Jesse and Maggie talk about her dinner at Santa Fe Cafe, a new Thai restaurant on Hilton Head Island and lots and lots of Shrimp this weekend coming up.
Alright, welcome back to Mondays with Maggie, my name is Jesse Blanco, host of this podcast, and primary contributor to eatitandlikeit.com, her name is Margaret Crenshaw, around here we call her Maggie, some people call you Magpie… good morning, how are you?
MC: I’m good, how are you doing?
JB: Good. At some point you know this is all going to become a big deal when someone walks up to you at the grocery store and says, “what’s up, Magpie?”
MC: (laughing) Besides the six people who actually call me Magpie, that would be amazing.
JB: Oh, well, that’s good. Six! You’re keeping score. You have a good weekend?
MC: I had a great weekend. I had a great week. What about you?
JB: Yeah, I did. It was quiet. Lot of football, grilled a steak, ate some twice baked mashed potatoes…
MC: Yummy. Now wait a minute—it’s your birthday today.
JB: It is.
MC: Happy birthday!
JB: Thank you, thank you, thank you. Yeah, today is my birthday, Monday birthday this year. So yeah, I just, you know, I celebrated, I think, as I told you a couple weeks ago, I went to Philadelphia with my daughter to see Duran Duran in concert, which was a total bucket list thing for me, and so we had a wonderful time. Spent about 16 hours with my daughter.
MC: I know you said you bombed up there and then bombed back. That’s just crazy.
JB: Yup, 12 hours up, 13 hours back, concert in between… it was a good time. It was a very good time. So that I consider, kind of, my birthday present.
MC: Happy birthday to you.
JB: Thank you, thank you. So, this weekend was quiet. We had, Saturday—you know, everybody thinks that I just spend all my time like Spider-Man swinging from from one fine dining restaurant to another, eating all this great food, but no.
MC: That’s exactly how I envision you, in that little spidey costume.
JB: That’s right, that’s right, but when I have a slow weekend, especially in the fall, it is not uncommon for my wife and I to just watch football all day. And, in this case, her game was at noon, Georgia played at 3:30… we went out to a new taco place here, close by where I live.
MC: I love that.
JB: Yeah, it’s called A Taco Affair, here in Savannah, it’s off the heart of downtown, they’re trying to attract a little more of a local crowd, so we went. They got their liquor license, so I had a margarita and some chips, they have a peach salsa, how about that? Instead of traditional chips and salsa, which I think they do. The guac was good, the peach salsa was really good. And then I came home and watched some more football until my eyes started closing Saturday night. It was, if you don’t like football, fairly boring. And then I sit there, and I take notes, and work on some stuff, maybe at halftime, or I squeeze in 45 minutes of work here or there, but otherwise, it was an uneventful weekend. We have dinner tonight, which I’ll tell you about next week, I’m very much looking forward to it, and…
MC: You deserve a nice night out for your birthday.
JB: Thank you, thank you, thank you, and so… yeah. So that’s that. What have you been up to?
MC: I had a pretty social week, I had a lot of friends to catch up with. So, I’ll tell ya, I know I talk about Santa Fe Cafe a lot, but I’ve never actually spoken on our podcast about an actual meal I had. So, my friend Beth and I went out to dinner, and I forgot to make a reservation at Santa Fe Cafe, which is now, in this day and age, pretty much a must, particularly because they’re only open for dinner at the moment. So anyway, so I got there and they had no table for us, but they did have seats at the chef‘s table, which is where you can sit and watch the chefs cook. And I had never sat there before, so that was kind of a cool thing and I really enjoyed it. We sat right in front of the grill guy so we got to watch him throwing on monster pieces of meat, and pork tenderloin, and chicken and just all that wonderful stuff. And he was very interactive as well, you know, I know that menu so well, so it was nice to hear him commentate on the different items. But at any rate, so we had some margaritas, we had the chips and salsa, and then Beth ordered–they have two ribeyes on the menu: one is the big cowboy cut ribeye that you can get mesquite grilled or blackened, and we both decided that I would get the grouper, she would get the smaller ribeye, and then we would share, which is always a really good plan. So, it was… that grouper is just my favorite thing. I know I’ve told you that before, I hadn’t had it in a while. They basically take a mixture of–I’m sure I’m leaving stuff out, but just, my trained tongue will tell me that it’s mayonnaise, maybe Parmesan, and some chipotle that they have folder together and they place that on top of the grouper, and they hit it under the broiler, and it gets all puffy and fluffy and delicious on top, and it’s just my favorite thing the world, served over some some Mexican rice with veggies, and it’s just the perfect meal for me.
