In the heart of Holly Springs sits a beautiful, old farmhouse that has been restored and turned into a restaurant. Pimiento Tea Room offers lunch, dinner, brunch/tea service and a fun event that caught my attention - CRABCAKE NIGHT. The menu changes each month, but the crabcake remains the same, and let me be the first to tell you - they are to die for. But the entire menu was outstanding, and the restaurant has unique, funky decorations and a great vibe. Head to Holly Springs to check them out, or to catch one of these special nights (the next one is September 17!)
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| Tea House > Steak House |
The price is right for the amount of food you get - seriously, I couldn't finish each course and had to bring home leftovers! Hushpuppies are always a fabulous way to start a southern meal, and these are served with Honey Scallion Butter. The hushpuppy melted in my mouth, and the sweet butter was a welcomed accompaniment. I tried hard not to eat all 5 at once and was mostly successful.
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| Hushpuppies |
I admit, I was a tiny bit skeptical when I saw Corn Chowder listed as the next course (a hot, rich soup in the middle of July?), and was pleasantly surprised at how light and flavorful it actually was. Kernels of Corn, diced Potato and Croutons swim in a deliciously creamy broth. The salt level was perfect. I usually don't love chowders because they're either too heavy, or the creamy broth lacks flavor - not in this case at all.
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| Corn Chowder |
Next, out came the salad of my dreams. An entire half a head(!) of Iceberg Lettuce was topped with bites of Peach, loads of Blue Cheese and Slivered Almonds, then drizzled with White Balsamic Dressing and sprinkled with Basil. Where has this salad combination been all my life? I am desperate to recreate this at home. The basil tied everything together, and the almonds were a nice crunch. The most fantastic summer salad.
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| Summer Salad |
Finally, the star of the show arrived, and when I tell you there was no filler in this, I mean it. A beautiful lump Crabcake was loaded with bites of sweet meat, and hardly anything else. A textbook perfect crabcake. I would estimate it was about 5 ounces. Really killer. It was served alongside an addictive Twice Baked Potato, complete with Cheese, Bacon and Scallions, and Lemon Roasted Green Beans, which were fine, but nothing special compared to its' platemates. This course alone would cost nearly the price of admission in a restaurant.
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| Crabcake, Green Beans and Twice Baked Potato |
I always save room for dessert, and haven't had any summer fruit cobblers yet this year. So I was thrilled when the dessert was Cherry Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream. This was the best cherry cobbler I can remember having - REAL cherries, too, none of that canned stuff - and a light, slightly chewy batter with insane butter flavor. The ice cream was homemade too, with a really nice mouthfeel. It was an absolutely divine way to end a perfect meal.
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| Cherry Cobbler a la Mode |
Check out the PTR next time you're looking for a ladies' brunch or a fun dinner in a unique atmosphere. But if you're a fan of crabcakes, you absolutely must not miss their next special dinner. I will definitely be returning.
