Savannah in September

I just got back from a one week trip to Savannah and Charleston, and it was truly wonderful (especially the food)!  I will write about my Charleston eats in another post.

It amazes me that Savannah is less than 2 hours away from NYC by plane, and yet the culture and food are so different.  I started off my food adventures with brunch food – the best meal of the day, am I right?  I ate eggs benedict Southern style with gravy and two biscuits.  Don’t be fooled by the fried collard greens on top and the side salad.  This dish was very rich, but I enjoyed every bite.

Biscuits benedict is from Treylor Park

This was breakfast the following day – omelette with cheddar cheese, grits, and a biscuit.  Can you tell I love biscuits?  The biscuit was nice and fluffy, and while the grits were plain, they tasted good and balanced out the biscuit and omelette nicely.  I washed this down with a cup of coffee.

Omelette is from Clary’s Cafe

I cooled down from the Savannah heat with an iced peach and blackberry tea at Gryphon.  The restaurant is beautiful, especially the chandelier.

When in Savannah, you have to dine at the Old Pink House, or so that’s what I heard.  It’s definitely true.  This Georgian mansion serves up some tasty food in a beautiful setting.

I ordered the half duck with a citrus salad and Asian-inspired crepes.  The oranges and blackberries balanced the rich duck extremely well.

I also ate a side of mac and cheese, which was the best mac and cheese I ate on my trip.  The top was crispy, and I liked that the mac and cheese wasn’t too creamy but had plenty of cheese.

For dessert, I indulged in this scrumptious chocolate pecan pie.

My waiter at the Old Pink House recommended Collins Quarter for brunch, and I’m happy he did.  This short rib hash with an egg, micro greens, and asparagus was one of a kind, and I couldn’t get enough!

I also ate dinner at Paula Deen’s restaurant, which I did not like very much.  I do not recommend this restaurant for the food, as I found it to be not special, overly rich (though I ordered the salmon which I think was the healthiest thing on the menu) and pricey.  I think the restaurant is hyped up because the owner is a Food Network star.  I started off my meal with a complimentary cheese biscuit which was ok and a corn fritter which I found to be on the oily side.

Cheese biscuit and corn fritter from Paula Deen’s restaurant 

The salmon was ok, but I would not order it again.

Salmon with couscous from Paula Deen’s restaurant

What would my trip to the south be if I hadn’t ordered shrimp and grits?  Madness, no?  The shrimp and grits from the Public was tasty.  While the dish was on the heavy side, the sherry cream sauce was flavorful, and I enjoyed the peas and tomatoes as well.