Less than hour’s drive from Mobile, Alabama, is a not-so-small southern-fried food shack called Lulu’s at Homeport. It has a bit of history, a bit of notoriety, and a lot of craziness.
The History – Lucy “Lulu” Buffett has been cooking all her life with recipes she learned from her mother and grandmother. She opened the restaurant over 15 years ago. Her goal was to recreate the memories of her father enjoying burgers and beer after a hot afternoon of boating on Mobile Bay.
The Notoriety – Lulu just happens to be Jimmy Buffett’s little sister, with all the good and bad that entails. Thousands of people come to the restaurant every year hoping her older brother might show up. They might not see Jimmy, but once they taste her food, they don’t care.
The Craziness –Let’s just say Lulu has never been one for convention. When the State of Alabama decided not to renew Lulu’s restaurant lease at her original location in Weeks Bay, she moved the restaurant in its entirety – palm trees and all – to its current location on the Intracoastal Waterway. Still not impressed? She used a 150-foot barge to move everything and invited several hundred of her closest friends to join her as they partied on the barge with a live band and BBQ as they slowly moved down the river.
That’s why she’s a Crazy Sista.
Over New Year’s weekend I visited my brother at his new home in northwestern Mobile. I convinced him to drive down to Gulf Shores so we could spend a chilly January day on the beach. That’s what crazy northerners do. The day started with lunch at Lulu’s and a taste of her southern food and beer, including her new home brew, Crazy Sista Honey Ale.
The brew is a dark amber color, just like honey, and it was served so cold, it had ice crystals in it. It tasted like full-bodied ale, kinda hoppy. Although I couldn’t taste the honey, I believe the honey toned down the bitterness of the hops making for a refreshing beer. Due to some antiquated Alabama liquor laws, the beer is actually brewed in Kiln, Mississippi, at the Lazy Magnolia Brewery, however, the honey Lulu’s uses comes from local Alabama bee farms.
I used that beer to wash down my Fried Green Tomato BLT sandwich with hushpuppies and a basket of fried okra. My brother had to help me with the okra because there was over a pound of it. We never made it to the bottom of the basket. My brother had the Shrimp Basket and an extra side of hushpuppies. For desert we ordered Key Lime Pie and Brownie in Paradise. This was our first meal of the day and we were both ready for a nap by the end of it! Don’t tell my cardiologist, but it was worth every crunchy, breaded, fried piece of it.
Of course Lulu wouldn’t be Jimmy B’s sister without a full complement of margaritas on the menu. I recommend the Mo Perfect Margarita because it contains two types of tequila and uses lime juice instead of sour mix. There are also seven blender drinks such as Lulu’s Frozen Hurricane and five flavors of Daiquiris along with some specialty cocktails such as the Bama Breeze and Loopty Lu. Other beers on tap include Miller Lite, Bud Light, Landshark (of course) and my home state brew of Blue Moon. I threw the waitress for a loop when I asked for a cup of orange juice to go with my Blue Moon. She brought me a whole glass and didn’t even charge me for it. Nice! Bottle beers include Corona, Red Stripe, Heineken, Samuel Adams and Yuengling.
After lunch we hung around the grounds because there is more to this southern shack than food. There is an outdoor bar called the Bama Breeze, with enough sand and plastic buckets and shovels to keep little ones entertained for hours, a full outdoor stage for live music and dancing, a volleyball net, picnic tables and, the best part, several bag board games. To work off some beer, my brother and I played bags – I won two-outta-three – and thenwe picked up a few t-shirts in the giftshop. We spent almost two hours there when it was all said and done.
Most people come here for the food, but the beer iscertainly worth a try. All I wanted was lunch on the water in the warm sun with some good southern food and refreshing drink. I got what I wanted. If that sounds like a good thing to you, then head on down Highway 59 to Gulf Shores, Alabama. Lulu’s will not disappoint.
Warning – during the high season this place can command quite a wait. They do not take reservations and they stop taking names when the wait gets over two hours. However, if you can learn to live the coastal mantra of taking lifelaid back and low key, you can go to the outdoor bar, order a Crazy Sista Honey Ale and hang out with friends and family or play some bags while waiting. Who knows? Maybe big brother will stop by and play a few songs.
Carrie Dow
Lakewood, CO
DMEblogger@yahoo.com
Where is CD now?
International Pet Examiner
