10th Annual Taste of Downtown in Savannah

Each year the Chamber of Commerce puts on a great event for its members, and the public, called the Taste of Downtown. It is a great way to get out and sample something special from the local restaurants here in the Savannah area, as well networking with fellow chamber members. This years event was held in beautiful Johnson Square and had plenty of variety for everyones taste buds. From casual to fine dining, it was there. Below is for the most part the best of the best that I ate. Some vendors were there that I didn't try just because I eat in their restaurants so often or the fare they were offering just didn't excite me enough to want a bite.

You can watch the news feature at the end about this event, in which I make a guest appearance in a drive by shot.

First up I tired the Braised Short Rib Slider Topped with Shrimp from The Olde Pink House. This was quite possibly the best dish I ate of the night and it was the first one out of the gate. It set the bar pretty high for everyone to match and only their sister restaurant, Garibaldi's, came close with their stuffed fried shrimp entry. This one was so good that I ended up coming back around for seconds.

Everything else was pretty good. The duck wrap was a nice bite. The ribs from a chef in Richmond Hill were excellent. The crab dip from another restaurant was spot on. The steak sandwich from Ruth's Chris was decent. But one other thing stood out...the cupcakes from Gigi's.

Gigi's has been one of our favorite guilty pleasures since they opened here in Savannah a couple of months ago. Bethany, the owner, has done an amazing job with her shop and these works of art are something to behold, and eat. Last night they had an amazing sampling of the mini cupcakes for everyone to enjoy at the event. These were far and away the best desserts of the night, and it wasn't even close. Every time I turned around Bethany was roping me back in and she let me know that the regular cupcakes would be arriving shortly. She gave me a couple for the road to take home to my wife, that is what you see pictured below. The one on the left is the Italian Wedding Cupcake and the other one is the Cherry Limeade Cupcake. Sadly only one made it home as I lost the Cherry Limeade one on a sharp turn. The cupcake went rolling onto the passenger side floor for the rest of the ride home.

For those that have never had a cupcake from Gigi's, find a location near you and get one today. You won't be disappointed at all.

Camping Grub...

Just a sampling of some of the good food we ate while camping in Stone Mountain this past week. The dessert is called "fried dough". Go figure. It was pieces of bread dough that are fried, brushed with butter, and topped with with powdered sugar and cinnamon. The pork butt was smoked all day long on a Big Green Egg and was absolute perfection. Also pictured are the fajitas we cooked one night and breakfast we whipped up another morning.

Another Tasty Meal from Driftaway Cafe

This really has become one of our favorite places to eat at and that is just what we did Saturday night. The crab dip is great and we substituted the bread for the fried wonton tortilla chips. These things are amazing and go better with this dip than the bread does. I then tried the Grouper sandwich and this was very good as well. I actually had a tough time finishing it because the sandwich was so huge. I would gladly order this again!

Loc's Chicken & Waffles

Chicken & Waffles are foods that most love, but foods that most would never eat together. Those are the people that are missing out. Loc's does this up right with 4 huge wings and a fresh hot waffle. They have many other things on the menu as well from breakfast staples to burgers and other sandwiches. However, it is the chicken and waffles that will have me coming back for more!

Grouper Melt from Captain Woody's

Not many things in this world better than the signature sandwich from Captain Woody's at Palmetto Bay Marina in Hilton Head. This is a beautiful piece of grouper that is fried and then topped with onions, mushrooms, and cheese. It is served on a fresh kaiser roll and I added some tarter sauce to it as well. This is heaven on a bun.

Spanky's Pizza Galley & Salon: Fried Green Tomato BLT

Bacon, Lettuce and Fried Green Tomatoes on Ciabatta Bread and topped with a chipotle remoulade. Came with a side of home made onion rings.

Lady & Son's Dinner....

Tonight we had a dinner party at The Lady & Son's here in Savannah. This is Paula Deen's restaurant and I must say, this was pretty good for a buffet. We were in the party room downstairs and had an open bar along with the buffet. I took a picture of the salad bar, however I refused to waste any of these calories on anything healthy. First plate included fried chicken, ribs, mac-n-cheese, lima beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, and candied yams. They also served cheese biscuits and ho cakes. The ho cakes are like a pancake, but are instead made with corn meal. I decided there was more to taste up there on the buffet, so another plate was in order. Black eyed peas, lasagna, more yams and another piece of chicken. Then dessert came out and it was peach cobbler. I washed all this down with several Chivas Regal's and soda.

Smokey Joe's BBQ in Darien....

Smokey Joe's is a damn good BBQ joint on I-95 in Darien (next to the Outlet Mall). You can find them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Darien-GA/Smokey-Joes-BBQ/83517033316?v=wall. I try to eat there anytime I am making a run up or down the interstate. I was also able to snap a pic of the pit today as they let me "behind the scenes", where the magic happens. Today I got the pork sandwich on a roll with fried Okra. The staff is very friendly and the prices are very reasonable.

Super Bowl Grub....

The spread included: Pulled Pork, BBQ Chicken , Artichoke Dip, Buffalo Chicken Salad Dip, Corn & Black Bean Salsa, Fried Mac-n-Cheese, Cookies, Brownies, Veggies, Grilled Corn on the Cob and lots of beer, wine, and booze.