Driftwood Bistro - Jekyll Island Georgia

This marked my fourth visit to Driftwood Bistro located in the Villas by the Sea on Jekyll Island. My first three times eating here was during a girls getaway back in February. I've raved on and on about how good it was and I've been wanting to come back again. Since John and I  spent Memorial Day weekend at the beach with his sister and brother-in-law we decided to end our stay with dinner and see if it was as good as I remembered. (hint: It was)

We arrived promptly when they opened at 5pm and we were seated right away. As soon as we sat down our waitress brought water without being asked and she explained the wine list. You can order a bottle of house for $10.00 and if you don't drink it all they'll pack it up to go. We ordered a bottle of Riesling. I'm no wine expert but it was pretty tasty.

We started off with a basket of Smashed Okra that was smashed (of course) dredged in corn meal and deep fried. It was good mainly because it didn't taste like okra:-) Crispy but not greasy. 

We also ordered wings. I didn't have any and by the time I thought to take a picture the guys had finished them off. They must have been good.

The menu is pretty diverse to suit most any taste including shrimp, crab cakes, flounder, catfish, pork loin, pot roast,chicken fillet and even meatloaf.  The shrimp, fish and chicken can be ordered grilled, deep fried or blackened and you can choose a regular or a petite portion. They also serve hamburgers and sandwiches.

I ordered the pork tenderloin with sweet potato casserole and collard greens.

The sweet potatoes were a tad bit sweet for me but it was still good and the collards were perfectly cooked with bits of garlic. This is a petite portion.

John had the fried catfish with sweet potato casserole and squash casserole. I had the squash on a previous visit and it was one of my favorite dishes. 

This is a petite portion.

Our dining companions ordered the crab cakes, Yankee pot roast and the meat loaf. All got rave reviews.

And of course we indulged in dessert...

Peach cobbler a la mode topped with real whipped cream. The ice cream was to die for. Smooth and creamy - just like homemade.

Bread pudding topped with real whipped cream, I'm not a bread pudding fan but John said it was good. There was a layer of custard on the bottom then the bread all baked together. 

And a really big cup of coffee to finish off the night.

The Driftwood Bistro is a family friendly place with a comfortable atmosphere. The waitstaff was friendly and attentive and the prices were very reasonable. One bottle of wine, two appetizers, five dinners, three desserts and coffee for $101.00 not including tip. That's pretty good for feeding five people. 

Verdict? I'll still be raving about this place and looking forward to my next visit. 

The Driftwood Bistro is only open for dinner Monday through Saturday. 

You can check out the menu here.

Go and enjoy a wonderful meal and finish it off with a walk by following the signs in the parking lot to the Driftwood Beach 

Wednesday Walking 1

This is where I share the favorite place I walked this past week.

Favorite Place

Beach walk at Jekyll Island, Georgia

You can read about my Girls Retreat to Jekyll Island at this post.

It was cold and windy but compared to our neighbors up north we had nothing to complain about! I loved that the beach was almost deserted. So peaceful.

Where will you walk this week?

Girl's Retreat to Jekyll Island, Georgia

John and I went our separate ways this week but that's not a bad thing.

He went to the Florida Keys for the annual Winter Star Party and I went on a girls retreat to Jekyll Island, Georgia. While John was looking at the stars in the night sky with fellow astronomers I was walking the beach and having some girl time with my friends Trina and Renee. 

We stayed at the Villas by the Sea on Jekyll Island.The three bedroom villa was situated by the ocean and surrounded by a stand of  trees.  Beautiful surroundings, sandy beach, clean, uncluttered rooms, and the only person I had to worry about feeding was me! Perfect get away.

Walking and Eating 

Two of My Favorite Pastimes!

Our villa was near Driftwood Beach. A beautiful beach with a stand of trees that have been turned into driftwood graveyard by the incoming tides. It's actually rated one of the most romantic beaches and many people get married here. Unfortunately the romance is short lived when you realize that the stand of trees has been killed off due to erosion. The Jekyll Authority is doing what it can to stem the erosion by adding rocks to the beach to keep the existing live tree line in tact. Even though Villas by the Sea is 50 feet from the beach it isn't consider ocean view because of the natural trees that form a barrier between the buildings and the beach. 

That's OK. I don't need to sit on my balcony and see the ocean. I'd rather be walking the beach and get an up close view.

Views of Driftwood Beach

A view from the north end of the island. We're heading towards that small bridge on this walk.

Walk to Eat, Eat to Walk!

I'm not ashamed to admit that I love to eat! I guess it's a good thing I also love to walk.

While staying at the Villas by the Sea we ate every night at the Driftwood Bistro.( I think this is the first time I've eaten out that I didn't take a picture of my food!) So no pictures to show but you can check out the link below and see the menu. 

Trina, Renee and I all had different entrees and we didn't have one thing that wasn't perfectly cooked and super tasty. 

I enjoyed the Yankee Pot Roast, Grill Chicken Tenderloin, and the Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin. My favorite side was the collard greens but the squash casserole, sweet potato casserole and the green beans were mighty tasty. The veggies tasted fresh not like anything came out of a can or frozen. 

Renee had the fried green tomatoes and after she raved about them I almost placed an order. But I didn't so I know we'll be making another trip to eat here soon. I'm glad it's only an hours drive from my house.

And should I mention the dessert? Of course! The Georgia Bourbon Peach Cobbler was superb. Just the right ratio of peaches to crust. I had mine Ala-mode. I love it when you can see the specks of vanilla bean in the ice cream  and oh yea - the whipped cream was real whipped cream. Not that fake stuff! I'd go back just for the dessert...

Villas by the Sea - Driftwood Bistro

Grab a a couple of friends and take a walk on the beach!

Beach Walk at Jekyll Island, Georgia

Jekyll Island is a Georgia State Park that boasts over 8 miles of beautiful, white sandy beaches. The island has many places to walk including the historic Millionaire Village once a vacation home to America's wealthiest families including the Vanderbilts, Rockefeller, Goodyear, and Pulitzer to name a few.

We started the day off at the Georgia Sea Turtle Museum where we joined an educational tour about alligators on Jekyll. This included a ride over the south beach and a walk to locate an alligator that had a tracking device. We were able to track this gator to a sewer pipe in the parking lot of a hotel. You never know what's right under your feet!

The highlight of the day was the long walk on the beach. There's nothing nicer than cooling your feet off in the ocean...

Take a walk and get your feet wet!