Savannah

Tim and I just spent 5 days in Savannah, Georgia. I had lived there for 3 years (Tim and I about 1.5 years as a married couple) so it feels kinda like going home when we are able to go back.
We saw old friends and ate at old favorites, and we also tried new places that were not there when we were.

Two new (and very different) bakeries have opened since we left in 2001. At the first, we had lunch with our friends who run the music ministry at Christ Church. This was B. Matthews, right on Bay Street in downtown Savannah. Tim and I split a fried green tomato sandwich which was super. I have no photos, as I have not yet built up the nerve to take photos inside restaurants! We selected our desserts from their cases of baked goods -- I had a chocolate walnut bar which looked better than it tasted, and Tim had a big, gooey, honey-pecan sticky bun.

We tried a second bakery for our last lunch before departing. I had heard of the Back in the Day Bakery from its blog. This place is charming and bright and happy, and it was topped off by our getting to chat with Cheryl (an owner and blog author) for a while to discuss this world of food blogs. We arrived just at 11, when they start serving lunch, and were pleased to see a steady stream of folks come through as time went on. Tim and I split a huge (could not have eaten the whole thing alone) Jambon, Beurre, et Fromage... ham, gruyere, and butter on a baguette. Mmmm. We so wanted to take a loaf of one of their breads home, but we knew we did not have enough room left in our bag to carry it. There was a beautiful selection of cupcakes to choose from (look at their web site) and we shared an "old fashioned" cupcake (vanilla with a bright pink frosting) and a "chocolate heaven" which was as good its name suggests. I am not a frosting fan... and this was excellent chocolate frosting... made me want to get home to try the 2 fudge frosting recipes that I have wanted to test in my continual search for the best frosting. We left with a bag containing a molasess cookie and a chocolate chip cookie for our plane trip. (Ok, so the molasess cookie did not make it to the plane, but we were delayed for several hours...plus, we all know that there are no calories on vacation...)

We have decided we can declare the Savannah Tea Room as our favorite restaurant in Savannah. The first time we went there (1999) Tim leaned across the table and whispered, "Is it bad that I really like it here?" While some might think it is a "girly" place to relax over a pot of tea and scones, they have always impressed us with their soups and simple yet somehow complex sandwiches. They make the best egg salad, perhaps just due to the addition of chives. I've had a sweet and juicy heirloom tomato sandwich in the past too. This time I had a grilled shrimp salad with mushrooms, pears and feta (note to self; pears and feta are a great combo). Tim had pepper encrusted tuna over greens with roasted peppers. Their soup-of-the-day was a cream of broccoli, which was not really creamy, but very good. For the first time ever I drank 2 pots of tea! Their house special was called Emporer's Bride and was described as a black tea with pineapple, orange peel, thistle, and qunice. It arrived first by its fragrance, and the flavor matched its aroma. I brought loose tea home for some friends and myself to enjoy.



We are fortunate to have friends who have housed us the last 2 times we have been down, allowing us a true "home" base.

We were taken for a boat ride one afternoon and floated by Paula Deen's new home. Alas, she and her boys did not come out on her porch to wave hello... There was a line of people wrapped around the corner each time we passed her restaurant. While I do not believe the locals go to eat there, she has certainly expanded Savannah's tourism, as the local tour company even offers a Paula tour now!

After 4+ years we still very much miss Savannah. We'd love to offer our recomendations if y'all are ever heading down there.