I looked over the online menu for Olde Pink House before we headed into Savannah from Tybee and had decided that my appetizer would be Blue Crab Beignets, Creamy Old Bay & Lemon Dipping Sauce. As it turned out, that was not on the menu in the restaurant, so I had to pick another. The one that crossed my lips turned out to be a good choice … Fried Green Tomato with Applewood Bacon Sweet Corn Cream.
My entrée choice was subject to a John Sebastian moment. You know. Did you ever have to make up your mind? Pick up on one and leave the other behind. The choices:
Bourbon Molasses Grilled Pork Tenderloin, Sweet Potato with Pecan Vanilla Butter and Collards
versus
Pecan Crusted Chicken Breast, Blackberry Bourbon Glaze, Sweet Potato with Pecan Vanilla Butter and Collards
That decision turned out to be easy. I ended up pickin’ the chicken.
I topped it off with a cup of coffee. They serve Royal Cup from Alabama, and I must say it was excellent. I had never heard of them, so I looked them up on the web after we got back to the island. It looked like it costs over $8.00 per pound to order it online. Though the Bama brew was quite good, I think I’ll keep ordering my Community Coffee from Baton Rouge. Ordering in quantity and waiting for free shipping offers, I stay in the $6.00 to $7.00 range. Still it was good to have a good bold cup after the wonderful meal I enjoyed.
Claiming she was stuffed from all of the good meals we’ve already had on this vacation, Suzie steered clear of the entrées opting for a salad (Mixed Greens with Caramelized Apple, Pecan, Goat Cheese Fritter with Champagne Citrus Vinaigrette) and an appetizer (Pan Seared Jumbo Sea Scallops with Savory Sautéed Spinach). She was smiling after her plates were cleaned.
She will think it is over the top to write about a meal. As a Yankee girl from Illinois, that’s understandable. Being brought up in the Louisiana food culture, if you ain’t eating a good meal, you’re talking about one or thinking about one or remembering one you’ve already had. It is the nature of the food beasts of my homeland.
As I’ve mentioned before, I try to expose her to things Southern and foods Cajun and Creole. Why I’ve already taken her to Graceland once so she can get a grip on what we Southerners are all about. Bless her heart, she is a quick study and has mastered many Louisiana dishes, and I think she does the best fried okra I’ve ever had.
I know some of my Louisiana friends will be alarmed to see me write this, but one of the reasons Savannah and Tybee are so appealing to us is that the food is similar and comparable, yes comparable, to that found in the banana republic of my birth. One of the main differences is that they use grits in a lot of cases where we might use rice.
I’ll have more to report from the front tomorrow. We’re having lunch tomorrow at Sundae Café with Jim Heflin of Tybee Cottages, our annual host here in heaven’s suburb. The have a mayor and city council and people responsible for tourism here, but they have no better ambassador for the delights of this Mecca of relaxation than Jim. As a purple-and-gold bleedin’ Tiger fan from Baton Rouge, I even cut him slack for being an Ole Miss Rebel. I know that lots of my Southern friends will be impressed to learn that Mr. Heflin was a high school bud of Lewis Grizzard, the late and great columnist and humorist.
Stay tuned, I still have to tell you more about Sundae Café, and then there's Breakfast Club. Mmm.
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