JB: I gather–you’ve mentioned that dish to me more than a few times in the years that I’ve known you.
MC: Yeah! It’s so good!
JB: I gather that is one of your go-tos on the entire island, yeah?
MC: It’s my go-to, and I try and make it at home, I mean, I’ve played with it so much to get it the way they do it, and I think I do kind of an okay job at home, as long as you start with a really nice piece of grouper, it–you know, of course, anything with mayonnaise, right? You know me. Anything with mayonnaise on it is fabulous. But yeah, it was a really, really nice dinner, and I would sit at that chef’s table again, I would ask for it.
JB: Really?
MC: Yeah, it brought the experience to a different level for me. (dog barking in the background)
JB: And how about–was it a different experience for your puppy?
MC: Yes, he’s commentating in the background on how much he enjoyed it.
JB: He loves it when you make it at home because it smells up your place.
MC: Smells so good. (laughing)
JB: (laughing) Very cool, so how often do you get to Santa Fe?
MC: Oh gosh, it’s a real go-to restaurant, I would say a couple times a month.
JB: Oh wow, that’s cool.
MC: Couple times a month. And I have to get myself in the habit of trying some of these newer restaurants, you know, we’ve talked about this on the podcast before, there’s at least twelve new restaurants on the island this year, so I’m slowly crossing them off. And the other restaurant that I went to was on that list this week, Thai Smile. A new Thai restaurant here that I’ve been wanting to try, and I wanted to treat my friends for a dinner, my partner in my real estate business, he and his wife, and so we went. They’ve been wanting to try it, they’re vegan, so the wonderful thing about thai menus, to me, is that there are so many more vegetarian options, and so I thought that would be a good place to take them, and we had a great experience. The restaurant is located in the former Cork’s Wine Bistro building, right next to Staples in the Publix Shopping Center there. And folks will know that Cork’s Wine Bistro, the decor had a little bit of a country-rustic kind of feel, so, it’s been renovated for the purpose of the Thai restaurant, but not incredibly different, you know, the layout basically is still the same. And they were busy, all the tables were full, we didn’t have a reservation, we just, you know, we got, I think, the only table that was left. And we had the spring roll appetizer, we ordered two, we were starving, we had actually met for happy hour at another place with a bunch of our other real estate friends from various and different brokerages, and so we’d had a few drinks, and we were ready to eat some food.
JB: Ready to grub. Where is Thai Smile?
MC: Ready to grub. Right there next to Staples, in the Publix Shopping Center.
JB: This is South End, near the entrance to Sea Pines?
MC: That’s right, so that’s on the South End.
JB: Very cool, very cool, yeah, that’s where that Starbucks is. There’s a Starbucks there.
MC: Yes, right across from the Starbucks. But I have to tell you, Panang Curry, that’s another go-to dish for me if I go to an Asian restaurant that specializes in some Thai food, I will always order Panang Curry, I love Panang Curry, because it’s–you can get it spiced up a little bit, it’s got some coconut milk in it, which is delicious, and it was, it did not disappoint, that’s probably one of the best ones I’ve ever had anywhere. Dana had green curry, which she said was fabulous, and David had drunken noodle, and his comment was that it was just as good, if not better, than anything he had ever gotten on the West Coast, which is where they’re from, they’re from the Napa Valley area. So, all in all, great experience, great service, you know, it was… all the, like I said, all the seats were full, everybody was enjoying themselves, my only criticism was that the lighting– the restaurant was sort of lit up like a stadium. And I don’t know if that’s just the way they like it, or if somebody forgot to dim the lights, but, you know, I would’ve maybe preferred to dine, you know, with the lights dim, just a little bit. That’s my only criticism. We had a great time.
