When on Edisto Island, one of the most recommended and talked about restaurants is The Sea Cow. Like most visitors, we had to go and check it out for ourselves. It is nestled amongst a few older buildings and built up on stilts like most in the area. There is a nice deck that runs between them and the adjacent surf shop and gift shop. As you can see in the photo above, the decking wraps around the restaurant providing outdoor eating space. There is also a small screen porch to enjoy, or you can choose to sit inside, as we did, on a very humid day. It is a small place and we had a party of seven, so we had to wait a bit for our table. At first impression, the staff seem like they would rather be doing anything else than helping their customers. Each person we encountered was so disgruntled they couldn't even fake it if they had been paid a million dollars. But, we still hung in there because we had to see if the food was as good as everyone says it is. We also wanted to find out what Minnesota coleslaw is (at the top of the lunch menu they advertise that every sandwich is served with "Minnesota Cole Slaw"). Being from Minnesota, we weren't really sure what this meant as MN is not famous for coleslaw and in every good coleslaw that is served in MN, the sauce comes from a jar. When my husband asked our server about "MN Cole Slaw" she had no idea what the heck he was talking about and simply walked away and looked at him like he was a crazy man.
Above you will see the soup of the day which was She Crab Soup. My husband began eating it and spared a bite for me...just in time for our 4 year old to snatch it and eat the rest. It was absolutely amazing. You could tell it was made from scratch, with big bites of fresh crab throughout.
A friend of ours ordered the Shrimp Po Boy and had nothing but excellent things to say about it. Lightly battered shrimp in a generous size and portion amount. Served with crispy fries, coleslaw and a side of tartar sauce.
I wanted something lighter so I chose the Shrimp Salad, served with a bagel, coleslaw and fresh fruit. I was a little afraid because I usually hesitate to order any mayonnaise-based menu items. I always wonder if they will be fresh and I get extremely turned off if there is TOO much dressing as I'd like to actually taste the food...not the mayo. But I was pleasantly surprised. The pile of chopped shrimp took up almost half of my plate and was lightly coated and seasoned so beautifully I couldn't stop talking about it. I loved having it paired with the fruit...it made for a refreshing and satisfying meal on a hot day.
Another friend ordered the Moo Cobb Salad which included greens, grilled chicken, bacon, onion, eggs and Feta cheese. A very simple salad but done very well with fresh ingredients.
My husband ordered the Shrimp & Grits which he will tell you repeatedly that they were the #1 Shrimp & Grits he has ever had. He was in love with the gravy and was thrilled that there was almost as much of that as there were grits. The amount of shrimp was plentiful also and the grits themselves were flavorful and creamy.
After all of that food, we couldn't resist trying some of their famous homemade pie. Above is the Apple Peach which our friends say was incredible. Below is the Bourbon Pecan Pie which my husband loved nearly as much as his Shrimp & Grits.
I chose the Coconut Cream pie and I can honestly say, this pie was the single best dessert I have ever eaten. Light, creamy, plenty of coconut flavor but not too sweet. Heaven. That pie was just Heaven. My husband even found out who was responsible for making these incredible homemade pies and he had to make sure she knew we enjoyed them. He proceeded to give her a high-five and then thought for a quick second about ducking, not knowing if she was going to smack him upside the head or not. She didn't and he actually got her to smile. A very nice finish to our perfect meals.
The bottom line: We have now tried just about every restaurant on Edisto Island. Service at all of them is lacking a bit, even at the Sea Cow. BUT...the Sea Cow...BY FAR...has the best food. Not a single bite of anything we had could have been complained about. It was all fresh and plentiful and cooked perfectly. Next time we are down in that neck of the woods...this is where I will be eating.
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