Moon River Brewing Company - Savannah, GA

The last place we visited on our recent trip to Savannah was the Moon River Brewing Company. The Moon River Brewing Company is located, as are many things in Savannah, in an historic building. It was built in 1821 and was the location of the city's first hotel and first branch of the US Post Office. 

The building is said to be haunted. (Savannah was named one of the most haunted cities in America.) A couple of TV's ghost hunting shows have stopped by to check it out. Moon River is also part of a haunted pub crawl.  

 

There are two menus at Moon River; the pub menu and a menu for their beer garden. We decided to eat inside so we ordered from the pub menu. 

Swamp Fox American IPA

Before we placed our food orders we tried the beer. The weather was warm in Savannah for the holidays, near 80. The cold beer was a treat. 

We started our food order with two Small Plates. Well, we tried to start with two but only ended up with one. The Devils on Horseback we ordered were not available on the day we were there. That left us with the Stuffed Mushrooms, which I happen to love. What can I say about stuffed mushrooms? These were tasty and hit the spot.

Stuffed Mushrooms - Mexican chorizo & bleu cheese,

topped with chipotle creama

The Dining Companion ordered the Sausage and Potatoes and I ordered the burger. Both were good. I did steal the grainy mustard from his sausage plate for my burger.

Sausage & Potatoes - Chargrilled polish kielbasa & Cajun

andouille, grilled onions, smoked

Gouda escalloped potatoes

& southern style cole slaw

Build Your Own Burger with lettuce, tomatoes and cheese with a side of onion rings

I tried another beer with my burger. A black IPA called Boo Hag. I really enjoyed this one.

Boo Hag Black IPA

We enjoyed this visit to Savannah. We hadn't spent the holidays there before and it turned out to be a great choice. Being a tourist destination insured that a lot of places were open over the holiday. We had no trouble finding places to dine and things to do while we were there.

If holiday travel is on your agenda for the coming year I recommend you give Savannah a look. It's a lovely city and a great place to spend some time.

Happy travels!

The Olde Pink House - Savannah, GA

I know the conventional wisdom. Dining out on a holiday can be a sucker's bet. I don't disagree. When you travel for the holidays like we do, well, all bets are necessarily off; you have to eat somewhere. Couple that with the short list of places that are even open on a major holiday and the odds are decidedly not in your favor. Usually. The Olde Pink House tipped that conventional wisdom on its head. The food was fabulous.

The dining room was really lovely. The understated decorations made it even prettier.

The Dining Companion and I had an early reservation and the dining room was still quiet when we arrived.

The Olde Pink House offered a prix fixe Christmas menu. The nice thing about it was the number of choices we had.

 

There were a few drink selections on offer. So we started off with a cocktail. I went with the Pink Lady and the Dining Companion had the Planters Punch.

Pink Lady

Planters Punch

With drinks in hand we took a few minutes to look over the menu. Our server delivered a bread basket to enjoy while we decided.

Corn muffins, yeast rolls and biscuits.

 There was so much to chose from.

For starters we went with the Fried Pork Belly and the Roasted Corn Chowder. Both were very good but the Pork Belly won the appetizer round. It was just about perfect.

Fried Pork Belly, sweet potato puree and fried collard greens. I mean come on!

Roasted corn chowder with Neuske's bacon and a lobster beignet

On to mains and yet more choices...

I decided on the Crab Stuffed Shrimp and the Dining Companion had the Grilled Kurobuta Pork Chop. The shrimp dish was great. Nice flavors, everything worked. But, but...that pork chop. It was fantastic. Really. Some of the best pork I've had anywhere.

Crab stuffed Georgia white shrimp, spinach & andouille sausage risotto with lemon buerre blanc.

Grilled Kurobuta pork chop, butternut squash puree brussel sprouts, caramelized shallots and Gala apple sauce - Incredible!

Finally we got to dessert and once again there were many great choices.

We had the Eggnog Cheesecake and the Pink Velvet Cake.

Eggnog Cheesecake

Pink Velvet Cake

The Olde Pink House definitely was not phoning it in for the holiday. They way exceeded my expectations. So much so that if I'm in Savannah again I plan to return there for dinner. If what we had was any indication we'll be in for a treat.

 Happy dining!

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! 

Christmas in Dixie

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope everyone had a great holiday (whichever one you celebrate!) and a very happy New Year.

I took a few weeks off from the blog. Well, to be honest it was more than a few. Thanks to everyone who stopped by while I was away!

The Dining Companion and I (and the 4lb-Wonder!) spent the recent holiday in Savannah. We spent the time doing what we do; walking, dining, drinking and shopping.

