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Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Corridor

We were headed to the Orpheum and needed to grab dinner before the show at 8 pm. Corridor is located at 100 Van Ness in San Francisco, just a 8-minute walk. They have a small restaurant on the 2nd floor, overlooking the bar.


Happy Hour is 3-6 pm daily and all draft beer, wine and cocktails are $5. You can order at your table but beware that the Happy Hour price applies to when the drink is served and not when you order it. In addition, you have to finish one drink before you can get another at the Happy Hour price.

My sister ordered the Sip, Sip, Gulp--Dolin Blanc, Sherry, Grapefruit, on the rocks. I thought this was okay. Not enough grapefruit flavor.


Stone's Throw Pimms--Vermouth, Lime, Ginger Beer, on the Rocks. I liked this better than the Sip, Sip, Gulp but it also needed more flavor--in this case, ginger.


Monkey Bread--$6. Pull-apart bread with cheddar cheese, chive oil, basil aioli. This is smaller than it looks--enough for 2 people, 3 people if you want just a couple pieces. I was looking forward to this but was a little disappointed because it was so greasy.


Spicy Meatballs--$10. Tomato-braised, parmesan, focaccia croutons, rosemary. This was very good--the meatballs were nice and spicy. This appetizer feeds 3.


French Onion Soup--$9. Braised beef short rib, Gruyere crostini. This was enough for dinner. It was hearty with the short rib. The broth could have been improved with a deeper flavor.


Crispy Duck Confit and Chicories--$16. Slow poached egg, Marcona almonds, fines herbs, Asian pears. This was a big salad, loaded with duck. This was also enough for dinner.


Garganelli Bolognese--$16. Burrata, basil, Calabrian chili. This was disappointing. It was a relatively small portion and the pasta was overcooked.


Half Roast Chicken--$19. Potato puree, braised root vegetables, roasted garlic jus. This was easily the best dish of the night. The chicken was moist but the skin was crispy. It had good flavor.


Leek Bread Pudding--$6. Raclette cheese, caramelized onions. This was disappointing. It used the same sauce as the French onion soup and it was swimming in too much cheese.



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Monday, February 27, 2017

Haunted Tour

Savannah is known as one of the most haunted cities in America. We chose Afterlife Tours because they actually do paranormal research. I called to book in advance--$24 for the Restless Souls tour. The tour starts at 10 pm from Telfair Square.

http://www.afterlifetours.net/tour-info

Our first stop was Alligator Soul. Apparently, the owner died and his wife has heard him late at night in the restaurant. Our guide had an audio recording. Spooky.

We stopped at the Chart House next. More stories about paranormal activities after the restaurant closed at night.


Next stop was the Moon River Brewing Company. We were taken upstairs to see the renovation that hasn't gotten very far because of ghost activities.


Our guide had audio recordings of strange voices when they spent the night in the storage room.
We could purchase a drink to go--Savannah has an open-container law so you can drink on the streets.

Net up was the Olde Pink House and then the Marshall House. I didn't know any of this when I chose our hotels and dining spots. I wish we had taken this tour prior to dining at the spots so I could be on the lookout for paranormal activities.


Our last stop was Bradley's Lock & Keys. It was spooky that there was actually someone in the upper floor with a sole light on.




We took the tour the night after a full moon. It made it even more spooky.



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Sunday, February 26, 2017

Alligator Soul



Our last dinner in Savannah was at Alligator Soul. It's located at 114 Barnard Street.


Metal logo hanging outside the restaurant.


Amuse Bouche of Tomato Soup.


Warm bread was brought to the table when we sat down.


Oysters a La Soul--Oysters on the Half Shell Stuffed with a blend of Bacon, Louisiana Crawfish, Trinity Mirepoix and Scallions in a creamy Hilbo Spiced Roux, Topped with fresh Parmesan Breadcrumbs and served with Creole Belle Habanero Hot Sauce. 6 for $15. The oysters were delicious on their own and didn't need the hot sauce.


She Crab Bisque--I ordered a cup for $7. A cup wasn't on the menu but I didn't think I could eat a whole bowl with everything else we ordered. Our waiter was very accommodating. Rich creamy bisque infused with crab roe, jumbo lump crab salad and Chef Hilbo's Bloody Mary reduction.  This was my favorite she crab bisque in Savannah.


