From the Kitchen of...
Ruby Lee's
Ruby Lee's is located at 46 Old Wild Horse Road on the north end of Hilton Head Island, next to the Litter Box. Find out more about the upcoming entertainment and events by calling 843-681-7829, on the Ruby Lee's Facebook page: "Ruby Lee's Sports, Blues and Soul Food" and on their website: www.rubylees.com. See ad on page 58 for specials!
I recently had the pleasure of rubbing elbows with the wonderful staff at Ruby Lee's, the hottest new restaurant in town! Ruby Lee's is now the local go-to spot for sports, blues, and soul food. And while they have all three of those in excess.most of all, they have family! Read on to feel the love that surrounds the Ruby Lee's kitchen and enjoy a few of their coveted recipes.
Ruby Lee's was named in honor of co-owner Tim Singleton's grandmother and co-owner Deborah Govan's mother, Ruby Lee, a strong woman who loved family and good food. When I found out she was from Estill, S.C. (near where I grew up), I felt an immediate connection! Ruby Lee's likeness is even part of the logo, surrounding the restaurant with her memories, love and soul.
Soul food often conjures images of fried chicken, collards and a big hunk of cornbread, but Ruby Lee's is taking it to a whole new level. From savory appetizers to great local seafood and enticing desserts, their menu will have you reminiscing about your grandmother's cooking and coming back for more.
Creating these authentic dishes is Ruby Lee's daughter Deborah Govan, along with her husband, Martin Govan. Deborah quickly admits that "Martin rules the kitchen, always doing about five things at once," but she still has her specialities! She even gave us the recipe for her tuna-macaroni salad. Both Deborah and Martin learned to cook growing up around fantastic food and family dinners. And while Deborah has worked in several different capacities, including the dietary department at Memorial Hospital in Savannah and banking, she said she was looking for something fun for retirement-if you can call her bustling around the kitchen, retirement! Deborah often says that people see her in the kitchen and mistake her for her mother, Ruby Lee. She disputes the claim to fame, but still doesn't mind giving her autograph freely. Martin, the master of the Ruby Wings says, "I learned to cook a long time ago from my parents. Back in the day, everyone from Hilton Head had to learn to cook!" Martin is fiercely protective of his family recipes, which are now Ruby Lee's recipes, but he did allow us access to his fantastic Ruby Wings and Oxtail Stew.
Ruby Lee's is also proud that they are making everything fresh, to order-using great local seafood, including shrimp from their very own shrimp company! Deborah says, "From the water to your table. Everyone loves the shrimp, a friend from Savannah even called after a visit and said to tell Martin 'Thank you for showing me the way fried shrimp should taste!'" Their seafood specialties include their famous shrimp and grits (pictured left), she crab bisque, and crab balls (delish!). And as for the sports and blues, they are knocking it out of the park with a great bar loaded with sports memorabilia, big screen TVs, and premium TV sports packages. Live music and dancing rocks the house every Wednesday through Friday with regional Blues and Jazz artists and so much more. Stop by and enjoy the experience, you will be sure to leave with a full belly and a smile!
Recipe's
Deb's Tuna Macaroni Salad
Ingredients:
1 box of elbow macaroni, cooked by directions, drained and cooled
2 cans of tuna, drained
1 stalk of celery, chopped fine
1/2 a bell pepper, chopped fine
3 eggs, boiled and diced
1/2 cup of relish
Hellman's mayonnaise, just enough to hold salad together
2 Tbsp Mustard
Nature Seasoning, to taste
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Thoroughly mix mayonnaise Serve warm or cold.
Ruby Wings
Deep Fry with or without breading (Self-rising flour)
Fry for 12-15 minutes
Saute with Ruby's sweet Barbeque sauce and serve hot.
Spicy Ruby is also available (soon available for purchase)
Oxtail Stew
Fresh Oxtail meat, trim fat
Boil for 45 minutes until clean then rinse
High Boil for 3 1/2 hours
Bell peppers, chopped
Celery Stalk, chopped
Onions, chopped
Seasoning Salt
Accent
Pepper
Continue to add water to keep meat covered and at the end let stew down to gravy. Serve
Last 30 minutes add thinly sliced potatoes and serve over warm white rice.