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Published 9-26-2019
You may go to Savannah for the history
and fun, but you've got to eat. So why not eat at the most fun and
interesting restaurants. As icing on the cake, many of
Savannah's restaurants have a historic background. Here are a
few I loved and why.
The
Original Crab Shack on Tybee Island has its own unique
history. It would be worth visiting for that alone but the
food is something else. Jumbo Georgia shrimp, big blue crabs,
clams, mussels, even crawfish from Louisiana, and all kinds of
fish will tempt your palate here.
We had the Captain Crab's Sampler Platter with boiled shrimp,
snow crab, rock crab, mussels, corn on the cob, crawfish,
sausage, and potatoes. It was some of the best seafood I had
ever tasted. If you're not a seafood lover, there are choices of
barbeque chicken or pork.
Not only is the food out-of-this-world
delicious, they have a few
unique "pets" you seldom find in restaurants. The staff makes it clear that the cats that prowl around are not
feral. They are family. One visited our table. She politely
stood about a foot from the table and gave us a look that
said, "I love seafood."
Naturally, I had to "accidentally" drop a scrap within her
reach. She daintily ate it all and then allowed me to pet her. I met
several of her feline family as I roamed around the Crab
Shack taking pictures. All were friendly but
not aggressive. If you're not a cat lover, they will not
bother you. Cats know who to hit on.
Then they are the other pets, ones with long tails and sharp
teeth. Fear not, the alligators are in a fenced pen. You can
choose to visit or not, but who passes up a chance to see lots
of large alligators swimming around a pond?
Last but not least, there are rescued birds. These are
kept in cages on the far side of the restaurant. Do not miss a
visit. These guys are brilliant, literally. Some might even
talk to you.
Clary's Cafe has a
place in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
movie and is mentioned in the book, but
it has a
separate story of its own. Remember the scene in the movie
where Luther Driggers sat at its lunch counter and plopped
down a bag of poison? In real life, former owner, Michael
Farber, says Luther actually sat at a table where the jukebox
is now. He always ordered, and paid for, two breakfasts although
he usually only ate one. The book's author, John Berendt,
visited often while writing the book looking for characters to
include. You might spot him there as he sometimes dines at Clary's.
When we lunched at Clary's Cafe we had to wait for a table
even though it had dozens of tables inside and some outside
ones. It is that popular. Surprisingly, it is reasonably
priced.
Once inside we saw a stained glass portrait of the Bird Girl and lots of other
"Midnight" memorabilia. It is dog
friendly and the kind of place you see locals as well as
tourists. There is an old-time drugstore feeling about the
black and white tile decor and the long lunch counter. No
surprise as that was how it started out over a hundred years
ago.
You can get breakfast all the time here so I tried the Greek
Omelet with spinach, tomatoes, feta cheese, and onion. It was
served with grits and buttermilk biscuits. It was good and so
huge and I couldn’t finish it. Don't know how Luther could
even think about two breakfasts.
My friend got the Grilled
Ruben. It was sliced corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut on
Caraway rye bread and served with fries and pickles. She got a
takeout box for her leftovers. You cannot go wrong here.
The Fat Radish is a newcomer in Savannah but has a sister
restaurant that is very successful in New York. Chef Nick
Wilber does something unique in restaurant practices. He
focuses on the vegetables and adds meat as an option.
We sampled a lot of the chef's favorites. The unusual
appetizers; shaved cauliflower with anchovy and mint and
dressed with roasted corn oil; grilled shishito peppers,
smoked soy and benne seeds; and local tomatoes topped with
chives and basil buds and dressed with buttermilk dressing
were all tasty, but the tomatoes were my favorite.
Our entrees also offered choices; roasted chicken with a warm
farro salad; grilled grouper with tomato and caper relish and
pine nuts; some veggie choices were braised carrots with
turmeric chutney, benne seeds and whipped goat cheese; and
crispy okra. My favorites here were the chicken and, for a veggie, the
okra.
Dessert choices were equally delicious, house-made donuts with
jam and banoffee pie. They have a full bar and the wine and
cocktails are nothing to sneeze at.
The building housing
The Fat Radish was built in 1875 and was
originally a pharmacy. The essence of the old building is
still present in its stone arches, large windows, and green
and white porcelain tiles that cover the floor at the
entrance. Inside there are exposed white painted ceiling
pipes, wood flooring, and green plaster walls that evoke a
natural feeling.
Cha Bella is housed in a red-brick 100-year-old building
that still sits on its original foundation. Inside the decor
preserves its heritage with exposed brick walls and beadboard
inner walls and ceilings. The floors are a shiny hardwood.
The food has touches of old Italy in its dishes with a Southern
twist. They were one of the first Savannah restaurants to
begin the Farm to Table Movement. If you order a dish with
some herbs it's likely they will pluck the leaves from their
own backyard. Cha Bella's chef-owner Michael Lacy says, "A day's
drive is the farthest that I will go to stock my kitchen."
That's why their menu changes with the seasons. There are two
appliances Cha Bella's kitchen does not need, a microwave and a
freezer.
The food is so tasty. Their boards and flatbreads are
scrumptious. We sampled the Flatbread with Burrata, roasted
tomatoes, basil, Parmesan, and prosciutto. It was as if we
were transported to Italy.
We sampled two of their charcuterie boards filled with jam,
honeycomb, assorted cheeses and Italian bread. Another choice
is an unusual pairing of food and whiskey. Bacon and Bourbon
Board filled with candied bacon, braised pork belly,
guanciale, and pancetta. It's served with three tastings of
13th Colony Whiskey made in Americus, GA.
For my entree, I tried Fettuccine Frutti Di Mare, a beautiful
mix of clams, mussels, scallops, and shrimp. It was topped
with Fra Diavolo sauce and had a slice of toasted ciabatta.
Cha Bella is a dinner-only restaurant. It is also dog
friendly.
For many of us, dessert is the most important part of a meal.
We had dessert at Leopold's
Ice Cream Shop. This year they are celebrating their 100th
anniversary. When you visit you might notice a lot of
Hollywood paraphernalia around. That ties in with their
history. (You can
read more here.)
One thing about Leopold's is it's always busy. Every time I
passed it during my time in Savannah, there were lines, but
they move fast. It has been a Savannah institution since the
three Greek Leopold brothers opened it in 1919. Savannah's most
famous songwriter, Johnny Mercer, grew up just a block away
and used to get his sweet treats here. His favorite flavor was
Tutti Frutti. Leopold's still carries the original Tutti
Frutti made with rum ice cream with candied fruit and fresh-roasted Georgia pecans.
Today's most popular
dessert is Savanna Socialite made of milk, dark chocolate ice cream, Georgia pecans, and swirled with
bourbon-infused caramel. All together they have about 23
original flavors and each month has seasonal flavors.
True to its roots, Leopold's has an old-fashioned soda
fountain and offers all those delights those of us of a
certain age remember. You can get a banana split, an ice cream soda, a float, hot fudge sundae, and even
sandwiches and salads like you used to order at the old five-and-dime stores.
I went for a chocolate ice cream soda and was delighted. It
was perfection right down to the cherry on top.
If you go hungry in Savannah, it's your own fault.
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