Mango & Tomato: Savannah

3/8/18

Long Weekend in Savannah in 10 Photos

If you are looking for a fun long weekend getaway, I highly recommend going to Savannah, GA. A few weekends ago I flew to Savannah to meet my friends Jenny and Laura whom I've known for 16 years! This was my second time in Savannah, but the first for my friends. Below are ten things to do!

1. Find an AirBnB in the city. We booked a great one near the Forsyth Park (the famous fountain below), and absolutely loved the architectural details of the house, beautiful kitchen, backyard for sipping Puerto Rican coffee each morning, ability to walk to most places, and our host who was very quick at answering all of our questions.

2. Sandfly BBQ: this was our first lunch in Savannah. Luckily we got a table inside where it was air conditioned. Get all the pork, brisket, chicken, and sausage. Mac & cheese and coleslaw were great; the fried okra needed more seasoning or Ranch dressing. The sweet potato fries were perfectly crunchy and not greasy.

We walked some of this off on the way to the grocery store (more on that later).

3. Brunch at The Collins Quarters: brunch is probably my favorite weekend meal. Just like most places in Savannah, The Collins Quarters doesn't take reservations, but we only had to wait about 30 minutes on a late Saturday morning. Not to worry: there are plenty of cafes and parks around to wait.

I ordered a Bloody Mary and a lamb burger; Jenny had smoked salmon toast, and Laura had a quinoa dish. The food was great, and we had the perfect opportunity for people watching because of our outdoor table.

Because the food took a while to come out, the manager automatically comped our drinks: a nice touch!

4. Dinner at Atlantic: we were lucky to be able to snag a table for dinner at Atlantic. Make sure to come close to when the restaurant opens. Speaking of open, the open kitchen is beautiful and stopped me in my tracks when I saw a massive carrot cake. Alas, we had other plans for dessert and did not order it. {Make sure to check out their bathrooms with a beautiful blue tiled floor and orange lockers.}

Atlantic was casual and fun, and felt like a neighborhood place you'd visit often. Their romaine wedge salad blew me away: bacon wrapped dates, hazelnuts, and a creamy blue cheese dressing. For the entree, I chose a duck breast and was not disappointed.

5. Dinner at The Grey: located in the old Greyhound terminal, this was a fun way to spend our last night in Savannah. The service and food were superb, and our waitress gave us a great recommendation for breakfast the next day.

I decided to be brave and order a whole roasted fish (head, bone, skin, and all) and loved it! The other highlights were octopus, foie & grits, and farmers cheese cheesecake. Laura loved her chicken with curry, almonds, and currants, and Jenny enjoyed the special of the night (I think it was halibut). The smashed potatoes, were lovely too!

6. Breakfast at B Matthew's: yes, I started with another Bloody Mary. It was a vacation: don't judge. My entree was superb: fried green tomato Benedict on a homemade biscuit with potatoes instead of a fruit salad. The eggs were perfectly cooked, and I loved the fancy little greens on top. Bonus: it fit with Meatless Monday!

7. Forsyth Farmers' Market: such a fun Saturday activity! Yes, I have super white legs. I never get tan. Anyway....I bought a King of Pops blackberry ginger lemonade pop: refreshing, not overly sweet, and thirst quenching.

8. Breakfast at AirBnB: not each meal needs to be at a restaurant. As I mentioned, our first day we went to a nearby grocery store and bought chips and dips and meats and cheeses and wine for a "picnic dinner" at home and also provisions to make breakfast. Below is a turkey/pepper/onion/cheese frittata, baked plantains, toast with Nutella, salsa, tomatoes, strawberries, and a Rose cocktail. Such fun!!

9. Wormsloe Historic Site: only 7 miles away from Savannah is this beautiful nature reserve with massive trees, a hike trail, and water views. So glad my friend Mary's sister Noel recommended we check this out.

10. SCAD: check out The Savannah College of Art and Design museum or some of the buildings scattered around the city.

Leave a comment to let me know if I missed something ;)

1/23/09

My last meal in Savannah: BBQ (1/20/09)

For my last meal in Savannah, I decided to find Angel's BBQ. I can't remember where I read about this place, but it sounded like fun.

It was slightly difficult to find, but after I gave them a call (thank god for cell phones!), I was on my way to BBQ goodness.

This little restaurant is located behind a church and resembles a mom & pop shop. My glasses fogged up as I stepped into the warmth from the outside. The decor is very homey and unassuming.

I decided to order a combination of pork and beef BBQ with mac & cheese and coleslaw. This was such a great choice! The mac & cheese was hot and cheesy; the coleslaw was mustard based and light. The meat was very tender and only required a bit of extra BBQ sauce (I chose Memphis Sweet Sauce). And I had some sweet tea (don't be jealous, Laura).

