One Hot Mama’s - Hilton Head Island, SC

I turned forty in March. In my youth, I remember this over-the-hill milestone being a much bigger deal than it seems to be now. I had no plans to celebrate it. I went out to dinner and drank the lion's share of a margarita tower. That was enough celebration for me. My wife thought otherwise. At thirty, she planned an incredile surprise birthday party for me. At forty she planned a trip. We spent a long weekend on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina for a long weekend. We paired up with my long time friend, and collaborator, Matt and his wife. We left our kids with grandparents and took to the sky. HIlton Head is a very unique place. There was rain and sun(burns). Great food and drinks. The constant threat of sharks and alligators. What's not to love? Sightseeing is always great on vacation, but my focus lies with food and drink. When we decided on Hilton Head I took to Google to find the best food the island had to offer. That and any breweries, wineries, distilleries, or dive bars it may habor. Because of you fine folks, I always make BBQ a priority. For you, not me for me. Not at all. The top rated joint on the Google search was also featured on Food Network.  
 
Our decision had virtually been made for us.

The sides might have been the best food on the menu. Sausage and cornbread stuffing. Mashed potatoes and gravy. The baked beans. I ordered smoked, fried chicken. It fell a little flat, in my opinion. But, this isn't a fried chicken blog. The baked beans came served up in a small basket. Maybe the worst vessel for this type of food. Coupled with the serving being, almost, too big for the basket. The dish was also served without a spoon. Making it extremely difficult to eat this thin-sauced side. Appearance ranked high with this dish. Served in a heaping amount. Beans, meat scraps, onions, peppers, and a green onion garnish. A sight for sunburned eyes. As I dug into the dish I could tell right away that this was a single bean dish. The humble navy bean. The beans themselves were slightly over cooked for my preference. The beans were assisted in the dish by vegetables and some extra meat. The white onion and red bell pepper was cooked down perfectly. As far as I could tell, brisket scraps had been added to bolster the mouth feel and add some smoke flavor to the dish. There was no other presence of smoke flavor to the dish. All these ingredients were stewed in a thin sauce. A sauce that was a nice balance between sweet and tangy flavors, but lacked any heat or (as previously mentioned) smoke flavor. While the ratings were high and the Food Network recognition carried some weight,  this dish fell short for me.

Ratings (On a scale of 1-5)
Appearance: 4
Flavor: 2
Mouthfeel: 3

Total Score: 9

For what it's worth:
Grabbing some friends and going to the coast for a long weekend: 5