JB: Is Thai a thing on the island? I know there’s Ruwan, which is very popular, but I gather there’s not a whole lot of–here in Savannah, we have, like, for every twenty people, there’s two Thai restaurants, for whatever reason, I don’t understand.
MC: No, it took Thai a long time to get here, and when Ruwan Thai opened its first restaurant, everybody was so excited, and now they have three locations, I believe, at least, there’s one on Main St, by Hilton Head Plantation and Indigo Run, there’s the mid island location that used to be near Santa Fe Cafe, in that area, but they moved from that area to what used to be the Popeye’s, next to my office at Charter One on Park Lane. And then, I believe they still have the restaurant by the beach at the marketplace. And I could be wrong, I don’t normally go to that one, so if, for some reason they’re not there, don’t crucify me. But they did have one there at one point, and it might still be there. But yeah, Thai is a new thing here, new in the last 5-10 years.
JB: That is new, that is new. You were telling me that you have a secret spot where you like to steal a casual lunch that’s really good, even though it’s a chain, but it’s still good, and it’s worth discussing, yeah?
MC: Yes, that is so true. So, on my way to my office is Fresh Market, and I always do this thing where I spend too much time at home, I’m getting to the office closer to lunchtime, I’m starving, of course, I leave the house and didn’t pack a lunch, and I’m thinking, oh my gosh, what am I gonna eat? And I’m gonna be stuck at the office. So I pull into Fresh Market, they have a hot prepared foods deli counter, and then they have a whole case of fresh made salads and what not, so I love to get a piece of their salmon, they have, like, a bistro meal you can get, with, you know, one entree and two sides or whatever it is, and they have, just, the best salmon and mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts. That’s kinda my go-to little meal that I grab. And then sometimes I grab their salad or sushi or sandwich… everything really fresh and good.
JB: I don’t know that I’m gonna roll with you on the sushi part, but I can say–it’s crazy, that I’ve become such a maniac sushi snob–but the prepared food at Fresh Market, I do have to say, the times that I’ve had it here in Savannah, once or twice over the years, is really good. Whole Foods has a dining area, Fresh Market, I believe, not so much. I don’t think I’ve been in the Fresh Market there on the island.
MC: No, there’s not a dining area. Not like Whole Foods.
JB: Yeah, Whole Foods has a dining area where I liked to go steal a slice of pizza when I’d go see my friends at Hilton Head Wine and Spirits, because it’s right next door to it.
MC: They have a great salad bar.
JB: Whole Foods?
MC: Yes.
JB: Yeah, yeah. If you’re into that kind of thing. I can’t do salad bar during the day, I’m a big dude, I need more calories than that. I find if I’m eating a salad bar–let’s say it’s 12:15 and I make myself this huge salad, by 1:45, I’m so hungry I’m blind, especially if I worked out that day, so I just–I can’t. I need a little more stick to my ribs at lunchtime. Not a big portion of stick to my ribs, but I need more than ruffage.
MC: Yes, I mean, I can get that. I get that.
JB: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So what do you got planned for this week?
MC: My calendar is wide open, so, calling all friends, anybody that wants to come eat with Maggie so we can talk about food…
JB: There you go, there you go.
MC: I think I’ve got maybe one or two things planned, but real estate, mainly, you know, I’ve gotta show property and find houses for people to buy. I had a closing today.
JB: Does it pick up when it gets cooler? Because we’ve had some beautiful mornings. Does the phone literally start ringing more as the temperature drops?
MC: It’s– you know, it’s partly temperature, but really, what it is on this resort island, which has been named #1 by Conde Nast magazine for ten years running, or something of that nature, our summers are just so booked, you know, all the second homes here are booked, people are here, they’re enjoying their summer, it’s hard for realtors to get in to show those properties if they’re for sale. So, our selling season is more in the spring and fall. So, yes, it’s temperature driven, in the sense that, you know, when the temperature goes down, it means that those people have gone back to their regular lives, and school and work and what not, and then we have more opportunity to get into the properties to show our clients, and then those clients come more on a property finding expedition, rather than a vacation with their family, so they have more time to spend with their realtor. So that’s–yeah. I mean, this year, actually, it ramped up for me starting about August 1st, which is a little bit earlier. I’ve been super busy.