And due to some awesome weather we spent time outside in the sunshine. Of the three of us the 4lb-Wonder enjoyed the weather the most. She took every opportunity to drag the Dining Companion outside.

Thanks again for checking us out. Stay tuned for some Savannah dining fun. We enjoyed seafood on Christmas Eve, ate Christmas dinner in a colorful and some say haunted, old house and wound the whole thing up with burgers and beer.

Happy holidays and Happy New Year from our corner of the world to yours!*

*I may have just used up 2016's whole allotment of exclamation points. Oh well, in for a penny!!!

Carlito's Mexican Bar and Grill - Savannah, Georgia

Carlito's was another of the restaurants we visited on our recent trip to Savannah. I continue to be really happy with the location we stayed in. We were within walking distance of local attractions, restaurants and bars. Like I mentioned before, we parked the car and didn't move it all weekend. That's a big plus in my opinion and one I give high marks for when thinking about a place to stay.

On one of our many walks in the neighborhood we spotted Carlito's. The Dining Companion and I both like Mexican food so we stopped in for dinner.

You walk into a bright, colorful dining room hung with lots of cheerful artwork. And hey, check out that floor. 

 

 

We ordered drinks and looked over the menu.

Our waiter made a couple of suggestions. Based on his recommendation I ordered an off the menu vegetarian dish. The dish consisted of grilled vegetables with a very tasty sauce served in a molcajete. A molcajete is basically the mortar part of a large mortar and pestle. It's a preparation we've had before. It turned out to be a good choice and I really enjoyed it.

 The Dining Companion ordered the Carnitas.

Everything we tried was flavorful and the prices were reasonable.

Oh and one other thing. If you like your salsas hot and spicy you're in luck. I asked for something a bit hotter than the usual salsa and boy did I get it. Our waiter dropped off a bowl of some of the hottest, best tasting salsa I've had in a long time. I was so glad I asked.

There are a few more locations on my list of places to visit in Savannah. Hopefully we get back there so I can check them out.

Savannah is an old city with a young vibe. The mix of tourist, college students and residents feels vital and inviting. An old Southern charmer with a very vibrant spirit.

Happy travels!

Crystal Beer Parlor - Savannah, Georgia

I figured by the time the Dining Companion and I got to Savannah we'd both be ready for lunch. I was right. Once we got checked into our hotel and got the 4LB Wonder settled it was just lunchtime. Fortunately I had planned ahead and had our lunch spot picked out, Crystal Beer Parlor.

I didn't know much about this place other than the fact that it was within short walking distance to the hotel and they had burgers and beer. If it turned out to be a bust we weren't out more than a nice walk on a beautiful day.

Fortunately it turned out to be a great place for lunch. Many others knew this too and they all got there before us. We walked into the Crystal Beer Parlor to a pretty much packed house. We headed past the busy bar to the back of the room to find the hostess. We found her, and a throng of people waiting to be seated. A little disappointed we headed back the way we came. By some miracle there were now two empty seats, side by side, waiting for us at the bar. Score.

We ordered a couple of beers and looked over the menu. We decided on the Fried Stuffed 'Shrooms and a Classic Crystal Burger with a side of onion rings.

FRIED STUFFED ‘SHROOMS - Four Big White Mushroom Caps Stuffed with Gorgonzola, Parmesan, Fennel, Garlic, Sun Dried Tomatoes & Basil, Panko Coated, Served with Sweet Red Pepper Remoulade Sauce

THE CLASSIC CRYSTAL BURGER -  Half a Pound of Griddled Ground Chuck with
Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Mayo & Pickle

According to the locals that were sitting next to us, we made a good choice. The stuffed mushrooms, with all that cheese and tasty remoulade sauce, were a great start. The burger was perfectly cooked and the onion rings were light and crisp.

The Crystal is located in what was a family grocery store in the early 1900's. It became a restaurant and bar in the 1930's. Pictures around the bar depict scenes from Savannah's past. The building and interior are little changed since the original restaurant was turning out burgers back in the '30s.

With a name like Crystal Beer Parlor you would expect there to be a decent beer selection. You would be right. There are lots of choices here. Local and visitor beers on tap, a whole selection of Beers of Our Fathers and a selection of Rare, Unique and Tasty Big Bottles. Beer, they have it.

The menu is pretty diverse. Not in the mood for a burger? No problem, there are salads and sandwiches. As well as seafood and grilled lamb. No problem with everyone in your party finding something good to eat.

The Crystal was a good find. It's on my list of go to's when visiting Savannah. Put it on your list too. There are so many great places to eat in Savannah and this is definitely one of them.

Happy Dining!