Before the tour started, we walked down to check out the Lady & Sons. It was CRAZY. The line to get on the list to eat was all the way down the block. They start taking names at 9:30am and they fill up lunch, then dinner (you don't get to choose when you'll eat, you just take what you get). We did not get into this line b/c with the tour we were taking, we got "Priority Seating". That basically means that we could call to make a reservation, as opposed to having to show up in person to wait in the line. That was a HUGE selling point for me for signing up for the tour.
On the tour, we made several of what the tour guide called "grazing stops". We got out and had little snacks at most of the places we went. Some of the stops were places that helped Paula back when she was making her start... and I think some of them are just her favorites.
We stopped at Back in the Day Bakery, which I think was my favorite spot. Turns out that Paula Deen just recorded a show with the owner of the bakery (it will be airing soon)... the owner teaches Paula how to make her famous Old Fashioned Cupcakes. So that is what I'm sampling here - it was TO DIE FOR:
We stopped at a couple of produce markets, the Byrd Cookie Company, and we ended the tour with lunch at Uncle Bubba's Oyster House - the restaurant owned by Paula and her brother. We ate off of the buffet and it was tasty. We managed to avoid any and all oysters. =)
But the absolute highlight of the trip was dinner at the Lady and Sons. Let me just tell you, it almost didn't happen. I tried to call the restaurant the day before our tour to see if I could get hooked up for the Priority Seating. They told me I had to have the card in my hand. So about an hour before our tour actually started, I called again to see if I could get our names down for a time to eat. The hostess said, "Sure... the earliest I have is 9:15". PM??? I'll be honest and tell you that I was a bit disappointed, but I'm not going to turn it down, right?
A bit later, we got on the tour bus and the driver proceeded to tell us all about the special VIP card for priority seating. People started calling the restaurant from their cell phones to make a reservation. THEY WERE BOOKED FOR THE NIGHT. Not only that, they were booked for lunch the next day, and the earliest thing someone on the bus got was 8PM the next night. WHEW! I sure am glad I called early... and that 9:15pm reservation was looking pretty good indeed! It really would have stunk to have driven all the way to Savannah and missed out on the real reason for the entire trip. =)
We went down to the restaurant a little early to shop at the Paula Deen Store before we ate. They have all sorts of Paula Deen products (spices, mixes, sauces, etc). All of the cookbooks in the store have been autographed by Paula. I think Falon bought one of everything in the store - it was funny. We ended up getting in to eat 30 minutes before our reservation and were tickled to death!
Before the meal, they serve you a biscuit and a hoecake. This was my first hoecake experience. I was a little skeptical about putting maple syrup on something containing cornmeal, but it was really good!
I ordered the Chicken Pot Pie, Gayle got the same, and Falon ordered the Crab Stuffed Shrimp (which was my other choice). I asked our server for his opinion between the two and he told me, hands-down the pot pie.
I wish someone could have taken a picture of our faces when they brought these pot pies to us... I know my mouth was hanging open. It was the biggest individual pot pie I had ever seen. The pastry crust on top was like the size of a 9" pie! I took a bite and I think my eyes rolled back in my head... it was that good. It was so rich and creamy and just... perfection. She shares the recipe in the original cookbook... but I'm not sure that it would ever taste as good as it did there if I make it. Joe's chomping at the bit for some of it though, so I may attempt it.
We finished off the meal with a bit of dessert. We were stuffed so Falon and I got the smaller buffet portions... me the Banana Pudding and she the Sweet Potato Gooey Butter Cake. Gayle got about 1/4th of a Key Lime Pie, and ate every last bite. She even licked the lime. It was great to see her enjoy that dessert... totally worth the trip just for that. =)
We hobbled back to our hotel and a kind stranger volunteered to take our picture next to this Christmas tree. Thankfully we had the best weather during our trip... I think the temperature ranged from the 50's at night to the 70's during the day. Perfect for walking around downtown. The hotel we stayed in is the closest restaurant to the Lady and Sons... it took us no time to walk there.
Here are the girls waiting outside the hotel for the tour bus to pick us up:
I wish we'd had more time to explore the rest of Savannah... especially all of the little parks/squares. The city was a photographer's dream... I kept imagining Jacob all dressed up and all of the pictures I could take of him. =) I am hoping to go back again someday...
1 comment:
oh, my! you made THE pilgrimage! :) what fun... so how much butter do you think you consumed while you were there?
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