We arrived at Treylor Park a bit early for dinner, around 6:00 on Monday evening. It was not crowded, so we were immediately escorted to our table. The place was cute, clean and cleverly decorated. The wordplay was instantly evident by the trailer pictured on the sign in front and entry mat. That playfulness was reinforced by the décor with pictures of camping trailers and nick-knacks on the walls.
Treylor Park is part restaurant, part bar, and part outdoor beer garden located at 115 East Bay Street between Abercorn and Drayton and though it’s been open for a couple of months, I just hadn’t had an opportunity to get there to try out the menu. (So much food, so little time).
Our utensils were neatly wrapped in a paper napkin sitting in a Mason jar, and water for the table was served chilled in a recycled wine bottle and juice sized glasses. Fitting touches that built on Treylor Park’s kitschy theme and took me back to my childhood when my family camped our way cross-country in an Airstream trailer.
Once seated, our server asked if we would like to start with drinks. Of course! Treylor Park’s drink menu includes seven specialty cocktails, four different Bloody Marys, eighteen diverse craft beers (including the Miller High Life and PBR), and a small but varied selection of sparkling, white and red wines. FYI, wines by the bottle are a steal – almost Boone’s Farm or Mad Dog 2020 cheap. We liked the drink selection. Our server knew it well and was accommodating, letting us sample a draft beer before ordering. We settled on a craft beer on draft and a Kudzu Koolatta, made from Green Tea Tequila, cucumber puree, simple syrup and limejuice.
Our server was also knowledgeable about the menu, which happens to be, surprise…trailer park, eclectic Southern cuisine. Examples include PB&J Chicken Wings, Chicken & Pancake Tacos, Fried Bologna Classic, Fried Oreos, and multiple down-home sides. For starters, our server suggested the Popcorn Shrimp and Pigs in a Biscuit Blanket. We chose the Popcorn Shrimp to share – lightly fried USA shrimp and popcorn with chive buttermilk ranch and chili powder. I read “popcorn shrimp” but should have read further. The appetizer arrived, seven medium shrimp sitting on a bed of popcorn served in a plastic basket lined with paper. The shrimp were very lightly floured and perfectly cooked. Both the shrimp and popcorn were drizzled in buttermilk ranch with chili powder, although I thought I detected a bit of butter and garlic. The popcorn actually complemented the dish, and it was unexpectedly tasty and well prepared. I would order it again.
We enjoyed our drinks and “popcorn shrimp” and took in the surroundings. Treylor Park has a bar in the front and dining tables in the middle of the space. As you walk through to the back door, you will discover an outdoor area with a bar or beer garden. The restaurant-bar is appealingly casual, and the outdoor bar is covered with plants on an alley far from Savannah traffic noise. The beer garden will be packed when the weather warms. Music added to the experience, as we enjoyed a great mix of Motown, blues, reggae, and rock.
For the main course, my friend ordered the Chicken Biscuit and I ordered the Fish Stick Tacos. The Tacos (Crispy Grouper Sticks with Cilantro and Lime Chow-Chow) were an obvious play on the frozen fish sticks that I had as a kid. There were three tacos each with fried grouper served on a flower tortilla with a shredded cabbage mix and spicy aioli with a touch of molasses or maple. The dish included a small micro green salad with halved grape tomatoes with a vinaigrette. It was tasty and filling.
The Chicken Biscuit (Lightly Fried Chicken on a Buttermilk Biscuit with Country Sausage Gravy) was more Southern than sweet tea. The fried chicken breast was served over a homemade buttermilk biscuit covered with sausage gravy. The chicken reminded me of the chicken I had as a kid, fried in a black cast iron skillet. It had that homemade taste that you typically don’t get from a deep fryer. The biscuit was tasty and obviously homemade. The sausage gravy was “slap-your-mama” good with “healthy” sized sausage chunks throughout. The biscuit was a bit dense for my liking and the dish needed more gravy. However, we remedied the gravy issue by ordering more, and I ended up taking the plate and finishing the biscuit and gravy, almost needing a spoon to get every bite. Over all it was a very good “Southern” dish that we will order again.
For dessert, we ordered Rice Krispy S’mores Rolls, meaning rice crispy treats, wait for it…with a twist. These were rice “Krispy” treats rolled with a center of graham cracker cookies, chocolate and marshmallow. The roll was sliced, drizzled with chocolate syrup with each slice topped with a baby marshmallow. They were slightly untraditional but tasty.
Our meal was good. I recommend Treylor Park and plan on returning. However, if you go expecting a traditional or fine dining experience, you will be disappointed. Treylor Park serves really good, elevated bar food with tasty clever twists. Go with the expectation of a playful, diverse menu with unexpected food combinations, a more-than-adequate craft beer selection, a creative specialty cocktail selection, and a small but diverse wine offering. All of this packaged in an appealing, “campy” (couldn’t resist), and creatively themed restaurant-bar with a quant beer garden and outdoor-space in the rear. Go for a tasty fun unexpected experience and let us know if you Eat It and Like It.
Treylor Park Review
115 East Bay Street
Savannah, GA
912.495.5557
www.treylorpark.com