Shrimp & Grits--$15 for appetizer portion. Georgia wild shrimp sautéed with lemon butter and Creole spices, Freeman's Mill stoneground Georgia grits with aged cheddar, smoked tasso ham, creamed collard greens, red onion marmalade, toasted pecans. Loved the shrimp and the hearty grits. It was a nice grind--just enough to give it body, yet still creamy. Of course, the cheese didn't hurt.


"The Little Hilbo"-- Hilbo spiced and grilled all-natural grass fed beef ribeye, duck fat pomes frites, sautéed broccolini, veal demi-glace, Bourbon peppercorn cream. The beef was perfectly cooked rare, just the way beef should be cooked.


It was our anniversary and they brought a little treat at the end. The pecan tarts were yummy!



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Saturday, February 25, 2017

Forsythe Park



Forsythe Park is a large city park in the historic center of Savannah. It occupies 30 acres.


In the center of the park is a fountain that was added in 1858. It is reminiscent of fountains in the Place de la Concorde in Paris and in Cuzco, Peru.




Confederates Memorial--donated by Monroe County Courthouse to commemorate the volunteers who gave their lives fighting for the Confederacy.


Trees draped with Spanish moss.


Near Forsythe Park is The Chandler Oak, estimated to be over 300 years old.



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Friday, February 24, 2017

Savannah Rae's Popcorn

On the main shopping street, you'll find Savannah Rae's Popcorn. They sell gourmet popcorn and it's supposed to be a can't-miss in Savannah.


It's located at 206 W. Broughton.


There are over 150 varieties and I was surprised to see them in plastic bins. Hard to say how long the popcorn has been there.


It's not cheap either.


The small bag is $3.50-3.95/bag. The medium is $7.50-10.95. Large is $11.95-16.95 and XL is $29.95-$49.95. 



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Thursday, February 23, 2017

Owens-Thomas House

The Owens-Thomas House was included in our Telfair Museums ticket.


The Owens Thomas house was designed by William Jay in the English Regency style and built between 1816-1819. It was originally built for cotton merchant and banker Richard Richardson. Unfortunately, he suffered financial losses and sold his house. It became a lodging house and then was eventually purchased for $10,000 in 1830 by George Owens, mayor of Savannah. Owens' granddaughter Margaret Thomas bequeathed it to the Telfair Museums in 1951.


The Marquis de Lafayette stayed here when it was a boarding house and made a speech from this balcony.


You can visit the house on a guided tour every 15 minutes. 


English-inpsired parterre garden.



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Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Vic's on the River

We had lunch at Vic's on the River.


It's located at 26 E. Bay Street.


Delicious biscuits brought to the table when we were seated.


Crawfish Beignets with Tabasco Syrup--$10. These were more like empanadas and just okay.


I felt like we needed some greens and ordered Vic's Sweet Gem Lettuce Wedge with Honey Mustard Dressing. It was a bargain at $4. 


She Crab Soup--$9. This was delicious and had a lot of crab.


Wild Georgia Shrimp & Smoked Cheddar Grits--$14. Another delicious dish. The grits were so creamy yet still had substance.



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Tuesday, February 21, 2017

The Riverfront & Historic Steps

There are a lot of interesting buildings along the Savannah Riverfront.


The Chart House located in the oldest masonry building in Georgia. It was built before 1790 using ballast from Africa and the Caribbean.


The Bohemian Hotel--ranked as one of the best hotels in Savannah. There are 75 rooms and a rooftop bar overlooking the Savannah River and the 4th busiest port in the US.


One of the entrances to Factors Row--located on a bluff just above River Walk. Factors Row is now occupied by shops and restaurants and...


the Savannah Cotton Exchange. The current building was built in 1886. This was where cotton brokers set cotton prices worldwide.


Lion with Wings in front of the Cotton Exchange Building. The original lion dates to 1890 but was destroyed when a car crashed into it in 2008. It took 14 months to restore the lion.


Factor's Walk--A series of iron and concrete walkways connected the buildings to the bluff. The lower buildings were used as warehouses.


More warehouses



Stairs leading from Bay Street down the bluff to River Street are Historic Steps and can be very steep and scary.



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