Good Eats

Good Eats Burgers on the water remain Trident’s The Grille order of the day, but now you get them year-round – plus an upscale menu

Story by David Myers Photos by David Moore

The Grille at Trident Marina has a line of customers all summer long. From boats or from cars, they queue up for a lunch or dinner of a Trident burger, a po’ boy or fish tacos. Call it bar food dressed up by an experienced chef.

That kind of steady business is the envy of many struggling restaurants, but owner Jeff Tolbert has a vision for Smith Lake that’s far more sophisticated than just sandwiches and fries. He sees a two-story restaurant with fine dining upstairs in a well-heeled members-only club above a more casual eatery open to all in a year-round business rarely found on the lake.

“This is something Smith Lake residents have been wanting for years,” says Jeff, the visionary.

Rose and I drove out to The Grille on a Friday night to hear more about the plan and to sample the menu being planned for the upscale restaurant, estimated to open in 2024.

Chef Jonathan Scoggins is almost as pumped about the future as his boss. With 17 years of experience under his belt that includes eight years at Ross Bridge in Birmingham followed by executive chef positions at Hoover Country Club and Riverchase Country Club, Jonathan was eager to get back to the stove when he headed to Smith Lake four years ago.

“It’s been exciting,” he says.

After an adventurous career as a jet pilot doing medical evacuations all over the world, Jeff bought the marina in 2015 with a restaurant that he later demolished. Food is cooked and served in a future boat showroom, with – weather permitting – most diners sitting outside on a large deck overlooking the water.

But this year, for the first time, the restaurant will stay open all winter. During the off-season, Jonathan is introducing his upscale dinner entrees that include beautiful dishes of steaks, seafood, pasta and seasonal salads. He puts a premium on making food look great, like fresh figs in salads and colored peppers brightening up shrimp and grits.

And he clearly puts a lot of effort into making dishes taste heavenly.

As a New Orleans native, I’ve enjoyed many a plate of shrimp and grits. The consistency and spiciness vary widely. The dish served at the Grille took a different approach. Served on a bed of creamy polenta, shrimp swam alongside smoky andouille sausage in a Cajun gravy, garnished with grilled lemon slices. When he can get it, Jonathan uses tasso ham, a specialty of South Louisiana cuisine.

This plate could compete in the finest establishments in the Big Easy.

The 8-ounce tenderloin fillet stood tall and tender under a shiny balsamic glaze. A po’ boy loaded with perfectly grilled shrimp on a soft bun was elevated with a Creole-style remoulade sauce. The fish tacos cradled generous slabs of mahi mahi dressed in jalapeno ranch. A pile of house-made chips was the perfect accompaniment and quickly became addictive when dipped in the sauce. It

Chef Jonathan Scoggins is excited to serve a fine dining menu – including grouper.

Chef Jonathan Scoggins and his talented kitchen crew turn out some bar food – or boat food, if you will – including the Trident Burger, above. Along with staying open all year, they now offer an upscale menu and white tablecloths. A seasonal salad has fresh figs, far left, and the shrimp and grits is grand. Just looking at a fillet tastes good. Located in Crane Hill at Big Bridge about 24 miles from Cullman, The Grille is one of only three restaurants on Smith Lake. The Grille is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and closed Monday and Tuesday.

appears the fine dining menu and the bar food are just about perfect.

With the growth of permanent residents wanting places to eat nearby, Jeff sees a need and believes the new restaurant – and being open year-round – will provide everything they want in one place. He says a membership-only club will be necessary to sustain fine dining service – and he already has 200 on a waiting list.

The marina business on Smith Lake is huge. With 400-plus boats in dry storage, Trident is the largest dry stack operation on the lake, winterizes 500-600 boats annually and sells new and used vessels. Jeff, originally from Oneonta, got his pilot license before studying business at The University of Alabama. He fell into the marina field with a lot to learn. He laughs and says he has no advice on what to do, but has loads of experience in what not to do. The man with a vision thrives on the challenge.

“It is,” he says, “about a passion.”