Sunday, May 24, 2009

Five Sixty

Katie and I took in brunch at Wolfgang Puck's new place, Five Sixty. It opened in late February and we have tried to visit many times, only to find reservations were already filled. This place is busy! We finally squeezed in brunch this Sunday.

Like Antares before it, however, I think that Five Sixty relies a great deal on atmosphere. Not that the food was bad, mind you. In fact, several dishes were delicious. However, on the whole, it was not worth the $35 ticket price plus $12 per drink.

Since it is Asian based, part of their menu displays this talent. There was a very good Chinese Chicken Salad that had candied cashews. They had an elegant run of typical breakfast foods: blueberry pancakes, cheesy/scallion grits, mascarpone and almond stuffed French toast, bacon, and an omelet station. There was also a yummy homemade honey-yogurt and granola parfait. They had some a-typical dishes like their honey-licorice glazed pork chop and their ten vegetable fried rice. And while it was good, it didn't blow our socks off. For that price, we feel like it should. :) Just our humble opinion, of course. And honestly, you can't beat the view. Here are some pics...take a look for yourself:

Peach Bellini
Mascarpone French Toast
Yogurt parfait, Blueberry pancake, Maine Lobster and Shrimp Spring rolls, and Chinese Chicken Salad...plus the amazing view!!

Monday, May 11, 2009

Dish On The Road: Savannah - The Lady and Sons and Uncle Bubba's


I had one request on the list of things to do in Savannah, and that was to eat at The Lady and Sons...my wish was fulfilled.
To get in the door for lunch or dinner, you have to get in line in the morning. The hostess stand opens at 9:30 and they start taking "reservations" at that point. The line went half way around the building, but once the hostess started taking names, things started moving.


We signed up for a lunch reservation.
Katie and I decided to try the buffet because we wanted to sample a little bit of everything. Mom ordered a cup of the she-crab soup...which was delicious!
When you first sit down, they immediately bring you a corn meal pancake and a cheese garlic biscuit. Both are to die for.


We then made our way to the buffet line and sampled every single thing we could get our hands on: fried chicken, collard greens, Lima beans, green beans, black eyed peas, creamed corn, sweet potatoes, sausage and rice, macaroni and cheese, etc...



We went out in style with the dessert trifecta. We couldn't decide on one, so we went with everything they were offering: peach cobbler, banana pudding, and a gooey chocolate chip butter cake. Wow!! What a day!!


We even took our picture with Paula (kind of)! The restaurant is situated next door to the Paula Deen store, so I picked up a few novelties before heading off to the next thing!





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Later on in the trip, we tried on Paula's brothers place: Uncle Bubba's Oyster House.
This place had a much neater atmosphere and wasn't nearly a hectic! We stopped in there after visiting Tybee Island. It is situated down in a marshy area with a large outdoor seating area where mom spotted a real live raccoon.



We had cocktails and fried pickles here, but everything was tasty and laid back. I would definitely try it out again if I found myself back in Savannah.



Dish On The Road: Savannah - The Olde Pink House

If you could only make one stop in Savannah, however, without a doubt, hands down, put The Olde Pink House on your list.
We stopped into the downstairs Tavern part of TOPH after our Ghost Walk Tour one evening. Apparently the bathrooms in this joint are haunted....didn't stop us from trying them out.

The Tavern serves all of the regular menu food, but it is a much more casual atmosphere. The night we were there, we enjoyed a piano player and the best service from a nice water named D. He immediately brought us a bread basket with tiny biscuits, tiny corn muffins made with real corn, and whipped butter.

We split several apps that night, and we weren't disappointed!

(the lump crab hush puppies)

(bacon whipped mashed potatoes)

(sauteed local shrimp with country ham gravy and cheddar cheese grits cakes)

We went back the following night for a 9:30 reservation, and we never revisit spots...we are always on to bigger and better spots. However, this one had us slowing down and eating late.

The second night Katie had a bowl of the Low Country She-Crab soup laced with Sherry and an order of the mashed potatoes.



Mom revisited the shrimp with country ham gravy and cheddar grits cakes again. They were absolutely scrumptious. It is a MUST TRY!!! item.



I had the Caramelized Vidalia Onion with Sweet Potato Ravioli with a Savory Pecan Cream Sauce and it was so delicious I cleaned my plate!



The only ghosts we saw that night were the ghost of our skinnier pasts...

Dish On The Road: Savanah - Huey's On The River


For breakfast the next morning, we found ourselves on the River Front.
Huey's was a cute little place with lots of windows and a cute little fountain out front, so we made our way inside...so glad we did. This was, by far, one of the finest treats we had!!

We started off with coffee for mom and Kate, soda for me.
We progressed into the beignets complete with praline sauce. I am not even sure that there are words to describe this masterpiece. Beignets alone are out of this world. With this sweet concoction on top...wow!!

I ordered some bacon that no one wanted, but everyone sure ate!! It was just the right amount of crisp and delicious.


We ended with cheesy grits. Katie fixed them up with butter, salt, and pepper, a wonderful flavor combination!!

This sustained us all the way through the trolley ride until dinner...minus a stop at Savannah's Candy Kitchen for a real praline. When you walk in, this place smells like Heaven AND they give free sample!! It can't be beat!!


Dish On The Road: Savannah - Garibaldi's Cafe


So we rolled into Savannah at about 10 on Thursday night and it was practically a ghost town. The wings place was open and the pizza place was open, but these Dallas girls are into haute cuisine...neither of which fit the bill.

While we strolled around, we happened upon Garibaldi's Cafe. My understanding is that several of the restaurants in town are owned by the same group; this was a great place to start.

We each had a glass of wine. They brought us some fresh, hot bread with olive oil for dipping. I thought the olive oil was a little bitter. Mom, who normally hates olive oil with bread, thought it was delicious.

We moved on to split the crab cake appetizer. This was served with pickled onions and cucumbers and was very, very tasty. The combination of tart-y and salty was a sure winner.



We split the crispy seared flounder paired with an apricot shallot sauce. This must be a Savannah fav because we saw it on a few different menus. It is unique for sure, and if you ever find yourself down in Savannah, be sure to try this dish.
When they deliver it, you almost half to look away (and I'm so sorry that this picture doesn't do it proper justice) . It is a whole fish that is cut up in a diamond pattern. You use your fork to dislodge the tender white meat from the fish skeleton. It sounds gross, but it was so good!! The seasoning was just perfect and the apricot glaze was delicious.


Garibaldi's was a great place to kick off our culinary frenzy!!

Monday, May 4, 2009

Palomar Happy Hour

So, Emily and I spotted an article in Daily Candy last week that featured the Palomar for crispy fried prosciutto. Of course we were going to try it! Who can resist that?






We first ordered drinks. I had a mexican sunrise which was tasty- kind of like a pink margarita on the rocks. Emily had a rhubarb soda. She thought it was really good. In any case, they were a nice midday treat! Then we ordered the crispy prosciutto which came with a bbq dipping sauce and an avocado mayo dip. They were filled with 3 different kinds of cheese. They were nothing short of amazing.


We also spotted corn and lobster fritters on the menu. They came out with a mayo dipping sauce as well. They reminded us of hush puppies. Not bad, but we probably wouldn't go back for the fritters.


We recommend heading over to try a delicious cocktail with some of the prosciutto! Yum!