Salt Island Fish & Beer
I am ecstatic that I get to present to y’all The Food Spy at Salt Island Fish
& Beer. This new restaurant is mind blowing! If you haven’t been there yet
be sure to cancel your plans and get there ASAP! Owners Eric and Emily
Liebtag have taken their passion for food and beer and turned it into the
new up-and-coming social scene on Tybee. Every dish, craft cocktail, and
microbrew has been hand selected with quality, flavor, and presentation
in mind. I could give them praise all day, though I need to get on to our
experience! Our Food Spy’s Photographer, the Lady who looks excellent in
red, Wen McNally, the always dashing Sean McNally, and my lovely editor
and holder of the company credit card, Alaina Loughridge, accompanied
me. Let’s dig in!
We started off with two of their fabulous select cocktails: The Lady in Red,
their seasonal sangria, which was full of apple brandy, orange and mixed
berries. It’s common to see Sangria on a lot of drink menus here on the
island, but this was perfection! Not too sweet, not too strong, I can see how
it would be easy to get carried away ordering a couple rounds. This was
the perfect start for what was to follow. Our next drink (which we did order
multiple rounds of) The Ginger and MaryAnn, three types of rum, Aperol,
and pineapple, all served in a frosty copper mug. I have to describe this
as a coconut and pineapple love, perched atop a happy cloud of rum. We
could not get enough of this! Then the food started coming…
Owner/Chef Eric did not disappoint. First out were Fried Green Tomatoes,
sitting on a Korean BBQ sauce/remoulade drizzle and served with a skewer
of some of the fattest, freshest local Tybee shrimp. The tomatoes were
lightly battered in a seasoned house-made cornmeal. The sauce was
sweet and spicy and the tomatoes were just firm enough. A toasty start to
an incredible evening!
(I have to interrupt before I move on to the next dish, Salt Island has a great
off the menu drink option for you, and this is the only place you’ll hear
about it, so tell everyone - The Tybee Handshake, a frosty 16 oz. mug of
Mexican Cerveza and a shot of tequila for $6. It’s one of the hottest deals
on the island. Be sure to grab your friends and shake some hands!)
Moving on to Smelt Fries, this one you’re going to have to trust me on.
Smelt is a little fish, eaten (mostly) whole. It’s battered, fried with the
skeleton intact, and served with a zesty lemon caper aioli. Now fear not,
the bones are tiny and meant to be consumed. The smelt itself is salty, and
boasts a stronger flavor, but makes for a great snack to share. This dish
was quickly devoured by all of us. I highly recommend you pair this app
with their Lord Grey Sour Ale.
A southern favorite with a great twist is their ho’made Beer Cheese Hush
Puppies, served with a maple bacon jam - that was the Jimmy Jam!
Round it out with a cold bottle of Cooter Brown, an American brown ale
that sets off the pups and was a huge favorite of Sean’s, who reluctantly
allowed us a sip of his new fave.
12 TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | DEC 2018
One of the biggest things about Salt Island is that everything is made right
there in their “scratch kitchen” on Tybee. Only scratch ingredients and
fresh, never frozen, meats and local seafood come in their doors. Every
sauce, batter, mix and seasoning are a tried and true recipe of Salt Island,
and it absolutely shows in the products they serve. I should also mention
that I live across the street, so I frequent this place a lot. This has been great
getting to try new dishes on their ever-evolving menu, and getting to tell
you about some of my already favorite items like the mussel. Big beautiful
PEI Mussels, pan sautéed in Dijon and (Coastal Empire) Tybee Blonde,
with garlic and tarragon, this is my go-to dish! A big, lightly toasted piece
of focaccia is served on the side for sopping up all the delicious juices at
the bottom. If you’ve never tried mussels, this is the place to do it at! Add
in a glass of Piattelli Malbec. Perfection.
Our two entrée courses came next, Golden Tile Fish, a local sweet, flaky
white fish, served with a fall succotash of ripe and firm vegetables, and a
beautiful pesto sauce that you will want to put on everything! If you love
fish, you’ll love this dish. If you don’t really care for fish, you’ll love this
dish! It was gone so fast I hope Wen got a good picture of it! I’m sure she
barely caught a picture of the glass of Loire Valley Rose that was so chill
and crisp it was gone!
After that was a Clam and Shrimp Linguini – a special that is making its
way to the everyday menu. Sapelo Island clams, those big beautiful Tybee
shrimp, over, you guessed it, house made linguini. The pasta was al dente,
and the seafood heaven, beautiful wild mushrooms, and a sauce that was
made by angels. Share that with a bottle of Gotas de Mar Albarino.
A lot of these dishes may sound more grown up, but fear not, Eric and
Emily have two awesome children, Stella and Otto, and their restaurant
is always family friendly! They even have a kid’s corner so mom and dad
can relax and enjoy themselves, all while watching the children play and
color on the chalk wall! Promoting creativity in their menu, with heavy staff
input, and a corner for kids to play and express themselves, I’d be remiss
if I neglected to mention they offer bi-weekly craft nights that include a
complimentary drink with admission to the festivities (most crafts are $10
or $15 dollars, it’s a great deal). These events have proven to have large
turn-outs so get there early! Check out their Facebook page for all of their
up-to-date information.
Dessert is still a work of art in progress. Homemade ice cream is coming
soon, as is a number of other tasty treats. To make up for this huge
transgression, Eric brought IT out. Yes. IT... Simply one of the greatest
dishes I have ever had, I would put it in the top five plates of my lifetime.
Crab Stew. A creamy, feel good stew loaded with Georgia Blue Crab, this
dish rendered the four of us speechless. No one could articulate how
pleased we were with this. My eyes rolled back in my head. I want to order
this by the barrel.
All and all, this cozy 1920’s Tybee Cottage with an ocean view (and ample
off street parking) is now home to one of the greatest culinary experiences
in Savannah. So to Eric, Emily, Kim, Lydia, and the rest of the staff, thank
you. You’ve taken Tybee’s food scene to a whole new level.
Go check out Salt Island Fish & Beer located at 101 Lovell (by the anchor
on the corner). They are open Sunday, Monday and Thursday, noon to
9pm, Tuesday and Wednesday, 4 to 9pm, and Friday and Saturday, noon
to 10pm. Happy Hour is every day from 4-6pm, seven days a week! No
reservations required - just get there!
By Jimmy Prosser - Photos by Wen McNally