THE PLACE DESERVES A CLIENTLE

Station 22
2205 Middle Street.
Sullivan’s Island, SC
843-883-3355

An employee solicits customers outside Station 22

The pub across the street was packed on this Sunday noon as we squeezed into a parking space on the cramped and diminutive main drag at Sullivan’s Island, but crowds don’t always equal good food, so we opted for this place across the street. Perhaps because the building is being renovated and it was hard to tell if it was open (more about that later) the place was nearly deserted. Soulful sounds of an alto saxophone greeted us as we walked in the door played by an actual live musician who never took a break while we were in there. He played old standards (Misty, Stardust as well as more recent melodies like Wind Beneath my Wings.) accompanied by canned orchestra music. The place is nicely appointed with bead board wainscoting and an interesting ceiling made I think, to mimic a boardwalk Dozens of pictures line the walls including a blown up color photo of the island taken from about 10,000 feet. I had Shrimp and Grits ($12.00.) My partner had the chicken salad croissant with sweet potato fries. ($9.00). Both were very good. Shrimp and grits is a favorite of mine and I hate it when restaurants skimp on the shrimp, but I kept finding the succulent little crustaceans buried in the grits. I was slightly taken aback to see that the andouille sausage that usually accompanies the shrimp had been replaced with country ham, but the pork was julienned and tender and added a good flavor, if not heat, to the plate.

Perhaps because it was Sunday brunch the appetizer was not bread, but pound cake, store bought from the looks of it, and it would have been nice to have some bread to soak up the creamy sauce. The chicken salad had a strange but pleasant almost soapy flavor that I could not place. We had rushed in to get ahead of the church crowd but almost no one was there. Only a few tables were occupied, including a ladies day out group over by the Roman shades featuring a mother and daughter arguing about the propriety of having mimosas with their brunch.

I hope they get there remodeling finished soon. The place deserves a clientele. When we left one of the staff was standing on the steps holding up a sign that said “Open.” It seemed to be a sign of desperation.

Diner rating: 4