The Pirate House

Location:

20 East Broad Street

Savannah, GA 31401

Type:

Pirate Restaurant... AR!

Website:

www.thepiratehouse.com

Experience:

We left Charleston in the mid-afternoon and were coming up on Savannah when we started to get hungry and figured we would stop in Savannah for dinner. We called a friend who has spent much time in the city and he gave us a few suggestions, one of which was The Pirate House. Having had an obsession with pirates for almost as long as I can remember, I was ready to go to this place.

The directions we received were not that great and at one point we weren't sure we were even on the right side of town and had decided to give up and just find a restaurant on the river, I happened to turn and see the building and we took this as a sign that we were supposed to eat there.

Walking into the restaurant is a little off putting because the entrance way is decorated kind of like a low-rent version of some Disney ride. Luckily for us though, they had the menu out where we could see it and the description of the food sold us on the fact we had to try it. So we went ahead and were seated. As we were led to our table, we found that each of the rooms in the restaurant have a bit of a different theme to them and none of them seem as comical and stereotypically "pirate" as the entrance way. After a short little tour we were seated and not soon after that, we were busy trying to make a very tough decision: what to have for dinner.

They had a couple of specials that evening, one of which was a grilled swordfish steak with cranberry chutney, which is what I finally decided on. However, I soon discovered that the Flounder Belle Franklin is a MUST if you find yourself dining here. That isn't to say that the swordfish wasn't excellent as well, but the Flounder Belle Franklin is to die for. A generous combination of crab, shrimp and flounder and almonds baked under a mixture of butter, melted cheese and an incredible sauce, I honestly can't find fault with this dish. There was plenty of crab and shrimp, and if I had to find SOMETHING wrong with it, I would have to say that for the word "flounder" being in the name, that seems to be the only meat in short supply in the dish, but there was a fairly good sized filet in the dish. As for the swordfish, the chutney was sweet and lent itself very well to the flavor of the fish, but as much as I enjoyed my own food, I kept trying to figure out how to trade plates and get more of the flounder.

We also ordered a desert which was a combination of white and dark chocolate mouse and covered in strawberries. It was almost as good as the meal itself. I am not a big chocolate fan but this dish will make a chocolate lover out of anyone. Like seriously, I dare you to try it and not like it. Half-way through desert we were interrupted by a Jack Sparrow look-a-like who tried to weasel our deserts away from us. I am pretty sure he was there due to the pirate theme of the restaurant, but part of me wants to think that they just let pirate-looking homeless people into the restaurant for historical re-enactments or some such. However, much to my dismay, I later saw "Jack Sparrow" giving a tour of the restaurant. Apparently this restaurant is set in one of the most historical buildings in Georgia and has been an inn and tavern for sea-farers for over 200 years.

Overall:

Had The Pirate House been just a pirate themed restaurant, it would have been all right. Had it been a pirate themed restaurant with amazing food it would have been pretty damn good. But it is a pirate themed restaurant with amazing food and a very long (and often bloody) history. That to me says that The Pirate House has character and charm coming out the wazoo and a head of kitchen that has the talent to outdo that character. If you are in the area and haven't tried this place, do so. If you aren't in the area, get there. Seriously. Right now. I am waiting.

5 Carats