After a delightful hour and a quarter on the inland waterways of coastal Georgia in search of dolphin we headed to a brand new restaurant across from George's on Tybee Island's Highway 80. That makes two Caribbean cuisine eateries in spitting distance of one another. George's is a wonderful experience, so Tango has its work cut out for it. This used to be Hodad's restaurant until its recent closing. The new proprietors opened Tango a week ago. Hearing a rave review we thought we'd see for ourselves.
The young owners had left the island of St. John's in the Virgin Islands due to its exorbitant cost of living finding their way to Savannah where they owned Marco Home, a furniture store in the downtown area. After leaving that bought the already closed Hodad's. It also turned out his former cook from St. John's was in California ready for a new place to work. After reworking some of the building and the decor they opened. The consensus is that it will be George's that will be concerned for the competition. Hopefully Tybee will be a large enough island for two excellent Caribbean style restaurants.
The gorgeous day continued on the back deck of the Tango. Melissa and I were one of the first to arrive near 5:30 PM Saturday afternoon. A fine breeze was refreshing coming from the south off of the marsh guaranteeing a bug free evening. After a leisurely wait as the wait staff prepared for the evening's opening, we tasted a couple of the tropical drinks. I ordered the Happy Buddha, and Melissa sampled the Mango Margarita, both were very good. I declined the additional expense for the tiki mug my drink might have enjoyed. This was a white Buddha which had a small hole in its belly delivering a straw for drinking. It might become a popular item but was not quite my style. However the beverage suffered none for the lack.
Since it was early the owner and his wife happily stopped by for chat as they prepared things for the night's work. A very young couple it seems, they don't appear to miss much the Caribbean life. I don't quite believe it myself, though some of us like to believe that Tybee Island can mimic the tropical feel. The chef also made a couple of appearances after we placed our order. Quite an engaging fellow, he discussed the menu selections, some of the ingredients, and shared openly his passion on other aspects of his work that night. While this treatment may be due to the fact that the evening was young and few people yet entered the restaurant, it has a charming effect, making the whole experience one of a casual intimacy and comfort. After another couple ordered and had started their meal he also came out and talked with them, particularly about his requirement to have the diner plates laid before the patrons in the proper orientation. Now that is a man with an eye and heart for details. The experience as a whole was most excellent.
This certainly extended to the meal itself. We started with an appetizer of Conch Fritters with chutney. They were fantastic! Highly recommended! The Mahi Mahi I ordered was perfection itself, ordered on the rare side, with a Cajun Blackened seasoning accompanied by a Tropical Salsa that was just right. A side of black beans and rice was spiced wonderfully and the plantains, as we told Whitney, our waitress, would have to go far to rival those from the Northbeach Grill. Melissa was amazed that indeed, her favorite from the other corner of the island had truly been exceeded! I should say Melissa very much enjoyed her Shrimp Colombo. The judgement is that from start to finish, personnel to menu, decor to marsh-side ambiance, it makes for a fabulous pause for refreshment.
This coming Wednesday (May 23, 2001) is their Grand Opening. We'll be there, as I am sure will most of Tybee if the word gets around like that which brought us here!
Now you may enjoy a flavor of the early evening through pictures as we spend a lazy and delicious couple hours at the Tango. It was a fine pre-birthday celebration.