The Perfect Pop-Up

“I don’t think Pinkie Masters has ever smelled this good.” She said.

After a laugh, that quote pretty much set the tone for the night. Freshly fried chicken and waffles were at every seat and the room just filled with an incredible aroma. It was a perfect mood on a night that went as well as anyone could have imagined.

I don’t typically write about our Eat It and Like It events after the fact. If you missed it, you missed it. You might get a peek at what went down on social media, but largely it’s gone. Our first ever “Pop-Up” dinner was different though.

When Matt Garapolo and his business partners took over Pinkie Masters 4 years back, I mentioned to him I’d like to try a pop-up dinner. It was perfect. Pinkies doesn’t have a kitchen and it’s one of the most popular spots in the city. Well, after waiting for Savannah’s food truck laws to catch up, it was decided we would go for it.

It took all of three 5 minute conversations to pull this off. No, not a monumental undertaking, but it did take coordination.

Pinkies? In. Josh Thomas and his incredible staff at JThomas Kitchen? In. Brian Maher with Dark Shark Taco Truck? In.

It was that simple. Everyone handled their logistics and Eat It and Like It handled the promotion.

By 6:00pm Tuesday night, every seat at Pinkies was occupied. Random bar patrons that strolled in had no idea there was a dinner going on, except that everyone was eating some good looking food and oh yeah, it smelled great in there.

Four courses served in about 90 minutes time. Everything flowed smoothly and an absolute fine time was had by all. We took an informal survey of courses and no one could decide which was their favorite. They all got votes. A majority of our guests demanded to know immediately when we decide to do it again.

The evening was that perfect.

Some may ask why I am making such a big deal about this event. It was certainly not the first ‘pop-up’ to be held in Savannah. Big deal, right?

I will share this was a little personal for me. As I mentioned, we’ve always wanted to host a dinner at Pinkies. I live in the neighborhood and I recognize its place in Savannah’s long history. For so many locals, Pinkie Masters is much more than a bar. It’s a meeting place to catch up with friends you haven’t seen in a while. It always happens. Add great food to the mix and it’s perfection for those of us who are also passionate about the food scene in our city.

Yeah, I’m good. Smiling pretty big today.

Thanks so much to all who came out to Eat It and Like It. We are looking forward to doing it again down the road.

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