The day after Valentine’s Day, Flash and I dined at 1885 Grill in St. Elmo for dinner. We purposely waited to eat at the southern coastal restaurant until after the love-holiday to avoid the crazy crowd of dreamy-eyed couples.
Every other couple in town seemed to have the same idea. When Flash and I stepped in off the rainy street, we were lucky to get the last table adorned with a single red rose.
The restaurant staff must not have expected the Monday night rush because the service we received was spotty, and the food came out much later than it should have. Nevertheless, Flash and I looked at it as time to relish in each other’s company while munching on decent meals.
I say decent only because the house-made cheese empanadas we ordered as an appetizer hardly had any cheese in them, and Flash’s burger was overcooked.
At least, that’s what he thought. I, on the other hand, thought his 1885 Burger tasted fine. It came with a half pound of beef, pimento cheese, chow chow, and bacon on a Niedlov’s bun – hushpuppies on the side.
Because I liked the burger so much, Flash cut it down the middle for me to have half. In return, I shared my Shrimp and Crawfish Étouffée.
The Étouffée ($16) came with three large shrimp and lots of little crawfish soaked in a spicy creole sauce. It was served with basmati rice and crostini for dipping – a flavorful dish, but too rich for me to eat the whole thing.
So it worked out perfectly to split meals with Flash. Though, the next time I come to 1885 I’m going to stick with what I usually get: the pan seared scallops ($10) and cornmeal fried okra served with southern pimento cheese ($8). It’s a combination that deliciously promotes the southern coastal atmosphere of the eatery.
Flash and I left that night after paying a bill of $40 before tip. A little overpriced in our opinion for the quality of our service and food. But we gave the place the benefit of the doubt and blamed the mediocre experience on all the unexpected, dreamy-eyed couples.
Location: 3914 St Elmo Ave.
Hours:
Lunch
Thursday–Friday: 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
Saturday: 11 a.m.–4 p.m. (Brunch and Lunch)
Sunday: 10 a.m.–4 p.m. (Brunch and Lunch)
Dinner
Monday–Friday: 4-10 p.m.
Saturday: 2-10 p.m.
Brunch
Saturday: 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.