SAVANNAH DAYDREAMIN’

General William Tecumseh Sherman’s March to the Sea

lasted one month and six days, culminating on December

21, 1864, when he spared Savannah and presented it, by

telegram, to President Lincoln as a Christmas gift.

And what a gift Savannah is—oozing with Southern

charm, steeped in history, and graced with 22 historic

squares that are adorned with live oaks tinseled in

Spanish moss. Copious monuments honor Savannah’s

VIPs—among them James Oglethorpe, founder of the

Colony of Georgia, songwriter and lyricist Johnny Mercer,

and Tomochichi, chief of the Yamacraw Indian Tribe, a

mediator who brokered peaceful relations between the

native Creek tribe and the British during the settlement of

Savannah.

If all that history makes you hungry for some authentic low

country cuisine, you’re in luck. There are multitudes of

restaurants serving top notch examples of shrimp and

grits, fried green tomatoes, fried chicken, and crab rice.

The first dinner Heidi and Zoe (the Paris duo), Stephanie

and I head to is located in the Starland District—named for

the Starland Dairy, and revitalized in the 1990s by

students from Savannah College of Art and Design(SCAD). Here, you’ll find a cornucopia of galleries,

boutiques, cafes and restaurants.

We begin our culinary journey at Brochu’s Family

Tradition, where our third waiter of the day is named Jeff

(where are the Calebs and Carsons and Carters?)

confidently guides us through the menu. With his assist

we order a half dozen raw Brochu dry mignonette oysters,

a half dozen Bama White Butter grilled oysters, Cheddar

Rillette giardiniera, a crispy chicken sandwich, and the

chilled crab dip with club crackers and green chilis—

served family style. Everything is outstanding,

scrumptious, and lip-smackingly delicious. The Cheddar

Rillette—in this case a spread very similar to pimiento

cheese with the added zing of pickled cauliflower is served

with a pillowy soft puffy bread similar to pita. The fried

chicken sandwich is next level—crispy, crunchy, and

perfectly dressed with sun choke hot sauce and

chamomile mayo and pickles. All the cocktails are

refreshing and fun. The best of the bunch is Zoe’s

Supermarket Swizzle, made with gin, passionfruit,

coconut, citrus and bitters—a drink reminiscent of a sweet

and satisfyingly cold ice pop slurped on a sizzling hot

summer’s day. We are all so blown away by this meal we

wonder if maybe we should cancel the rest of our

reservations and eat here exclusively until it’s time to

return home.

NOTE:

My mother always said you can judge a restaurant

by its bathroom. In this case, be sure to check out

the Fried Chicken Pin Up Wallpaper (Spoonflower)

and you’ll grasp the jovial, whimsical, convivial vibe

of Brochu’s.

Our next meal takes us to The Grey, a collaboration

between restaurateur John Morisano and Chef Mashama

Bailey. Located in a 1938 Greyhound bus terminal, with a

segregated past, The Grey bridges that past with this

present, creating something singular. To dine at The Grey

is to not only to have an outstanding meal, but to have a

cultural experience.

Bailey’s food is a celebration of her Port City Southern

roots, combined with her French culinary training, but it’s

also a space to reflect on where we stand as a country

culturally, socially, spiritually— then and now.

Our favorite dishes include the Corn Bisque, the Spatzle

with chicken carrots and peas (reminiscent of Heidi and

Zoe’s Viennese roots). Not ones to miss a carb at any

meal, we order the Parker House Rolls and, of course, the

chocolate cake for dessert. All something to write home

about.

Our last night in Savannah finds us back in the Starland

District where Zoe directs our attention to The Water

Witch, a Tiki Bar. Our server, MacKay, is a veritable

cocktail genius. With a few questions designed to read

your drink vibe, MacKay will have you imbibing your

absolutely perfect cocktail within minutes. My Pina Colada

Clarified Milk Punch was incredibly refreshing, just sweet

enough, and evoked the easy island breeze I was craving.

It was the usual mix of Pina Colada ingredients but the

clarified Milk is turned it into something else—all the

tropical flavors and none of the cloying sweetness. Water

Witch achieves this perfect balance in-house using a

historic milk clarification process dating back to 1763,

found in the letters of Benjamin Franklin. The process of

milk punch is similar to cheese-making, separating the

liquids from the solids to “clarify” the milk—making it clearer, mellower,

softer.

After our cocktails we head to Cotton and Rye for

another memorable feast—more shrimp and incredibly

cheesy, creamy grits and more crispy, fried chicken. The

standout for me are the honey cornmeal donuts served

and the Savannah Crab Rice which is a flavor bomb

with tasso ham and conserve and chili oil. I’m still

dreaming of it all. Savannah Daydreamin’