While I was eating, another customer came in. She was a food producer from England! She works with Jamie Oliver! OMG, that was so exciting. Of course I chickened out and did not give her my card...I mean, what was I supposed to say? "Hi, I love Jamie Oliver. Here's my card?"

Sigh.

And then it was time to head back to the hotel, lose my camera case (obviously unintentionally), and head back home.

This was a great weekend getaway.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my recaps. I'm planning to do some actual cooking this weekend, so check in back later.

Last Breakfast in Savannah (1/20/09)

My last day in Savannah was Tuesday. I did not really have any plans other than to take a tour of SCAD, which started at 9:15 am. That meant I had to wake up early, check out of the hotel (I left my bag there) and find the SCAD building. And of course I needed some food.

The night before I was paging through a magazine and saw an ad for Harris Baking Company. Luckily, it was on my way to SCAD, and I found it without any problems. Tuesday was brutally cold and windy in Savannah, and I was happy to walk into this bright and happy looking place. Again, I was greeted by exposed ceilings, art on the wall, and an array of baked goods. I did not know what to get: I have a hard time making decisions, I know.

At the end, I decided to get a cup of tea and a cheese & ham croissant. The croissant was super buttery and flaky: delicious! This was just the perfect treat on such a day. Alas, I did not have time to come back and try some of the desserty things...maybe next time.

Room Service & 11:15 pm call

After a day of walking around Savannah, I was so tired. I probably also did not drink enough water (something that always happens when I travel). By the time I got back to the hotel, watched a bit of TV and took a nap, it was 6 pm. It was dark and cold, and I really did not feel like going out for dinner.

I decided to treat myself to room service, sit in bed and watch The Bachelor. That's exactly what I did. I ordered a steak dinner with rolls and salad, and it was pretty good! The Room Service people asked how I'd want to pay for it, and I told them to just put it on my card......

....well, I sort of forgot that when I checked into the hotel, I did not leave my credit card with them, but I did not think it was a big deal. I was snug in bed with TV on, when all of a sudden I get a call (on the hotel phone). It was 11:15 pm!!! Seriously? Was there a fire? Did someone decide to pay me a visit? No! They wanted to let me know that I did not have a card on file and would I like to pay for my food now. Hell to the no! I told them it was unacceptable to call so late at night and that I would deal with this issue in the morning.

In the morning, miraculously there were no charges. When I was checking out, I let the people know about my dinner fee, but they said they'll take care of it. Great! That meant I could buy a pair of earrings ;)

SOHO Cafe in Savannah (1/19/09)

For lunch I went to SOHO Cafe. This was such a cute place: exposed ceilings, art on the walls, painted tables: definitely not your every day cafe. My waitress was a bit odd, but I did not care much. I ordered their Southwest potato salad and Cuban Panini. The panini was great: plenty of cheese, meat, and mayo. The potatoes in the salad were a bit undercooked, but I felt hungry enough to eat them.

Monday Breakfast in Savannah (1/19/09)

Paige left early Monday morning, and I was tempted to stay in bed and watch the morning shows. But then I became hungry and thought I should go get some breakfast, and see more of Savannah.

Several of my on-line resources recommended Gallery Espresso. Just like most of the food establishments in Savannah, this was a combination of cafe and art gallery: many of the SCAD students display and sell their work here.

Since it was already close to 11 am, I decided to just get tea and a scone. I've never seen such an interesting tea apparatus before. You brew your tea in the upper part (see the photo below) and then put it on top of a cup, which releases some mechanism, and your tea pours into a cup. Fascinating stuff.

The scone was crumbly and just slightly sweet. Part of me did not want to go outside: it was such a cold day, but I did not even have a book with me and would have felt awkward just sitting in the cafe twimbling (?) my thumbs.

1/22/09

Dinner at The Olde Pink House (Savannah, 1/18/09)

For our last dinner together in Savannah, Paige and I decided to treat ourselves to dinner at The Olde Pink House, a restaurant located at an old house, which is pink! This place was highly recommended to Paige by her co-worker, and we were in for a treat.

Every room in the Pink House is decorated in a historic style, and every room is slightly different from the other. We were seated at an attic: it was dark, moody, and quite romantic: how fitting! (I am totally kidding!)

Our waitress was incredibly nice, and we were sad she had to put up with a guest who was being a total arse to her! This guy (in his late fifties, at dinner with his wife) was giving our waitress the hardest time because a server brought him a different salad than what he had ordered! He made the waitress recite from memory what the original salad should have been. A manager came over, niceties were said, and I'm sure they got a free meal. Anyways....

