Through some lucky circumstances, David and I were fortunate enough to have a mini vacation last week to Sea Island, Georgia and Pinehurst, North Carolina. I had never been to either of these resort towns before and I was excited for our post-Bar, pre-Atlanta trip.
Being gluten free makes traveling and vacations tougher than in my earlier gluten filled days, but the change in diet is clearly worth it. One thing I always make sure to do when I travel is have plenty of snacks with me, just in case my gluten free options are limited. The ‘travel with food’ rule applies basically any time I leave the house. You don’t want to get caught hungry. Almonds, Dark Chocolate M&Ms, and Apple Pie Lara Bars are a few of my staples when on the road.
In researching prior to our trip, I was disappointed not to find anything online regarding gluten free dining options in Sea Island or Pinehurst. I was optimistic, however, that in a nice resort town like Sea Island/St. Simons, places would be able to accommodate me throughout our trip and my hunch proved to be solidly valid.
Our first night on vacation we decided to eat dinner at Halyard’s on St. Simons, which a friend recommended. Before dinner, we met up with my cousin at the Lodge. What a beautiful setting! Every night a bagpiper plays and you can look out at the water, listen to the music and enjoy a beverage. Even though a torrential downpour disrupted the bagpiper, The Lodge was a great place to spend cocktail hour. David and I definitely went both nights of our trip!
We arrived at Halyard's for our 8:30 reservations and I immediately wanted everything on the menu. They had a 3 course menu for $30 and David and I both decided to inquire about this option. Much to my delighted surprise there were plenty of options for me on the three course menu and I was able to get my first choice for every course. I went with the soup of the day, which was a broth based soup with peas, tomatoes, beans and bacon. Hearty but not too rich because of the broth. (It sounds like an odd combo but it worked well!)
My next course was the house salad with grilled peaches, goat cheese, candied pecans and balsamic vinaigrette. I love salads with fruit, cheese and nuts and this one did not disappoint. I definitely saved the best for last because my main course outdid the previous courses. I ordered the grilled hanger steak with mashed potatoes (my favorite side dish!), grilled broccoli with a Vidalia onion and tomato jam. My entire meal, entirely gluten free, needed no modifications from the regular menu!
Our Halyard’s waiter was willing to go back and talk to the chef each time I asked her about an item on the menu, never appearing annoyed or overly confident. Our meal was so good that we actually thought about going back for our second night as well, but we ultimately decided we need to branch out. Another plus about Halyard’s is that it’s prices are much more reasonable compared to the Lodge and the Cloister.
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