JB: Nice. That’s good. Well, I will be on your island this weekend for the Hilton Head Island Shrimp Festival, that is Saturday at Harbor Town, I will be one of the judges. It’s really–have you ever been to the shrimp festival?
MC: Yes, in years past, and, you know, you had a ticket for me last year, and I think I had to–I couldn’t come, I had to show property. It’s a great event, and I love it that it’s in Harbor Town.
JB: Yeah, it’s beautiful. It’s a beautiful scene, when the weather cooperates, which is most of the time. It’s supposed to be a high of 78 I think, a little overcast perhaps. That sounds perfect, if you ask me, as long as the humidity stays respectable.
MC: Yeah, and you’re gonna be working.
JB: Yeah, it is, air quotes, “work”, I’m one of the judges, the chefs–they take it seriously. They’re competitive. They think about what they’re gonna prepare at shrimp festival months in advance, I’ve heard them talking about it, so we are the beneficiaries of that. There’s gonna be, I believe, a dozen chefs, and it’s unlimited bites, and then breweries, it’s gonna be the same probably 10-12,13 breweries, each with three or four different beers, so there’s plenty of beer to sip, there’s plenty of shrimp to eat, and it’s really, really good, it’s great value, 1-4pm there in the shadow of the lighthouse at the yacht base, and it’s a really good time. It’s become one of my favorite small events of the year, I stay over there for the weekend and get to eat it and like it here, there, or wherever. But it’s a really good time, I would highly recommend it, if anyone’s never been. They’ve sold 500 tickets as of this past weekend.
MC: Wow, that’s incredible.
JB: Yeah, if the weather continues to cooperate, I think that’ll go up by a few hundred, and it goes for three hours, so there’s plenty of time to eat it all, so I would recommend it.
MC: That’s fantastic, if I don’t have to show property, and there’s still a ticket available, I will be there.
JB: Very good, very good. Well, you know where to find me, and I’ll try to sneak you in through a maintenance gate or something. (laughing)
MC: (laughing) Don’t tell anybody that!
JB: No, I don’t do stuff like that. We’re running low on time, where can we find you if we’d like to buy a shrimp shanty?
MC: Well, I’m with Charter One Realty on the Keiser (WHAT) group, and my office is at 11 Park Lane, and you can find me at margaretcrenshaw.com.
JB: margaretcrenshaw.com. I think that’s gonna do it for us this week, yeah? Anything else you wanna share?
MC: I think so! We went around the–we went from Southwestern to Thai to Fresh Market. I wanna share that I wanna try Etang, it’s my next Asian restaurant, and then Boaty’s Chophouse is on the forefront of my brain, I have got to get over there, have to find a reason for a special occasion, and get over there and try that.
JB: Well let me know if you do. I’m planning to be there end of October when I come spend a weekend on your lovely island, so I will enjoy it then I’m sure.
MC: That will be here before we know it.
JB: I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about Bodie’s.
MC: Me too.
JB: And Etang. Etang started here in Savannah, it is legit, it is wonderful, and they’ve expanded over there, and they’re doing a really nice job, and getting good reviews.
MC: I did not know that.
JB: Yeah. They’re getting good reviews, I follow on social media, people are loving it, so if you haven’t been to Etang, I would recommend that highly. It’s one of my favorites here in Savannah. So. Get to some eatin’.
MC: I am gonna get to some eatin.
JB: Alright, we are gonna get out of here and get to some whatevers, thanks so much for hanging out with us here on another Monday with Maggie, we do it every Monday morning here on the podcast, you can find us by subscribing to Apple or Spotify, and get them to your smart device. My name is Jesse Blanco, her name is Maggie Crenshaw. I think I’m gonna go for a run, what do you say?
MC: A happy birthday run. Enjoy your birthday, Jesse.
JB: Thank you, thank you. I’m gonna put a little music box on my back and play Stevie Wonder’s Happy Birthday while I run around Forsyth Park.
MC: That sounds fabulous.
JB: (laughing) Alright, we’re getting out of here, thank you so much, Maggie, we’ll see you next week.
MC: Alright, thank you Jesse. Bye!
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