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Welcome to Savannah, America's Most Beautiful City
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By Cima Star |
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Few eating establishments say SAVANNAH! quite as loud and clear to me as Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room, formerly known as Mrs. Wilkes' Boarding House. Crowds of people, locals and visitors alike, have been lining up on Jones St. to gorge themselves on the Southern Charm and legendary country fare of Mrs. Sema Wilkes' home cooking for nearly 60 years. For those of us who are impatient with lines, you can call in advance and order to-go, take your bounty and enjoy it in one of the nearby squares. Whatever you do, sample the fried chicken! It's worth a trip from anywhere!
Mrs. Wilkes' cooking has attracted worldwide recognition and awards from Southern Living, Conde Nast Traveller, and Georgia on My Mind magazines. Her cookbook, Mrs. Wilkes' Boardinghouse Cookbook: Recipes and Recollections from Her Savannah Table has been read and used by cooks around the nation and abroad. When Mrs. Wilkes passed away last October, all of downtown Savannah was in mourning, and the restaurant remained closed for another four months due to personal reasons of the family. However, it recently re-opened to joyous crowds happy to wait in line for a taste of the famous fried chicken, beef stews, roast pork, collard greens, sweet potatoes and butter biscuits, to name just a few of the delectables still prepared and served by her family and long-time cooks.
Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room
Elizabeth's on 37th St. Elizabeth's is the Grand Old Dame of Savannah restaurants. Housed in a stately Greek Revival turn of the century home manse, this gastronomic temple opened in May, 1981. Elizabeth Terry, chef and owner, whose knowledge of 18th and 19th Century Savannah cuisine has combined with her skills in the more creative New South cooking styles, to create a lovely, memorable menu. Winner of a host of awards throughout the Nineties, Elizabeth's has become a Mecca for food-loving visitors and locals out for celebratory meals. Her innovative use of garden fresh produce and the herbs she grows all around the property result in some real delights, such as the appetizer of black-eyed pea patty with greens and curry cream. The same imagination creates seafood items, appetizers and main courses, fit to dazzle the kings and queens of the gastronomic world, who often dine here. Nonetheless, the radiant sparkle of Elizabeth's does not shine quite so brilliantly as it did when I first went there, nearly eight yeas ago. For one thing, plenty of young chefs have also adopted and built upon similar techniques, so her fare is not quite so rare as once it was. The service remains unquestionably the finest in the city. Her wait staff is among the very few trained to not begin clearing a table until the last person sitting there has finished eating. They are knowledgeable and professional, always friendly but never fawning, always watchful but never hovering,
Overall, Elizabeth's is an experience not to be missed by anyone who loves good food. I do not believe that anyone has ever suffered a morsel of food they didn't like.
Elizabeth's on 37th St. NOTE: SavannahBest reviewers dine anonymously and pay for their own meals. |
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