Since Georgia is known for its peaches, Paige and I ordered a peach martini: surprisingly it had no effect on me whatsoever, but it was very sweet, smooth and pretty. I bet I could have had a few more :)

This being our one splurge dinner, we decided to go all out: drinks, appetizers, entrees, and dessert!

For my appetizer I had half a dozen oysters on half shell served with lemon, horseradish and cocktail sauce. I was so pleased: the oysters were incredibly fresh and were served straight up on ice. This reminded me of the dinner I had with Anna in New Orleans at the Acme House: fond memories. As you can see, I had no problem finishing up my appetizer, and probably could have had another half dozen. But I restrained myself.

For the main course, I ordered scallops with mashed potatoes and a medley of green vegetables. This reminded me of a seafood restaurant I went to with Jenn during our beach vacation. The scallops were sweet, perfectly cooked through, and slightly caramelized on the outside. The mashed potatoes had a few fried scallions on top: so very good! The green medley consisted of French green beans, edamame and snow peas: see, I was eating my vegetables (not to mention a salad I had for lunch to accompany the wings Paige and I shared).

And then, of course, there was the dessert! I'm so not one of those girls who say "oh no! I'm so full. There was so much food, I cannot eat the dessert." Right...maybe that's why I'm not a size 2...but I hardly think it'd be worth it.

Stepping down off of my soapbox.

Paige's friend, who recommended this restaurant, specifically told her which dessert to order. Our great waitress also mentioned the same dessert. After hearing the other options, I agreed: we ordered a delicate cup made from pralines and filled with ice cream, mango puree and fresh fruit. As if this was not enough, the plate was drizzled with chocolate, and there was some sort of a sweet creamy thing on the plate as well. This was a perfect way to finish the meal.

If you are in Savannah, definitely check out this place for dinner. They are so well known, they don't even have a website!

First Breakfast in Savannah

Bright and early (okay, closer to 9 am) on Sunday morning Paige and I made our way to Clary's for breakfast. I first learned of this place in the Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil book that I started reading once I booked my tickets to Savannah (I have 10 pages left!). I also saw a few people recommending Clary's on line.

Luckily, we only had to wait about 10 minutes before being seated: we were hungry. Everyone in the cafe was super nice and friendly. The menu was quite extensive, but I knew I wanted something Southern. I started with coffee, while Paige sipped on her Diet Coke.

I decided to order Hoppel Poppel: just the name on its own sounded like fun. I've also never tried Kosher Salami. I wonder if they cook with Kosher Salami because of the proximity of Congregation Mickve Israel, which Paige and I eventually found. Paige had biscuits with gravy and two eggs.

I really liked my meal...and for the price, it was superb! This is really a very casual, low-key place. No need to wear your Sunday best. For dinner, however, we dressed up :)

1/21/09

Eating in Savannah, Day 1

First day in Savannah, GA was pretty chill (both in things we did and in the weather...good thing I took Anna's puffy coat with me). For dinner, Paige and I went to Vinnie Van Go Go's in the City Market area. I ran across this place in several sources as I was doing my research for the trip, and had high hopes!

Although the hostess was rather unpleasant, the food did not disappoint. This is not your fancy pizza place: the decor is rather shabby and dark, the chairs are metal and the tables are not very stable, but we were there for the food!

After ordering some cider beer (I'm becoming quite a fan of this beverage), Paige and I ordered two slices of pizza each. Vinnie Van Go Go's doesn't have a pre-set menu: you create your own!

Before I write about my creations, here are a few photographs of the pizza dough being tossed in the air! Let me tell you, it's hard work: I tried doing it for my Daring Baker's Challenge and did not succeed.

My first slice of pizza had pepperoni, artichokes, tomatoes and feta. The second slice had spinach, fresh mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes. The crust was thin and crisp (just how I like it); the cheese was perfectly melt-y, but I wish some of the vegetables (like mushrooms) were slightly pre-cooked (yes, Anna, I said that! I can admit you are right when it comes to pre-cooking some of your food). The slices were bigger than the plates, but we managed to finish our food. Alas, they did not have any Ranch dressing to dip the crust.

After dinner, Paige attended a $5 wine tasting at a local wine store. Unfortunately, not only was the guy administering the tasting not very chatty, but the wine was also not to Paige's liking.

To make Paige's taste buds happy (and I never pass by dessert) we went to Cafe GelatOhhh!, conveniently located in the same City Market.

This place is adorable: very cute and bright decor! It'd be a fun place to visit during the summer, but the cold weather did not stop us from tasting some of the gelato flavors.

I tried 3 flavors: mango (some of the best mango flavored "things" I've ever had!), hazelnut and chocolate: all superb! Paige tried two flavors and gulped it down with some tea :)

That's the ceiling! How pretty is that?