Once we were settled into our hotel in Savannah, we began our journey to find restaurants we had read about on the internet. The first place I wanted to go was Lady and Sons. It was my 40th birthday, and I had made up my mind that was where I wanted to eat.  Our hotel was only blocks away. I recognized the red and white awnings as we approached, so I rushed over to peak through the window. Sadly, I was not impressed.  The buffet had a descent selection, and yes I realize you can order from the regular menu as well, but it just wasn’t what I expected.  I am a Paula Dean fan and still went into the store to buy sauces and “butt” rub, but I passed on dinner. On that note, you don’t need to eat at the restaurant to buy Paula Dean, her products can be found all over Savannah in various gift shops.

We moved on to try some BBQ, over at Barnes.  We tried the brisket, ribs and friend shrimp, with hush puppies and Brunswick stew as the sides. You walk up to the counter to place your order, and after a short wait they take it over to your table. There is a small bar with two good size flat screen tvs. The BBQ sauce was much lighter than back home. I had heard that in many places in the South they use mustard in the BBQ sauce and I am not a huge fan, so I already made up my mind the sauce wasn’t for me. I was wrong! The sauce was excellent.  Everything was great except the fried shrimp – we found the shrimp a bit overcooked, but what were we doing ordering shrimp with all of the great BBQ items being served anyway?

We took a trolley tour of the city, and ended the days adventures with a slice of pizza ($3) at Sweet Melissa’s, right across the street from Lady and Sons.

Have I mentioned yet that I like Savannah more than Charleston? I’m looking forward to exploring more of the city tomorrow!

Foodie Road Trip Day 5 is a post from: TasteForCooking

For lunch we went to Hominy Grill. Many famous people have eaten there including Anthony Bourdain and Anthony Hopkins.  There was a line outside when we arrived. After about 20 minutes, we were seated. The menu was not as varied as I expected. We ordered a variety of items again including corn bread, grits, fried chicken breast, a red rice omelet and a fried pork chop sandwich with chili on top.  The signature dish there is the shrimp and grits, but that plate was $16.95 versus an average of $7 to $10 on all of the other menu items.  The food portions and service were good. The food was okay – but my expectation was to be “wowed” after reading many rave reviews online, and I was not.

Later in the day we signed up for a Ghost tour of the Haunted Old Jail. It is a long walk from where you sign up for the tour to meet up with the group, so we would recommend you drive or take a cab. Prior to the tour we had a slice of pizza at a small pizza place called Andolini’s in downtown Charleston and a margarita at Hacienda on King Street.  The margarita was 60 ounces for just $7.99. Warm chips and salsa are complimentary.  We did not order any entrees, but they were all reasonably priced.

Foodie Road Trip Day 3 : Charleston is a post from: TasteForCooking