Food Tour of Savannah: Day 1

Recently, I turned 28. I needed a serious break from Orlando. Between work and freelance work and blogging and David and living with David etc. etc. I decided I needed a reward. I grabbed my best pal since I was four years old, Sean and we hit the road to meet our other best pal from high school, Jess in sweet old Savannah, Georgia. After a month of dieting and three months of fantasizing about physically fighting every person that wandered into my field of vision, I was going to spend three days eating everything in sight and spending money on simple pleasures.

And I sure did. Allow me to share with you all the culinary treasures and little miracles Savannah has to offer.

First, I would be amiss if I didn’t mention The Sentient Bean. As a person who can’t interact with other persons without at least a half gallon of coffee in my system, I feel like I can call a great coffee shop when I see one. The Bean is facing Forsythe park conveniently located on E. Park Ave. It’s unpretentious, friendy, delicious and offers a front and back patio. The “Shakeratto” became my best friend. I was also fortunate to try some of their made-fresh-in-house goodies. The quiche with vegan sausage was huge and seasoned perfectly. Every bite melted in my mouth and gave me a big hug. The strawberry bran muffin was a happy healthy treat with a sweet sugary top. My personal favorite, however, was the slightly spicy, mega cheesy salsa scone. I hate scones. Why the Hell do people like those rock hard baking reject chunks in the morning? NOW I get it. Suck it, cheddar biscuits. The Sentient Bean was a ground (pun happening here) zero for our trip. I was there at least twice every day and was always delighted to chat with the friendly boho staff. It made me long for a legit coffee shop in my neighborhood.

I feel like such a 90′s child for getting addicted to my 40oz. of Starbucks. The Bean was promoting local art, food, coffee, culture, music, comedy, you name it. It was perfect and I even brought home a pound of fresh Nicaraguan grounds for David.

After a coffee, we decided to pour a few beers into to-go cups (that’s a thing in Savannah) and take a walk to Jess’ next suggestion.   Green Truck Pub was some kind of an old timey drive-thru joint. Historical Architecture Red Tape makes it a huge process to alter ANYTHING built on Savannah soil so you can still see the old drive-thru menu. Anyway, you get it the picture; the building’s cute.

I had a local brown ale and a super deluxe burger. This burger used to be a cow that was happy and treated with no hormones and ate lots and lots of grass. It gave it’s life so I could smother it with gorgonzola cheese, caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms and a huge bun. It was perfect. It was the best burger I’ve ever had. Ever. In my life. Maybe it was the perfect storm of the cold weather and my only having red meat once in the previous 40 days but, it was wonderful. It was so good I ate the whole thing which is something that never happens. I even tried some of Jess’ pimento cheese burger and it was so comforting. The meat was seasoned perfectly and I was beside myself.

The Pub itself was fantastic. Everyone inside had a smile on their face. There were hipsters and the elderly and a family and a bunch of fat guys. No one looked the same but everyone looked happy. Perfect representation of Savannah.

Later, the three of us took a nap, got ready, and headed out to do what we do best when we’re together. Drink beer and be loud. We went to the usual mini slice of Brooklyn, Hang Fire Bar. Met up with some friends, listened to some great music, and even pet a dog. I like coming to that bar because of all the creature comforts it offers. Just show up and behave (or not). Just like BBQ Bar at home except more space and to-go cups.

We wandered around and Jess suggested we hit up the relaunch of one of her friends’ bars with a little swank. The Sparetime offered a menu of signature cocktails and a brand spanking new dinner menu. We were among the first people to try it being the first night it was offered. I loved this bar. It was dark (the way drunk people should be lit) and tons of seating. I decided to have one of their signature mixes, the Rose Zarem: House infused cucumber vodka (giant cuke slice included), rosewater, lemon and selzer. I could have downed these outdoors all day. So refreshing and clean! Sean ordered some Pork Rinds which were thick and crispy. I could actually TASTE pig, not just air and salt. I went with a plate of Leberkase – very unlike me. I hate pate with a passion but this was one of my favorite dishes of the entire trip. A huge slice of bacon pate, some house-made mustard and pickles and a few huge slices of toast. The pate was just slightly salty and not at all pasty. Thick yet light and airy, it was perfect with the pickles and spicy mustard which was just what I needed to warm up my sinuses after baring the chill outside.

The staff was super attentive and sweet and everyone couldn’t have been happier to hear positive feedback about the new menu. Day or night, I’ll definitely be back again and I can’t wait to try some more cocktails!

Drunk and freezing and on our way home, the only same thing to do would be to grab a slice. Jess took us to Sweet Melissa’s which was a teeny tiny place next to Hang Fire. At 2:20am, all that was left were the extra big pieces. Bring it on. As pepperoni pizzas go, this was amazing. What I really loved about the pie was that the entire bottom of the dough was covered in finely chopped herbs. It cut through all that grease and heavy cheese and really brightened up the flavor. After all the beer, I can’t believe I even noticed the extra detail. Worth it.

Day one ended with a snuggle session with two of my very best friends (and a lot of water chugging). We had to get our beauty sleep in order to hit the farmer’s market the next morning. Which you’ll hear about.