update

     Well, Zoe the pup has taken over our entire lives. She was 8 weeks old yesterday and she is sweet, lovable and exhausting. We don't seem to remember it quite this way from when our old Nike was this age, over 15 years ago. She goes out every 2 hours, which means I have been out in the rain more in the past week than I have been in the past 5 years. She is too little to "hold it" at night, so around 2:00 a.m. and 4:30 a.m., my husband is cleaning out the crate/kennel and walking around outside in his bathrobe. He is very much a person who requires/expects/demands his sleep, so he is looking at me like "why did I let you do this"! She chews on everything, so I'm picking up shoes, power cords and everything else that isn't glued down-all day long. She wants so badly for our old dog to play, that she chases her through the house, nipping at her ankles until she gets a warning snarl and then she does it all over again. If Nike could talk, she would be asking when this d*** puppy was going home.

     However, she snuggles up and sleeps in your lap for long periods of time. She looks at you with big, brown eyes that seem to say that she loves you more than anything in the world. She plays with her toys, rolling and jumping like a frog. She chases sunbeams (when we have them) on the carpet and she has certainly taken a home with 2 middle-aged boring people with a boring dog and turned us upside-down. We love her. We have no regrets at all, but we will certainly be glad when the accidents stop and she can sleep through the night!


     Now, on to other things...food! While vacationing on Hilton Head Island in October, we had wonderful southern food in a few very interesting places. Our first night, we went to a restaurant called Roastfish & Cornbread. It was the only restaurant that I had circled in the guidebook before leaving home and it was recommended to us by 2 different staff people at the hotel. 
      

     The restaurant isn't large, so I highly recommend going early. The mood was casual, funky and fun. Chef David Vincent Young has created a menu with so many wonderful choices, we didn't know what to do. He also has a delicious selection of vegetarian dishes which sounded wonderful. You can watch him stroll through the restaurant, keeping an eye on things. The staff was superb, the food was perfect.


     It was difficult to get interior pictures. You can see the artwork on the walls. You are looking at the back of a large church pew, which is the seating for a semi-private dining table.


We didn't have to wait for a table because we went early,
but when we left...people were waiting for tables.


     We started our meal with a delicious house salad. That is a yellow tomato, not an egg yolk on the plate. The house dressing was wonderful.


     I selected one of the evening's specials, Fried Softshell Crab (one of my favorites) with hushpuppies and a side of their special Sweet Potato Cornbread. The crab was cooked perfectly. The cornbread was interesting. It had the crumbly texture of cornbread, but tasted more like carrot cake.


     My husband loves Conch Fritters. He often orders them as an appetizer when we are in a southern state. This was the first time we have ever seen them served as a main dish. He said they were perfect, along with hushpuppies and fries. This was not a lowfat meal for us!


     I forgot to take a picture of our dessert. We shared a mini-tart. It was a Blueberry Key Lime Pie. I thought that it would be a tiny pie with blueberries on top, but actually they placed blueberries on the crust before pouring in the filling. So, each bite had blueberry in it as well as a few fresh berries on top with the whipped cream.

     This was a really interesting and fun place to visit and the food could not have been better. It would certainly be on my list to visit again when I'm back on Hilton Head.

14 comments:

Barbara F. said...

Zoe is adorable. This restaurant looks like a fun place and delicious looking food. xo

The Quintessential Magpie said...

I love ZOE! What a doll! I know they are trouble, but is there anything cuter than a puppy? Well, maybe a kitten! LOL!

That restaurant would definitely tempt me, Sue!

XO,

Sheila

Glenda/MidSouth said...

Zoe is a cutie! The puppy stage can wear a person out. :D
Looks and sounds like some yummy food.

Anonymous said...

oh my gosh...she is SO cute!!!!

now...i have never seen a crab fried like that before! wow!
have a great week :D

mountain mama

Linda said...

I have never seen fried crab...sounds interesting! Aoe is adorable...it wears me out just to read about your adventures with her!

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

Zoe, is just too cute. Get her a nylabone now before she starts chewing your trim in your house. Best thing ever and she needs to start now. Bailey still chews them after she eats which is great for keeping her teeth clean. She is four and hasn't had to have them professionally cleaned yet. All that food looks so good right now. I am so hungry.

Lynn said...

Zoe is a cutie! Glad you're eating well, sounds like you need your energy-enjoy:@)

Yvonne @ StoneGable said...

Your puppy Zoe is a heart stealer! How adorable!
You may not be sleeping, but you sure are eating good! Please consider joining ON THE MENU MONDAY with any food related post!
YUMMY!
xo Yvonne

Tammy@InStitches said...

So adorable, now we both have Zoes !

nannykim said...

That little ole doggy is just so so sweet looking. I do not envy you all the work! I would not do it, no not I! I was just commenting to my hubby the other day about the trials of dog ownership---we have a lot of doggy walkers around here. We live in SC , but have not been down to Hilton Head. Someday perhaps--it is nice too that that restaurant has vegetarian selections. I also wish that more restaurants would offer low fat, dairy free gluten free vegan dishes! They can be found, but it is hard.

xinex said...

I got hungry reading your post, Sue, lol. Sounds like you have somebody new keeping you young and on your toes....Christine

Jenny said...

What a sweet puppy. Awwww.... Awwwww.... See, you're gonna work off all those calories in no time chasing around!

My husband would love to go on vacay with you! He adores sea food!

Angie said...

Oh, Zoe sounds like so much fun! That decor of the restaurant looks cool. I've only had hush puppies once and wasn't entirely sold on them. Might have to give them another try :)

Gypsy Heart said...

Zoe is adorable! I knew I couldn't do "puppy" anymore so that's why I adopted an older dog. I know you're going to be so glad when this stage is over. YOU are trained before they are. :-)

Great food photos! Makes me so hungry ~
xo
Pat