Like Grandma’s Kitchen
Gravy in Calabash is all about down-home comfort food.
“There’s more of gravy than of grave in you,” Scrooge says defiantly to the ghost of his dead partner, Jacob Marley. He makes the snarky comment to prove that food can affect one’s senses in a negative way.
Ebenezer is correct, of course, but food can also affect one’s senses in a most positive way, and if you visit a Southern eatery in Calabash called Gravy, you’ll see what I mean.
It’s down-home cooking all the way, with comfort food being just as important as comfort pricing and comfort ambience. All the menu items are not only delicious, generously portioned and well-prepared, they are very reasonably priced.
Take the liver and onions. The missus, who’s a saint in so many ways, will make pretty much anything I ask her to make for dinner (especially reservations). But she draws a very hard, very definite line at liver. And the only way for me to get it is to get it out somewhere,
The PubScout knows that liver and onions is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it sure is his, and the massive portion of liver smothered in fried onions, two hefty sides and a glass of sweet tea at Gravy for just $11 registers as a win in anyone’s book. It even came with hush puppies.
The rest of the menu is equally good and fairly priced, and the service is friendly and efficient,
Perhaps that’s why the clientele consists mostly of “seasoned citizens.” We may not know how to Tik-Tok, Tweet or IG, but — dadgummit — we know where the best food is.
And get off my lawn.
There are some younger folks in the house that Stephanie Cardell has run for nearly a quarter-century, but they’re mostly the servers and staff. And since Stephanie champions the idea of family, Gravy is only open Monday to Friday for both lunch and dinner from 11 am until about 7:30 pm.
“We used to be open seven days a week, but it was not only hectic, it deprived us of needed time with our families,” she says. “We’re doing fine just being open five days a week. Many of my staff are younger moms who need to spend time with their growing families, so they’re happy with the arrangement.”
Indeed, on a recent visit I noted that every server (like lovely Alicia) was smiling and pleasant (in addition to being very attentive) and they seemed to enjoy their roles serving a wide array of happy senior citizens who revel in good, down-home Southern cooking.
It’s a homey place that feels like a slightly larger version of a grandmother’s kitchen. And “grandma” is serving up all their favorites.
The parking lot was full just after 5 pm, and though I found a quick counter seat, those who came after 5:15 had to wait — some of them outside. Thank goodness it was a reasonably comfortable day, but I suspect even inclement weather would not have deterred these dedicated diners.
No alcoholic beverages are served, but that will not only help keep your tab way down, it will prevent you from getting a DUI. Which, if you think about it, is a good thing, because you’ll want to come back.
Whether you’re a lover of liver and onions or not.
Want to go?
Gravy
1165 Carlyle Place, Calabash
910-579-4733
gravysoutherneatery.com
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