By Jimmy Prosser - Photos by Wen McNally
Spanky’s
In the beginning God said, “LET THERE BE SPUDS” and there came the creation
of Spanky’s. This oceanfront family restaurant, just next to the pier, is one of my
favorite places on the island. Don’t tell anyone but I got carry-out from there the
day before we did the Food Spy (knowing full well I was going again the next
day). I was joined for this feast with Tybee’s Premier Photographer, Wen McNally,
my dear friend (and person who steals all of my DVD’s) Chelsea Haggerty, and of
course, the world renowned Alaina Loughridge. Let’s dig in!
As soon as we walked in, we knew we were in for a treat. We started with
the Spinach Dip, creamy and chock full of spinach. This was served with warm
pita points and rainbow corn chips. The dish was everything you could want to
start off a great meal. It was devoured before Wen took the next set of photos.
We ordered a Shrimp Po Boy that was loaded with shrimp! 12 to be exact!
Battered, fried, and served on a toasty fluffy hoagie roll, lightly drizzled with
a zesty remoulade, and served with crinkle cut fries. This dish was top notch.
Speaking of shrimp, next we got the Fried Shrimp Platter. 14 huge, crispy
battered shrimp with house-made cocktail and tartar sauce. These were
awesome! For our two sides we selected the Steamed Veggies, fresh squash,
zucchini, mushrooms and broccoli, as well as a Caesar Salad. Now I always
give dishes a fair chance, but I do not like Caesar dressing. I never have. But
something about that romaine and crunchy croutons, I had to try it, and it was
spectacular! I would go back just for the Caesar Salad! Speaking of reasons to
go back, the Pusser’s Pain Killer, dark rum, coconut, OJ and pineapple, topped
with a rum floater. This drink is strong! Makes me glad I didn’t drive! Forget Long
Islands, this drink will get you there!
Next drink in hand was the Tybee Blue Moon, which came with a shaved
coconut rim. A tall glass of coconut rum, vodka, and Blue Curacao, you could
drink this in the mountains and you’d feel like you were on Tybee. Perfect
walking-to-the-pier drink!
Before I get too carried away, I have to talk about the Grouper Fingers, half a
pound of wild caught grouper, blackened to perfection. I’m sure some of you are
sauce people, but take my word and skip it. The grouper was full of flavor and
didn’t require any assistance, except from the Stuffy Potato! Holy cow! It was
twice baked under a thick layer of gooey cheese, loaded with bacon and sour
cream. We ate the skins and everything! (I need to mention here at this point
Jenny from Tybee Time walked by, saw us, and pressed her face to the window
- keep this in mind it will come up again later.) I washed down the grouper with
the Frosty Peach, a frozen cocktail that reminded me of a peach wine, it came
in its own to-go cup, and is a must grab if you’re walking by!
We never mention this, but usually (ok, always) when we meet up, we order
a round of drinks before we order the food and cocktails for the Food Spy. Just
something to sip on while we plan everything out. With that said, I would be
remiss if I neglected to mention Spanky’s House Margarita. We weren’t
looking to feature it, and didn’t photograph it, but let’s just say we ordered
three of them. They were the bomb! Go get you one! While we were sipping on
margaritas, we had to try the Veggie Wrap. Sounds healthy? Well it is. Flour
tortilla, packed with squash, zucchini, peppers, onions, mushrooms, and cheese,
grilled on the flat top. This is my new take to the beach food. This was absolutely
filling, but wouldn’t stop you from laying out in the sun. The wrap was served
with spuds, and if you’ve ever read one of my Bad Advice articles you know how
passionate I am for spuds!
8 TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | JUNE 2019
I saved my all-time favorite for last! Ok, I’ve been edited, I can’t have a
favorite. So, Chicken Finger Basket with Spuds, my go-to. If you come to
Tybee and you feel Seafooded out, this is my recommendation. All white meat
chicken, and a mound of spuds. Do yourself a favor and order it with both the
best ranch dressing on the island, and the honey horseradish dipping sauces. All
Spanky’s sauces are homemade and it shows!
As we were wrapping up the food, we had to get into the Pineapple Mojito,
refreshing and clean, and as Alaina took a sip she said “invigorating!” The
cocktail that wowed me the most was the Beachside Peach, it was sweet, it
was tart, and it also won the 2018 Tybee Beachcomber’s Cocktail Contest
- Fruitland Augusta Peach Vodka, pineapple, cranberry, lime, and ginger ale.
You’ll catch me all summer in the evenings on Spanky’s spectacular upper deck
enjoying the sights of the Atlantic and sipping on one of these.
Remember Jenny from Tybee Time? At this point she walked back over, pressed
her face to the glass and held up and pointed to an empty plate I’m certain she
ran home to grab. We waved her in and she took off with our leftovers. Spanky’s
has some great food, and it’s even better when you share it with people you love!
A huge shout out to our server Helen who was over the top! I can only assume
by the time you read this I’ve gone back (more than once)!
Spanky’s is located at 1605 Strand Ave., and is open daily from 11am-10pm.
Come get you some chicken and spuds, and who knows, you’ll probably run
into me.