Other Press:
|
By Deborah Wheeler George's at Alys Beach, a much-anticipated summer opening, finally threw open its doors for business July 21. The restaurant's owner, George Hartley, reports a "fantastic" first week in business. "It's been better than I deserve," exuded a jubilant Hartley. The Hartleys bring with them a solid reputation in the restaurant business that locals and visitors have come to know and trust. The Hartleys bought the landmark Seagrove Village Market and Café on July 1, 1999 when they relocated to Seagrove from Dallas. Under their steady hand, popular menu and quite a bit of personality thrown in, the Hartleys raised the bar at the Café. The Hartleys bring the same philosophy with them to George's in Alys Beach, along with a bit of Seagrove. George's is housed in the old Sandor's Restaurant building that sat next to Seagrove Market Café on County Road 395. The building was moved in March to its present resting spot at Alys Beach. "We liked the building. It was part of Seagrove and a cute building. We thought this would be faster than constructing another and we liked the green idea of reusing a building. It also breaks the ‘whiteness' at Alys Beach. It feels good," explained Ann Hartley. "We wanted to preserve a part of South Walton's history," added George. The Hartleys can seat 60 guests - 20 inside under air conditioning and the remainder on the covered side porch or outside under umbrellas. The restaurant's menu consists of a "behaving" and a "misbehaving" section. For those desiring to misbehave, they may enjoy the time-honored Café selections of fried seafood baskets, po-boys, George's grouper sandwich, Senora Anna's fish tacos or "the best burger on 30A." For those preferring to behave, go organic with a crisp salad, a fresh tuna salad nicoise, coconut shrimp salad or grilled tofu on a bed of veggies. Specials are offered daily. Guiding the kitchen is long-time local chef Steve Carpenter. When done eating, the Hartleys offer guests the opportunity to take home a souvenir from the restaurant. Toads are the theme at George's. The green amphibians are featured in the artwork on the walls, on the souvenir T-shirts and in baskets at the check out. Frogs have been an item in the Hartley home since George and Ann's engagement 25 years ago, beginning with a controversial set of embroidered hand towels given to the couple by George's uncle for a wedding gift. Those hand towels have been framed and are hanging in the ladies' restroom, along with photos of the building's relocation process from Seagrove to Alys Beach. "People have been watching for us to open since the building was moved. We've gotten good buzz. It's been good," said George. The restaurant is open for lunch from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. and for dinner from 5 until 9 p.m., every day except Sunday. For more information call (866) 481-8387. |