My wife and I are new to Georgia.
To be fair, it's been just over a year since we made our cross country move from Texas to the South of Atlanta--in a cute town called Newnan--but everything still feels very new to us. We're in a constant state of discovery. And with five- and three-year-old boys in tow at all times, we need to stay busy, whether we're at one of the many beautiful parks around the area or exploring new cities and towns across Georgia. There's so much to do and see in this state and we've loved every second of it. Of course, the city of Savannah has been recommended time and time again and this past weekend, we finally made the four hour drive to the city on the coast. It should suffice to say that it did not disappoint. Well worth every minute of the long drive (even with two impatient young boys asking "how much longer" every few minutes). There's a mystical vibe to the city, with its Colonial architecture and moss-covered boughs of ancient trees sweeping over the sidewalks. You feel as if you're walking among ghosts as you travel to the riverfront, down the steep, historical steps (with signs literally stating: Historic Steps/Use At Own Risk) and cobblestone streets. Only certain sections of Boston, New York and New Orleans made me feel this way; as if you're actually walking through history. Every building, street and park reeks with it. In good ways. The city awed me. One of our favorite aspects of traveling to any new city is the walkability factor. Savannah has this quality in spades. We stayed right across from the riverfront area and didn't use our car until we checked out of our hotel to head home. This city is insanely walkable. There was the "City Market" area, with large sections of street blocked off for pedestrians and lined by cute restaurants and pubs spilling onto the sidewalks with cafe style tables and seating. Or there's the River Walk, lined by the Savannah River on one side and dozens of seafood restaurants and gift shops on the other. There's so much to do, see and eat, but we only afforded two days to the visit, so this is what we did. DAY ONE Not having stopped for lunch during our drive and two o'clock fast approaching, we needed food, so we quickly picked one of the restaurants with a river view. I won't name the restaurant, since the food was just okay and not something I'd necessarily recommend, but the platter of fried oysters and shrimp paired with a couple of local IPAs was good enough that we were satisfied. Afterward, we just walked down the river, saw the old styled Steamboats that offered dinner, lunch and sightseeing tours and had a mid-afternoon dessert at BELOW ZERO where they flash freeze sweet cream mixed with various flavors on a freezing, stainless steel surface. It was definitely style over substance for me. The ice cream was quite good (I ate every bite), but didn't taste any better than many other ice creams. The experience of watching the ice cream made, however, was worth the visit, like a show before dessert. For dinner, we had all sorts of ideas of where we'd like to go, yet, like many things in life with kids, we had to face reality and be serious about where we could truly dine. All the "Must Eat" lists for Savannah, placed The Grey (more on that later), That Olde Pink House, Atlantic and Cotton & Rye toward the top, but we weren't entirely comfortable dining with a five and three year old at those spots. After much deliberation, we finally decided on a restaurant only a couple of blocks off from our hotel, called THE ORDINARY PUB. Yelp reviews placed it as Good for Kids and were almost across-the-board solid for the drinks, atmosphere, and food, so we took the chance on it. Boy, was that a good choice. After finding the spot on Broughton Street, a steep set of stairs took us below ground, making the spot feel like an updated speakeasy. That old world feel was intentional, with iron piping lining the walls and loosely hanging Edison bulbs lighting the dim atmosphere. It was cozy, the type of place I'd want to hang out day to day, like a hipster Cheers. There was a substantial beer-on-tap list, along with an interesting assortment of cocktails, but it was also the type of spot where you feel like you could just tell the bartender your tastes and trust them to produce the perfect drink. Unlike the name, the food was anything but ordinary. Elevated pub grub is the best to describe it, mixing contemporary tastes and new spins on old classics. Like Gumbo over Cheese Grits with delectable sausage stuffed hush puppies or the Short Rib and Kimchi atop bacon fried rice. For a hot summer meal, these were a bit heavy, but we ended up eating every single bit. However good those were, our favorite dish was arguably our appetizer, the Pork Belly Donut Slides, which is exactly what the name suggests: fall apart pork belly sandwiched between glazed donut buns. We also splurged on the upcharge for the side of Gouda sauce. So worth it, as I'm still tasting that perfect marriage of savory and sweet even as I write this a day later. At the end of the meal, instead of dessert, we ordered two more beers TO GO, which is a thing in