Gullah Cookin'

CC Note: Recently, one of our staff members spent some time digging around in the sand and looking for local fare in the lowcountry. This food style was definitely one of our favorites.

It was a sign I've never seen. Handpainted in big bold letters--"Gullah Cooking." Just what is gullah cooking? Match that up with the bright pink building and the delicious aroma wafting out and up to the street, and it's heaven on earth on Edisto Island.

The Gullah people are descendants from the slave times of old and mainly reside in the lowcountry of South Carolina and Georgia today. Many of the old customs and language have been passed down from generation to generation.

Experience Gullah cookin' and you'll treat your tastebuds to dishes chock full of flavor with rice, shrimp, crabs and other delectable dishes of the region.

Our favorite dishes of this cooking style? Why, it's the Shrimp and Grits with a big side of fresh fried okra and green tomatoes. We also found the She-Crab Soup to be an excellent taste treat.

Need a restaurant to go and visit? Try the Gullah Cuisine located in Mt. Pleasant, SC. You won't be disappointed.

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Pascal's Bistro, a well-known Peachtree City secret

On this last day of 2007 some friends and I met for lunch at Pascal's Bistro in Peachtree City. What a yummy way to say goodbye to this jam-packed year!

We beat the crowds who will be coming to celebrate New Year's Eve by going for lunch. Usually there's a crowd, but we didn't arrive until 1:30 p.m. so things had slowed down enough for us to find a quiet table to talk. We overstayed our welcome, sitting and yakking long past the time they closed their doors for lunch to prepare for dinner.

Tonight will be a busy night for restaurants. It sounded like Pascals will be non-stop through midnight! If anyone happens to pop onto the County Cuisine before leaving for dinner (doubtful as it's almost 6 p.m.) be sure to have one of their chocolate martinis. We didn't imbibe at lunch, but remembering the last one I had at Pascal's, it was hard to pass up the temptation!

Today I enjoyed whole wheat pasta with spinach, broccoli, shrimp, garlic and mushrooms. I tried three of their four lunch buffet sauces, marinara, Alfredo and clam. Usually I divide my pasta in half and have one sauce on each side. Trying for three sauces wasn't the most brilliant thing I've ever done, but it was still excellent.

I am rather picky about my clam sauce. I snub my nose at the runny, tasteless (or too salty) batches that come from most restaurant kitchens. Pascal's was wonderful. I wish I had skipped the Alfredo and marinara completely, although both are excellent.

During the lunch hours, Monday - Friday and Sunday from 11 - 2 p.m., you'll be able to eat your fill at the Pasta Buffet Lunch. The cost is only $7.99 for adults, $4.99 for children. A bargain at any cost, the pricing is extremely reasonable. They serve your choice of 14 different meats and vegetables, 4 types of past, 4 different sauces, Caesar salad and garlic bread. Drinks are separate.

They close from 2 to 5 each day to prepare for dinner. And what a dinner you can expect! Plan for a culinary treat. I could make a meal from the appetizers alone! Seafood Cocktail, made with shrimp, crab and scallops, Calamari, Crab Cake, Baked Brie and Beef Carpaccio join some expected standards on the appetizer menu.

The biggest problem I find at Pascal's is choosing which of the many entrees to try! Groper Imperial sauteed with sherry butter and topped with fresh lump crabmeat, Baked Flounder stuffed with a jumbo lump crab cake and baked with two shrimp in a creamy saffron sauce, Steak au Poivre, Grilled NY Strip Gorgonzola, Braised Lamb Shank, Sauteed Organic Chicken Breast Marsala, Mustard Crusted Pork Tenderloin and many other tempting dishes temp the palette.

All are served with vegetables or other side items.

One thing I've always found when eating at Pascal's Bistro is that they are very accommodating. I am one of those fussy eaters who can have a server sweating before I allow them to leave. I pity the server who has to remember all of my little switches from fried to baked or stuffed with that instead of this!

They may roll their eyes when they get back into the kitchen, but if they do I've never even had a vague hint when they waited on me. The service is always top-notch, professional and they are always gracious.

I've been saving the best for last. Their desserts. I would highly recommend trying to save a bit of room for their Creme Brulee, Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake, Key Lime Pie or Bourbon Apple Tart. For those who steer away from sugar, be sure to give the Splenda Creme Brulee a try!

The old saying that you get what you pay for isn't quite true at Pascals. You get more than you pay for at this outstanding independent restaurant. Expect to pay from $5 - $11 for your appetizer, from $12 - $25 or $26 for the entree and in the $7 - $9 range for dessert. They offer a set menu option during weeknights, Prix Fixe, that includes appetizer, entree and dessert for around $24 (definitely a bargain).

Whether you opt for the pasta buffet lunch or the more elegant evening fare you'll savor every moment.

They are located at Westpark Walk on the corner of Hwy's 54 and 74 (on the corner opposite the Avenue). The restaurant is tucked in on the backside of Westpark facing Hwy. 74.

To find out more visit http://www.pascalsbistro.com/ or call 770.632.0112.