Category: Restaurants

Savannah Dining: From Grits to Chocolates

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EATING SOUTHERN

You will not go hungry in Savannah.  Portions are generous to very large and shrimp and grits appear on almost every menu.  Other local favorites are fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese, ham and biscuits, and crab meat.  Here’s where we dined.

Husk

We had lunch in their upstairs dining room which was largely empty and pleasingly quiet.  Service was excellent and while we ate more than we had intended, we found the food delicious.  Their homemade pimento cheese with benne crackers and the ham and biscuit starters were both great.  We also sampled the roast cobia with sour grits and collard chow chow (slightly different) and the pastrami tongue sandwich (man-sized).  This is upscale sophisticated dining and the menu changes frequently.

Gryphon

This charming café, located in a former apothecary and set up like a library, is owned and run by SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design).  It is cozy and welcoming and a relaxing spot for lunch.  We enjoyed the very shrimpy shrimp salad, the crusted medallions of goat cheese on a mound of greens, and the salmon club sandwich.  Our delightful waitress was a current SCAD student.  

Six Pence Pub

For a change from just Southern cooking and because it was a cold day, we opted for comfort food at this English style pub.  The shredded beef pot roast with mashed potatoes, gravy and baby carrots hit the spot for two of us.  Our friends ordered the shrimp bisque and a salad and one of their hearty sandwiches; both were pleased with their choices.  And the Chief Penguin succumbed to the bread pudding with whipped cream.  Beer and wine, of course, were available. 

The Olde Pink House

First off, the pink house is a large mansion with a beautiful deep pink exterior.  Our hotel concierge felt it had become more touristy in recent years, so we lowered our expectations and were pleasantly surprised by how good everything was.  There are many dining spaces and ours was large and tastefully decorated, but noisy.  The maître d’ stopped by to ask how we were and would have re-located us had we insisted, but we had already ordered drinks and so declined.  

They specialize in Low Country cuisine and the menu is extensive with many choices of platters, appetizers, soups and salads, entrees, and sides.  Having had lunch out, we ordered mostly appetizers and salads.  The shrimp, crab and sausage spring rolls with honey mustard drizzle were delectable as was the sautéed shrimp in ham gravy with a cheddar cheese grits cake.  

Equally pleasing was the BLT salad:  fried green tomatoes, bacon, and lettuce with a buttermilk thyme dressing.  Their rendition of a chicken potpie was not as satisfying as the one at the 1540 Room, this from a lover of potpies. 

Vic’s on the River

This is a very popular restaurant and given its location was crowded and busy the night we dined here.  Pluses:  excellent jumbo lump crab cakes with Parmesan risotto and baby arugula, tasty meat loaf, reasonable sized portions (except for the humongous wedge of meat loaf), and nicely presented romaine wedges with cherry tomatoes and cucumber slices on the side.  Minuses: Very noisy and we felt a bit processed, read hurried, by the wait staff.

Edgar’s Proof & Provision

Wall of bottles in the bar

Bar cum dining venue in the De Soto Hotel.  Noisy, but the drinks and the food were very good, especially the seafood chowder, fish tacos and chicken wings.  Also, the wicked garlic chips with chipotle dip.

1540 Room

Breakfast and dinner venue in the De Soto Hotel.  We had breakfasts here and one dinner on a rainy night.  The skillet chicken potpie was excellent.  One of our group also had their version of shrimp and grits.

SWEETS

Other than the bread pudding the Chief Penguin enjoyed one lunch, we skipped desserts.  That said, we are chocolate lovers and so could not resist stopping in and then purchasing a few truffles at Chocolat by Adam Turoni.  In 2011, this millennial brought a box of his own homemade chocolates to his dinner hosts and, from there, was born this firm.  

Turoni’s flavor combinations are innovative, his creations beautiful to look at, and even better to taste.  The shop we visited, one of two in the city, is modeled as a library with shelves of books interlaced with shelves of chocolate.  You pick up a tray, a bit like an old-fashioned card catalog drawer except narrower, and walk around filling it with the chocolates you wish to purchase.  The truffle flavors range from Mint Julep Truffle to Coconut Meltaway with white chocolate to a Café American to Blood Orange and more.  Double yum!

Note: Photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).

