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Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Chelino's Mexican Restaurant

I was told that Chelino's, located at 1079 4th Street in Santa Rosa had a good shrimp soup. Order at the counter and find a table. The food is brought to you.

You get complimentary chips and there is an extensive salsa bar to accompany the chips.


I was talked into having the Caldo Siete Mares (7 seas soup) instead of the Caldo de Camaron (shrimp soup) by the person taking orders at the counter. He said it was the same broth but better. This was $13.95 and it was a huge portion. I had enough to take home and have another meal. The broth was so flavorful and delicious but I think I would have liked the pure shrimp soup better. This had shrimp, mussels and clams (way too strong a taste for this soup), octopus, clams, fish and imitation crab. I didn't like the crab.


Goat Birria de Res--$12.95. This was delicious but you have to like goat. It was tender, not greasy and the beans and rice were just the way I like them. No added vegetables in the rice, fluffy and not too wet.

I'll have to go back and try their menudo next time. Like the birria, it's served on Saturday and Sundays only.



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Monday, January 30, 2017

Wine & Chili Pairing Competition

If you're a member of the Wilson Wineries, you were invited to their 1st Annual (shouldn't it be Inaugural?) Wine & Chili Pairing Competition. Visit each of their 9 wineries to taste their wine paired with a chili.


We visited 6 of the 9 wineries. Wilson Winery didn't have a chili pairing and Greenwood Ridge and Jaxon Keys were too far away to fit them in. The event went from 11 am to 4 pm.


We were assigned to pick up our wristbands and commemorative tasting glass at Mazzocco. They served Pork Apple Chili with 2013 Warm Springs Ranch Zinfandel. The chili was good but the Warm Springs Ranch wasn't my favorite Zin. They also poured a 2014 Briar, Verano and Sullivan Zinfandel. My favorite was the Verano.


Our next stop was DeLorimier Winery. They served a Coconut Chicken Chili paired with their Chardonnay. This was more like a Thai curry rather than a chili.


They also poured a 2012 Kenneth Carl Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, which retails for $150, $90 to club members. This was a very generous taste.


Next up was Soda Rock Winery with Wild Boar Chili, paired with Wild Boar Red Blend. I think they forgot the chili powder in this. It had no taste.


Pezzi King served Ragin' Cajun Chili with their Zinfandel. In my opinion, this was the best chili of the entire day.

Matrix Winery ran out of their Beef Chili Frito Pie by the time we got there at 2:30 pm.

Our last stop was St. Anne's Crossing in Kenwood. They had a Vegetarian Chili, which was quite good. It was paired with their 2014 Syrah, Slattery Vineyard.

It was a fun afternoon but after all the tasting, I went home and took a 2 hour nap.



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Sunday, January 29, 2017

Leopold's Ice Cream

Just down the street from Savannah Seafood Shack is Leopold's Ice Cream. This is THE place to have ice cream in Savannah, according to many people.


Leopold's was founded in 1919 by 3 Greek brothers. Today, it's owned by Stratton Leopold, the youngest son of one of the Greek brothers. Stratton was the producer for several blockbusters, including the Big Chill and Mission Impossible 3.




The "super premium" ice cream is handcrafted in downtown Savannah.




Single scoop--$4. This was Chocolate Chewies and Cream--crispy chewy chocolate cookies with Georgia pecans in classic vanilla ice cream. This was good but I'm not sure it was worth $4.


Double scoop--$5.50. Peppermint--peppermint ice cream with old fashioned peppermint candies.




Props from MI3.



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Saturday, January 28, 2017

Savannah Seafood Shack

Across the street from the Marshall House was the Savannah Seafood Shack.




Order at the counter and they bring the food to you. There were just a few tables.


 Bowl of Crab Chowder--$6.50. The chowder had a nice flavor but there wasn't enough crab.


Low Country Boil. Individual Serving--$10.95. Shrimp (about 1/2 lb), beef sausage, red potatoes and corn. This was absolutely delicious. The sauce was so good and was thickened by the red potatoes. The shrimp were 31-40 count so they could have been larger.


Fried Swai--$8.95. You can choose 1 side and I chose hush puppies. Light and and greasy at all.


Within Savannah Seafood Shack is Below Zero, which makes rolled ice cream.



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Friday, January 27, 2017

Marshall House

Our home in Savannah was the Marshall House.


Marshall House is conveniently located on Broughton Street in the historic area.  If you have a car, parking is $25/night. You get a $5 discount if you book your room directly on their website:
http://www.marshallhouse.com


Marshall House was built in 1851 and served as a private home, a hospital during the Civil War and 2 Yellow Fever outbreaks and then converted to a hotel. In 1999, the hotel was extensively renovated but it still retains the charm of an old hotel.


Reception area.


The hotel is said to be haunted. One story is that there is a little boy that bites guests in a room on the 4th floor. Another is that children run down the long halls late at night.


Artifacts from the past.


We had a Classic King room. There is free WiFi and 2 robes for use during your stay.


Our room had a fireplace but I'm not sure it was functioning. Complimentary water was delivered daily. There is a coffee maker and a mini fridge in each room.


Updated bathrooms.


Complimentary wine & cheese reception Sunday-Thursday evenings. On Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, a historian gives a lecture on the history of Savannah.


Breakfast atrium.


Hot & cold entrees.


Biscuits were served daily--they were so light and fluffy. Breakfast was included in our room rate--$9.95 if it's not included.



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Thursday, January 26, 2017

Harbour Town Lighthouse

Harbour Town is the closest thing to a downtown on Hilton Head. It's filled with restaurants and shops.




A lighthouse anchors Harbour Town. You can climb to the top for a fee to get a bird's eye view of the island.


That's a fat pelican.




Empty rocking chairs in November. I love traveling off season when the crowds are minimal.



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Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Damage from Hurricane Matthew

Hurricane Matthew came through a month prior to our arrival.

The island was still a mess with downed trees everywhere. The roads were clear though.


There were stickers on the houses indicating if they were safe to occupy.

Boats had been tossed ashore.




Hurricane Claims Experts everywhere.



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Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Coligny Beach

Just down the block from Kenny B's is Coligny Beach Park. There's a free parking lot for beach goers. There are restrooms, changing rooms and even wifi.


Coligny Beach is the most popular beach on Hilton Head.


On the way to the beach, you'll find swinging benches,


and covered lounge areas.


The beach is a wide expanse of firm sand. You can even bike on it.



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Monday, January 23, 2017

Kenny B's

Even though we had free breakfast at our hotel, we went to Kenny B's for their Sunday buffet brunch. It was $11.75, drinks not included.


Kenny B's is located at 70 A Pope Avenue. It's in the Circle Shopping Center, next to Bilo & Wild Wings.


The Sunday Brunch Buffet is served from 8 am to 1 pm.


The inside is decorated with a New Orleans theme.


There was an omelette and eggs benedict station. I asked to have crawfish added to my eggs benedict.


There was a buffet area with corned beef hash, biscuits & gravy (too salty), Voodoo pasta (overcooked pasta but with good flavor), twice cooked potatoes with Andouille (delicious), bacon & sausage.


The shrimp & grits were the best thing on the buffet. Shrimp & grits was more like shrimp broth but so flavorful with BBQ sauce & Worcestershire.





There was also Gumbo Ya Ya which was very good.


These beignets were not quite Cafe du Monde but quite good.



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