By James Calemine
James Calemine’s ‘Never Ending Soul Food Tour’ includes documented visits to barbecue joints, catfish dens, chicken shacks and any establishment serving memorable vittles.
Southern Soul Barbeque
2020 Demere Road
St. Simons Island, GA. 31522
912-638-7685
Last night, Griffin Bufkin sent me a text at 9:35PM:
“I’m doing two dozen ‘420 Burgers’ on the Loco Cooker in the Courtyard at 4:00. Braves-Dodgers too. Dulce Donut bun, bacon, mac & cheese, Biggie sauce. First come first serve.”
I responded: “Expect me.”
Elizabeth Josephine and I arrived early. We ordered two Red Stripes. Technically, we got the first burger. The ingredients rundown included: Bronwood beef patties topped with mac & cheese, bacon, jalapeno pesos, Lime Aid pickles and Spicy “Biggie” sauce on a glazed griddle donut.
No rude tourists overflowing tonight at Southern Soul, which proved refreshing. The seabreeze felt nice. Griffin worked the grill. I told him as he prepped:
“Liz and I ate at Frosty’s today–it’s a two for one deal.”
Griffin owns Frosty’s Griddle & Shake as well.
He grinned. “What did y’all order?” he asked. Liz explained she ate a Greek salad and I chose the fish sandwich. “Two good choices,” he responded as he flipped the burger and placed the mac-n-cheese on the patty to facilitate the melting process.
The quaint outdoor courtyard of Southern Soul flourishes with lantana and jasmine vines growing up the wooden fence. Two more beers. The burger tasted fantastic. Liz and I split it. The donut accented the bacon, but I needed a fork after a couple of bites. Griffin later switched to regular hamburger buns for other patrons. Damn fine burger.
Griffin and I discussed an outing we’re going to in two weeks, and then Liz and I hit the beach. After walking on the beach, we stopped at the convenience store to pick up a few items, and to keep the “420” tradition going we bought some Buffalo Blue Cheese Combos.
I must say the 420 Soul Strain ranked–indeed–as a cheeseburger in paradise…
Postscript: I hope our new friend Bob didn’t get in too much trouble bringing only one double-stacked “420” home because his wife is on the Keto diet.
Mahalo…
(Photo Griffin Bufkin)