Tidy Tidbits: Friendship & Food

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FRIENDSHIP

The experts say, and I’m inclined to agree, that the older we get, the more we appreciate and value long-term friendships.  I now have close friends I have known for more than forty years and some more than fifty.  We recently had lunch with my girlhood friend and her husband.  I’ve known J. since we were in 4th grade.  She lived across the street from me for some years, and I was in and out of her house, much quieter than my home.  We played together, compared and competed on grades through high school, and often discussed and debated the differences between her religion’s Catholic teachings and my Protestant ones.  

Through college and into our 20’s, we had opportunities to get together, but then, didn’t see each other for several years at a stretch.  We kept in touch at Christmas and birthdays and through sightings by our mothers or our families.  I got to know several of her aunts and uncles and cousins and she my three siblings.  Later on, I and the Chief Penguin attended her wedding and then rejoiced with them when she and B. adopted a daughter.  Other than the Chief Penguin and my siblings, she has known me longer and better than anyone else.  Our mini reunion this week was a happy event, and we picked up right where we left off the last time!  We parted, vowing to be in contact more frequently. 

DINING AROUND

Bradenton Buzz—Chateau 13

Chateau 13 is a relatively new wine bar and restaurant in downtown Bradenton and it’s a winner!  Offering sophisticated and inventive fare, it’s worth a visit.  There’s bar seating, high top tables, and then a smallish dining room with standard seating.  They don’t take reservations, and by 5:30, shortly after they open, the dining room was full.  The menu has light bites, small appetizers, and full-size entrees.  For the bites and appetizers, think tapas.  We stuck to these sections of the menu and sampled some Parmesan truffled popcorn (fun!), Calabrian chili shrimp with broccolini, beef tournedos with foie gras, croquettes with prosciutto and a Caesar salad.  These are small portions so if you are very hungry, try an entrée. The shrimp, tournedos and croquettes were all superb!  Nice selection of wines by the glass too.   Closed Sunday and Monday.

St. Pete Beach—Leverock’s Great Seafood Restaurant 

Leverock’s is in the South Pasadena section of St. Petersburg and a great spot for lunch or dinner.  We met friends there for lunch and Tabitha, our waitress, greeted them warmly as they are regulars when they visit Florida.  Leverock’s fish is very fresh, and they have a wide selection prepared in a variety of ways, from sandwiches and wraps to salads to entrees with rice and veggies.  Two of us tried salads, the black and blue one with rare tuna and a Caesar salad with a perfectly grilled piece of salmon.  Our friends ordered their favorite salmon entrees.  Service was friendly and efficient.  Worth another visit.

Note: Header sunset photo ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).

Florida Frolic: St. Augustine

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FLORIDA FROLIC:  ST. AUGUSTINE

In our quest to become better acquainted with our home state, we’ve been taking short trips to cities not that far from us.  For the last two years, we and good friends made a December trip to Winter Park to visit the museums, cruise on the lake, and sample the local eateries.  This year, our destination was St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States, located on the east coast, and about four and half hours away.  Christmas was the theme and there were several decorated trees in the square, plenty of holiday lights, and an overall festive feel.  

St. George Street is pedestrian only and the main drag in the historic district.  To be frank, our initial impression was a negative one.  Too many souvenir shops, too many hokey “historic” sites, and a plethora of pubs and bars.  It seemed a combination of Lake George Village and the worst of the Jersey Shore.  Add to that our inauspicious lunch at the Bull & Crown marked by glacial service and, with the exception of the delicious sausage rolls, food that was just average.

With a bit more poking around, life improved.  We discovered some attractive shops and galleries, we toured the main Flagler College building which was formerly the very luxurious Hotel Ponce Leon, and we signed on for an Old Town Trolley excursion around the city.  

Fountain in courtyard at Flagler College

This hour and a half ride (you can get on and off at any stop all day long, but we didn’t) gave us a good feel for what’s here—from the Fountain of Youth Park to the first Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum, to the distillery, to the historic fort, to several architecturally distinguished churches, to the Lincolnville Neighborhood with its distinctive frame houses.  Our trolley drivers made too many references to discounts and which attractions were free, but otherwise they were informative.  

Given that we like good food, we selected restaurants ahead of our arrival.  The two dinners and our second lunch were all delicious.  Here’s where we ate. We’d happily return to any one of these restaurants.

Collage.  I’d call their food continental, rather than French.  In any case, the small dining room is an elegant coral-walled space and the dinner service was most professional.  Several of us had the yummy carrot datil bisque to start followed by bronzino on a bed of spaghetti squash and couscous with cherry tomatoes.  Others enjoyed the superb black grouper and the diver sea scallops.  Datil peppers, hot like Scotch bonnets, are grown locally. 

