More interesting than the front facade of the building was the fact that we have driven past this location thousands of times in the past ten years. We always assumed that it was a part of the Ghost Tour building located next door. Bad assumption on our part.
I mentioned in the previous entry that restaurants have three phases that are integral to their success; food, atmosphere, and service. I can happily say that GAS excelled in all three parts. The service was the first thing that we noticed as we were greeted by cheerful and pleasant servers. They quickly made conversation and asked the all important question, "have you been here before?" This always leads to great conversation about how we found the place and why we decided to eat there. We were seated and the conversation continued. It was refreshing throughout the whole meal to have great service, as opposed to the previous night's experience. Our server was attentive to our needs and was very quick to make suggestions and give explanations when we had questions. Simply put, the service was spot on.
The service had a lot to do with the atmosphere as the staff created a hip and eclectic vibe. We are always hesitant of the artificial "dive" feel, but we instantly felt that nothing in GAS was artificial. I have to admit that we ate at 5:00 p.m., which is early for such a young couple. We did this partially from being tired of being on the beach, partially from being famished, but mostly because we read how busy GAS gets and did not want to wait long to eat. This, however, did not detract from the atmosphere. As we finished our meal and family after family began to filter in, we were glad we ate early.
As I mentioned before, the food at GAS is local, fresh, and organic and hormone-free. The food at GAS is also exceptional! We were greeted with two complimentary deviled eggs. As a guy from south Georgia, I have had my fair share of deviled eggs, but nothing compares to the deviled eggs at GAS. The filling was creamy and well seasoned. Without a doubt, the bacon incorporated in the filling made this the best deviled egg I have ever had. Even my wife, who does not eat deviled eggs, loved the flavor. Luckily she had one bite and I was able to eat the rest.
I usually hate to tag something "the best ever", because it seems to take away from the strength of that statement. Since I tagged the deviled eggs as the best ever, I hesitate to use that term again, but I simply cannot resist. As an appetizer we ordered the rueben rolls. We read on the menu that they had won the Taste of St. Augustine Awards for the past two years, and accolades like that cannot be passed up. The rueben roll consisted of corned beef, kraut, and Swiss cheese, rolled in a traditional egg roll and deep fried and served with a Russian dipping sauce. These rueben rolls are literally the best appetizer we have ever had. The combination of the beef and tangy kraut and cheese mixed perfectly together and was accentuated by the tangy Russian dipping sauce. What seemed like an unlikely combination in an egg roll turned out to be something magical.
Our meals came out shortly after we finished our appetizer and did not disappoint. I ordered the Black and Blue Chicken Hot Brown. This open-faced sandwich had blackened chicken on a homemade bun. The sandwich was covered with a blue cheese bechamel sauce, with two fried green tomatoes, apple wood smoked bacon, and green onions. The combination of all of these ingredients was amazing as the chicken had a spicy kick and the bechamel and fried green tomatoes complemented the flavor well. The sweetness of the bacon added to the complexity, yet simplistic, flavors of the sandwich. I chose the slaw as my side because, frankly, I like a good fresh slaw. This is especially the case if I am eating something with a little spice. In south Georgia, coleslaw is made with cabbage, carrots, and some variation of a dressing. Of course, people add their own flare, but the thick cabbage is always present. This slaw, made with napa cabbage, celery, and jicama, was brought together with a fresh buttermilk ranch dressing with a kick of lime. The lightness of the napa cabbage and the freshness of the slaw was amazing. It was the perfect companion to the hot brown.
Anytime my wife has the opportunity to order a burger with blue cheese, she never passes the opportunity. She is the unofficial, official authority on blue burgers. This burger came in a healthy patty of hormone-free, grass-fed beef spiced with the blackened rub. The burger, served on a bun made in house, was topped with blue cheese, grilled onions, and pickles. The flavor of the beef stood out as fresh and clean with a true beef flavor. It sounds odd, but we could taste the difference in mass produced beef. My wife was impressed with the flavor combination and noted that the homemade bun really made this burger great. She was not ready to label this as the best blue burger she had ever had (note our hesitation in using that term), but she stated that it was definitely top five. What made her meal exceptional was the homemade chips. So thin and waffle cut, they had the most intense potato flavor. It was easy to tell that these were cut in house and made from fresh potatoes. The thin cut made these chips crispy and very good.
We decided half way through our meal that we would not eat all of the meal and save some room for desert. My wife classified this as her favorite part of the meal, which says a lot with the presence of the reuben rolls and sandwiches. She ordered the salted caramel brownie. The brownie came with ice cream and house made whipped cream and shaved almonds. We are not sure if the ice cream was house made, but the desert was great and combined the sweetness of the brownie and ice cream with the saltiness of the caramel and almonds. I ordered the peanut butter pie and was blown away. The pie came with house made whipped cream and made with a chocolate crust. The pie was a whipped filling with a thin layer of peanut butter in the center of the pie. I can't say it was the best ever, for obvious reasons, but it was very good and something I would order again, and again, and again.
The GAS Restaurant does not have its own website, but it is easy to find using Google. If you are in the area, please stop by and enjoy. We did not try any of the long list of local beers, but that is something that we will explore next time. Do not be afraid of the Ghost Tour next door, you will miss a great experience.
The total bill with teas, appetizer, meals, and desert was only $44.00. A great price for such a great experience.
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