Flip Flop Tiki Bar and Grill, Savannah, Georgia

While trying desperately yesterday to find an Irish Pub that was still in business in downtown Savannah (Max has a Guinness app for the phone - it tells the Guinness lover where the closest pint can be found), we finally gave up and asked Emily for the address of the restaurant where she works. The Flip Flop Tiki Bar and Grill was open for lunch. It has no Guinness on tap, but it does have a nice selection of beers. We sat down at a table next to the open door, and looked over the menu, which is brief - meaning, I believe, that the food would be prepared fresh to order, which is a good thing. Emily suggested the tacos, which Max ordered, and I had the pulled pork sandwich, both of which came with a side order of our choice. Yum.

The pork sandwich was like a barbecued pork sandwich, except that the sauce was more a piquant sauce than a barbecue sauce. It had a kick, and it was vinegar-based, so I'm assuming it contained some jerk spices. The sandwich came with black beans and rice on the side, and I still got to choose one of four side dishes. I chose well, picking homemade sweet potato chips, which tasted even better when dipped in the aforementioned sauce. I did my best NOT to eat all the chips, with or without the sauce, and succeeded somewhat. I couldn't make a dent in the black beans and rice, so I brought those home with me, but I had a few bites and can hardly wait to heat them up and devour them.

Max's tacos were in flour tortillas. He got to choose from four fillings - pork, jerk chicken, grilled shrimp, and grilled fish - and could add one of four toppings - avocado salsa, pico de gallo, mango salsa, or roasted corn salsa. According to Emily's recommendation, he got pork tacos and chose pico de gallo to finish it off. He also got some black beans and rice, but unlike me, the man who never gains weight ate it all.

I had a glass of wine, from the California Flip Flop label, which was fine and only $4. Max had some micro-brewery beer that he pronounced good, but I don't remember its cost. I did notice that 12-oz. frozen drinks, such as margaritas, pina coladas, and other tropical foo-foo drinks are also $4. I think that's a bargain.

As I suspected, the food was made fresh to order, and was delicious. I didn't find anything fried on the menu, which, as far as I'm concerned, is a real plus. The room was decorated in island chic - beadboard, bamboo, umbrellas here and there, and beach photos and art. It was a fun place to be, and I can imagine that it would be a blast around happy hour. Then again, what place ISN'T a blast around happy hour?

We will probably go there again tonight, just so we can watch our daughter at work and maybe give her a big tip (other than buy low, sell high).

The Flip Flop Tiki Bar and Grill is located at 117 Whitaker Street (phone 912/233-5600) and on the web at http://www.savannahflipflop.com/. Enjoy.