Savannah. Like New Orleans, you're allowed to carry alcohol on the streets (as long as it's contained in plastic). Perfect for parents on a weekend getaway. I'm sure it can get rowdy at times, with that sort of feature to your city, but for us, it was absolute perfection. We plopped down in Ellis Square, our frothy, bitter IPAs in hand while our boys frolicked in the fountains and played with other kids. It was a perfect toast to the end of a well lived day. DAY TWO A gray colored sky greeted us the next morning. It was raining. Our ideas of leisurely strolling through the rest of the city were washed away, but with so many restaurants within a block or two of our hotel, we made the mad dash for breakfast. On our way to The Ordinary Pub the day before, we'd passed GOOSE FEATHERS, a French-themed cafeteria set-up solely focused on breakfast/lunch food. Everything was very affordable and solid food. We ordered a simple set-up of belgian waffles, eggs and bacon for the boys while we split and Everything Bagel with house-made cream cheese and a "Savannah-style" Eggs Benedict, which was essentially a traditional Eggs Benedict atop a croissant. Given the glowing reviews and recommendations of the brunch spot, I expected superb food, and walked away thinking it was just fine. It was affordable and the food was serviceable and pretty good. Nothing stood out, though, so don't expect fireworks. My wife and I were still recovering from out beers the night before (as well as a shot of whiskey procured from the hotel bar), so more coffee was a necessity. We stopped inside SHUGA GIRL, just across the street from Goose Feathers. I'm glad we did. There was a palpable eighties vibe to the coffee shop, with a mix of green and pink neon signage, gold lined decoration and wicker furniture, yet it was all updated and modern. It was like being inside a really cool, retro movie set. Everything was great. The ladies behind the counter were perfectly helpful and our cappuccinos were the best we'd had in a while. The only downside was the croissant we added to our order on a whim (we're suckers for a good croissant). Not that the locally made pastry was bad by any means, but it just wasn't what we expected--thicker, like a muffin, rather than the crusty, buttery croissants we typically enjoy. By that point, the rains abated a bit and were able to explore. We had a couple of hours before our lunch venue, so we made the trip up to the Colonial Park Cemetery, which is well worth a stroll through to see the fading tombstones, some dating back to our country's inception. The historical mansions along Oglethorpe and Liberty are close by, along with the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist and Flannery O'Connor's childhood home, and important destinations to see. By that point, the highlight of our trip was fast approaching, when we had lunch at THE GREY. Have you every built something up in your mind so much, and for so long, that there was no way that particular thing could ever stand up to your mental picture of it? Whether a movie, a book, a travel experience, or a restaurant, there are often things we build up like in that way. Reality just can't stand up to the Dream. The Grey was that thing for me, but let me tell you, the restaurant EXCEEDED my dream of it. As soon as the sixth season of Chef's Table appeared on Netflix, my wife and I watched it. We love this show and have seen every episode. The first episode of the new season featured Mashama Bailey and The Grey. Her story drew us in and by the end, we were already planning on a visit. Some day. (Fun side note, Mashama actually worked at Prune in New York City, under Gabrielle Hamilton, which is another favorite restaurant of ours.) The restaurant is right on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, so you're likely to pass it as you enter the city. It's a striking spot, with gleaming mix of shiny dark blue and gray and a massive neon sign to beckon you inside. A renovated greyhound station from the '30s, the designers certainly honored the original art deco style. Gate numbers from the days as a bus depot still adorn the walls. We lunched in the diner bar section at the front, which is only open for lunch three days out of the week, Friday through Sunday. I highly recommend getting there at the opening bell, 12pm, as we did. There are only three or four booths and fifteen or twenty stools at the sweeping bar, and it filled up FAST. By a quarter after, the place was buzzing, packed. Since we didn't know the next time we'd be there, we treated ourselves to half the menu. We ate through two rounds of Savannah Red Rice Balls, Ricotta Toast, Smoked Fish Dip, Fish & Grits, Big Dog, and an Eggplant Sandwich. It was all exactly what I wanted, new takes on classic Southern cuisine. If there's one restaurant you visit in Savannah, please make it The Grey. All in all, we had a wonderful time exploring Savannah, but two days just wasn't enough, so we're already planning our second visit.
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AuthorI am a writer. I write. Archives
January 2021
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