River House Seafood - Savannah, Georgia

The Dining Companion and I usually travel for the holidays and this past year was no exception. We spent the Christmas holiday in Savannah.

There is an Italian-American Christmas Eve tradition known as the Feast of the Seven Fishes. With a nod to that tradition we headed to River House Seafood for an early Christmas Eve dinner.

The River House is located on historic River Street. A cobbled thoroughfare that wends its way between converted former cotton warehouses and the Savannah River. The street is lined with antique shops, boutiques, galleries, pubs, restaurants and hotels. It's a touristy area filled with enough unique places to keep us coming back.

One of the things that the River House is known for is a signature drink, the Chatham Artillery Punch. The drink is named after the Chatham Artillery; the oldest military organization of record in Georgia.

Chatham Artillery Punch

 We sipped one while we looked over the menu.

We were there for seafood so we started with the Local Blue Crab Dip. Warm and cheesy and brimming with crab. We were off to a good start.

LOCAL BLUE CRAB DIP - parmesan cream sauce with house made flour tortilla  chips

The Dining Companion knew what he was going to order when we sat down. He was there for the shrimp and crawfish etouffe. It was delicious.

SHRIMP & CRAWFISH ETOUFFE - Rich & spicy tomato based roux mixed with crawfish meat & shrimp served over cornbread

I went back and forth but in the end I had the shrimp and grits. So good.

SHRIMP AND STONE GROUND GRITS a local favorite with country ham and roasted tomatoes in a butter reduction sauce, served over parmesan grits

While we didn't technically have "seven fishes" our dinner felt enough in the spirit of the tradition for me. We all have our own traditions; some we inherit, some we make up. Wherever they come from the best part of a tradition is sharing it with others.

Whatever your own holiday traditions may be I hope you got to enjoy them and share them with the people you love.
 

Happy traveling! 

Bay Breeze Seafood Restaurant - Marietta, Georgia

Image from Bay Breeze website

Bay Breeze Seafood Restaurant is one of the places the Dining Companion and I visited the last time we were in the Atlanta area.

Bay Breeze is a local place that, while not fancy, offers good food at reasonable prices.

Image from Bay Breeze website

Image from Bay Breeze website

We started with grilled jumbo shrimp. 

Then moved on to entrees.

Jumbo shrimp stuffed with crab stuffing

My favorite side is shown wrapped in foil above. It's a perfectly baked sweet potato. I love sweet potatoes and I'm always happy to see them on a menu.

We also ordered a mixed seafood platter. There was fish, clams, oysters and a couple of other items. I'm definitely a fried seafood fan. For those that aren't there are broiled platters available too.

Fried seafood platter - and no, those round things are not onion rings, they're hush puppies

There are plenty of options available for the non-seafood eaters in the party. Bay Breeze offers chicken, steak, burgers and a few other landlubber options.

There are daily dessert specials as well. The day we were there we had the chocolate cake.

The tipped over but still delicious chocolate cake

No matter where our travels take us we find it's a good idea to look past the chains and seek out something local. It usually works out. There's been a clinker or two over the years surely. But when that strategy pays off we end up at a place like Bay Breeze. Good food, friendly service and only available while we're local. 

Happy dining!

Little Daddy's Gumbo Bar - League City, Texas

Image from Little Daddy's website

What do you call a two location restaurant with franchise opportunities available? It's not a chain yet but might grow up to be one someday. Whatever you call it the Dining Companion and I had lunch there recently, Little Daddy's Gumbo Bar.

The space is nice; decorated with quirky murals and art pieces. Our waitress mentioned that the murals were painted by a friend of the owner.

I liked the tin ceiling, exposed brick and the overall color scheme. It all works to give the dining room a comfortable feeling.

Little Daddy's serves beer and wine

 

The main feature of Little Daddy's Gumbo Bar is their Steam Kettles. These are used for their made to order gumbos and seafood items listed on the menu as "from the kettles".

Steam Kettles

We looked over the menu and made our selections. The menu features, besides just gumbos, also burgers and po'boys. I decided on the Seafood Platter and the Dining Companion ordered the Cioppino. We got to watch the Cioppino being made in one of the steam kettles.

The shrimp and oysters on my seafood platter were cooked perfectly, light and crispy. Sadly, the fish I was served was overcooked. A few minutes fewer in the fryer would have made all the difference.

Seafood Platter - shrimp, oysters and fish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cioppino was really good. Clams, mussels, fish and shrimp all in a flavorful tomato based broth. Cioppino is an Italian-American seafood stew that has its origins in California. Despite that it's right at home along side the Gulf coast staples on the menu.

We finished lunch with the house-made bread pudding. The rum sauce was the star of this dish. The bread pudding was just ok. It needed a little more...something. Maybe vanilla and cinnamon? Next time I'll try the Red Velvet Cake.

Overall Little Daddy's Gumbo Bar was good. In fact we plan to get back here again to try the gumbo. It's an interesting concept and a unique way to feature what is being called Gulf Coast comfort food.

If you're planning to visit the Gulf Coast region make sure to try the local seafood. Whether stuffed into a po'boy, cooked up in a gumbo or fried to perfection, you really can't go wrong.

Happy dining!

To market, to market...Pike Place Market - Seattle, WA

The Pike Place Market's unofficial bronze mascot, Rachel the Pig

No first time visit to Seattle would be complete without a stop at Pike Place Market. We made our way there on an overcast Monday morning. It was fairly quiet and a nice time for a leisurely stroll through the market.

 

Beautiful fresh produce being set out for display

  

   

Yes, please

The had me at BBQ Pork Sticks...Delicious!

Crabs, shrimp, fish and more. The market has it all.

Not only seafood of course...

It would be easy to spend the day taking in all of the sights at Pike Market. There are candy vendors, bakers, fish mongers, artists, all manner of things to see and do.

We wrapped up with a few souvenir purchases and some delicious chocolate cherries from the Chukar Cherries store.

Photo from Chukar Cherries website

After walking through the market we headed over to the original Starbucks store. I wanted to see where it all began. While Dunkin' Donuts will always be my nostalgic favorite, there's a place in my heart for Starbucks as well. Many years ago, whenever my friends mom would visit from Seattle, she would bring us a few bags of Starbucks coffee. None of us knew at the time what a huge sensation it would become.

And with that the Great Road Trip of 2014 comes to an end. Three states and 1100 plus miles. Memories that will last a lifetime. It's not everyday that you can help a friend and cross things off your bucket list. I was lucky enough to do both.

Happy travels!