Black grouper entree

Sangrias Wine & Tapas Bar. We were the only diners at Sangrias at lunchtime, but the food exceeded expectations.  We ordered the chicken pesto wrap and the crab cakes with salad along with a few beers. Our food appeared quickly and everything was tasty.

Catch 27.  This is a casual place that serves excellent food, all very fresh.  We dug into the trio of dips (guacamole, pimento cheese fondue, and pico de gallo) with chips to start.  The guys began with Minorcan seafood chowder, and then we were on to flounder with risotto and sherry cream and red sorrel that was amazing, buttermilk fried chicken, and fish tacos with a house salad.  Everything was supremely good!

Penguin cheer

St. George Inn.  We stayed overnight here (this hotel consists of six buildings around the historic area) and found their wine bar, Bin 39, most inviting in the evening.  It was also the breakfast room each morning. We were pleased that the small buffet included bagels, croissants, bread, cheddar cheese, sliced ham, and salami with a selection of jams and spreads.  Just about perfect to begin a day of sightseeing!

Note: Photos and text ©JWFarrington.

Tidy Tidbits: Out & About

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ENDLESS SUMMER

This is so far a strange November.  We’ve changed the clocks and it gets dark early, but the sun is still hot during the day and the mercury scrapes 90.  Overnight it doesn’t get really cool (still low 70’s) and the days are sticky humid.  Usually by now, the local paper has had at least one article touting the arrival of “sweater weather.”  Coming from up north, I like the ring of that, but no one is wearing sweaters here yet—and we continue to go to the pool in the late afternoon.  

Ah, it’s lovely, but will summer ever end?  I’m pining for fall or at least Florida’s version of it.  But this morning, my wish was granted—60 degrees and no humidity. Finally!

OUT AND ABOUT

Last Sunday, we went to a concert series new to us.  It brings to Sarasota rising young classical performers. This particular concert featured an outstanding 20-year-old cellist and a very accomplished pianist.  

Zlatomir Fung (theviolinchannel.com)

The cellist, Zlatomir Fung, was the first American in decades to win first place in the Tchaikovsky International Competition. Pianist Angie Zhang studied at Juilliard and now teaches there in addition to performing around the country.  Together they played several of Beethoven’s sonatas for cello and piano in the second of two concerts.  It was superb, and we felt fortunate to have such a variety of music in this area.

DINING—POSH AND CASUAL

Shore on Longboat Key is the sister restaurant to Shore at St. Armand’s Circle.  It’s in a new fancy building with a variety of dining spaces inside and out.  In either case, you are likely to have a view of Sarasota Bay given the great expanses of glass.  It’s a high concept place, swish in décor, with some sophisticated, very good food.  We went early, shortly after they opened, and the demographic was largely retired folks.  By the time we left, the crowd was livelier and younger.   You can arrive by land or by water.  

Lovely fish entree

The Chief Penguin and I shared the generous calamari appetizer which was more of a salad with cabbage, peanuts, and spices and very tasty!  I ordered the sea bass entree which was exquisitely beautiful and delectable.  Prices are somewhat higher than other area venues.

Swordfish Grill, on the other hand, is down home casual.  Located on the water in Cortez, it frequently has live bands. Seating is on the outside deck or inside at a mix of booths and tables.  We hadn’t been here in awhile and were pleased to re-discover that the food is very good.  Among our group of five, we sampled and enjoyed the crab cake, scallops, pompano, and the swordfish bites.  Despite the name, swordfish is not on the regular menu!  The accompanying cole slaw was fresh and the French fries crisp and not soggy.  Wines by the glass and several kinds of beer are also available.  This is a good place for a group, but can be noisy if you’re planning on serious conversation.

RECENT READING

Ecstasy by Mary Sharratt

Alma Mahler (telegraph.co.uk)

This new historical novel focuses on musician and composer Alma Mahler and the many loves in her life, but especially on her relationship with her husband, eminent composer Gustav Mahler. She had affairs of the heart both before him and after, but Gustav captivated her.  When she married, she agreed to give up music to dedicate herself to his career.  Despite their mutual love, the loss of her own music was crushing. In an era when women were expected to be subservient wives and mothers, Alma was greatly conflicted as she tried to meet Gustav and society’s requirements.  A compelling portrait of an ebullient, anguished and extremely passionate woman.  (~JWFarrington)

Note: Text ©JWFarrington.