We get down to Savannah from time to time. We have also been known to do “Appetizer Surfing” if the budget is greater than zero. Every trip has a little story, and this is the Appetizer Surfing in Savannah story.
This originally happened at one point in December, and we have updated this post slightly but not much. It’s part of our practice of Backroad Travel.
Directions
From the end of the driveway take a left. At the first stop sign take a right, and get gas at the new truck stop. It’s because it is cheaper there than everyplace else along the way. Head east on 20 for three miles, and take the 441 exit, and go toward Milledgeville. Keep going until you get to Dublin.
When you hit Highway 16, get on it, and follow the signs. It’ll take you about four hours total to get to downtown. This is the most interesting part of Savannah, which otherwise is a collection of chemical plants and strip shops.
Brief Savannah History
Savannah was one of the original capitals of Georgia. It was one of the earliest settled places, and was spared the torch in 1864 because Sherman had a friend that lived there.
It is one of those places that was built on the economics of involuntary servitude. In the spirit of the Temporal Prime Directive, you are allowed to like some of the old time buildings that are built around “squares.”
Famous former residents: Juliet Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts, and Johnny Mercer, writer of “Moon River.” The famous rapper Big Boi was also born here, however there is no monument to his birthplace anywhere that we are aware of.
Nowadays, the Saint Patrick’s Day celebration attracts a million visitors. If you are a local resident you are encouraged to go elsewhere for this time period. Click us for a potential destination.
It has a bit of New Orleans decadence.
Appetizer Hopping or Surfing
We invented this awhile back, because we could. Here is how it works: You go to a place where you can walk around. You go into a restaurant or three to sample the appetizers and the ambiance. It was originally invented to be thriftier than going in to one place and ordering a dinner or two, But, it is always more expensive, but you don’t care.
We last did this extensively in Huntsville.
First Stop: Yerba Mate and the Mate Factor
Here is some Web Love for them:
https://twelvetribes.org/community/mate-factor-savannah
This place was designed and decorated by one of the Twelve Tribes, which is a bit of a religious organization. The hippie artisans of this place constructed this beautiful place with hand-done iron and woodwork, because they could.
It was done in what at the time was a shoot-em-up neighborhood. Now, however, the neighborhood is gentrified, and this place is a neighborhood focal point.
There is a quirky collection of booths, sitting areas, and nooks and crannies all beautifully decorated. The feast of the night was the pumpkin bread and weird tea.
Can you, or should you, have your dessert before your appetizers? In Appetizer Surfing, you make the rules.
The Courtyard
This is a particularly interesting space, with a hand built giant pizza oven, which draws you in. As people that appreciate welcoming spaces, and also sheer human hand-made effort, we were very interested in it, and are trying to figure out how to duplicate this vibe.
Here is a theory for you: The lighting and color of this place are a complete contrast from the rest of the area. Every seating area is a little different. These table tops were hand made by someone who knows what they are doing. The rough edges are softened by some kind of planter or herb box. The features at the back are better lit than the front, so that your eye is drawn to it.
We’d like to borrow the floor, which is hand-laid pavers.
Second Stop: Robo Parking
We had this talk the other day. Rather than park for free in a dark alley in Savannah, it is advisable to get out of the car and pay this robot.
Two hours of parking is enough for anybody, and it’s about $6.
Here was our originally intended destination, Leopold’s ice cream. The plan was to end up here.
Third Stop: Savannah Sea Food
The feast was the seafood chowder, and some very nice fish tacos. The decor was rather modest. We wanted to borrow the 9 foot swordfish and transport it to the Dive In in Madison. This is because we thought they needed a bigger swordfish, although the food in the place in Madison is just as good.
Added Attraction
Come to find out the Cooking Channel featured this place a few years ago, and we sat safely socially distanced in this exact table. It looked like the TV crew moved it a bit more into the middle of the room though.
Here is their click love:
https://www.cookingchanneltv.com/shows/cheap-eats/episodes/sweet-deals-down-south
Unanswered Question
So here it is. If you are Appetizer Surfing in Savannah, on a weeknight, which place should you surf into? We felt at the time that it is good to prioritize places with a warm friendly vibe, and a few, but not too many, people. This is a valuable consideration in this place where there are a hundred restaurants in walking distance.
We’re saying that in a college town, on a chilly weeknight, people will go to the most fun and economical places, since they are mainly locals. That’s where we want to go.
We are pretty sure they will stay away from the places with a lot of cops out front. It kinda detracts from the pleasant vibe.
Walking Around
Because of the Savannah College of Arts and Design, who owns a lot of the downtown, there is some street art here too. This old Art Deco theater on the corner is very interestingly decorated. There are some carriage tours in this area too, which wind through the squares and into the side streets.
The Europeans and Californians may know this place for being the backdrop from some of the scenes in Forrest Gump. At some point we will do the walking tour of that too.
This horse was a bit bored, but if you spend your life hauling people around Savannah, it is probably better to do so when it is cool out.
Fourth Stop: The Flying Monk Noodle Bar
After walking past six empty places, while Appetizer Surfing in Savannah, we came to this, and had to go in.
This was a bit of a Thai/Vietnamese place, with a tasteful number of socially distanced happy diners. It had a pleasant vibe that for some reason was attractive (bright lights and nice aromas, probably).
Here is their website:
https://www.flywiththemonk.com/
It was a bit too nippy to sit out. The locals have donated a few parking spaces to the restaurants in the area for outdoor seating. We did not ask the question of whether the owners have to go out from time to time and put more money into the Parking Robot.
This place was visually interesting because of the cushioned walls, which gave color and dampened the sound. It also made interesting use of these asian lanterns, and the “fish pond” with little decorated koi on the walls was also fun.
We appreciate human effort, and places that are not too contrived, and this place was like that.
The feast of the night was Pork Belly on Naan, and some nice wonton soup with hot tea.
The Tragic Irony
Since we had our dessert first, there was no room for Leopold’s.
Lessons Learned
Exploring is what you make of it. In exchange for a few dollars, we got some visual interest, saw places that were hand made, and had very nice food. Would the contrived strip shop version be as good? Probably not so much. Our Appetizer Surfing in Savannah story was what it was because it was spontaneous.
The difference between a place that is exploration-worthy and a place you would drive by and not think of is very subtle. We want the Firefly to be just this interesting, and welcoming if we can make it that way. Appetizer Surfing in Savannah wanted us to make our place just this welcoming.
Be there in the square, because it is there.
