Enjoy the Drawl, Y'all!

Contrary to popular belief, Joel and I did not go to Savannah just to eat at Paula Deen's restaurant...but it was one highlight of our trip. It's going to take me several days to "unpack" our vacation here on the blog, but I thought I'd start with our experience at The Lady and Sons. Fortunately, we did some research before we left, so we knew we'd have to get in line early in the morning to get a reservation. Joel and I arrived at 8:15 and enjoyed conversation with others in line until they began taking names at 9:30. After we got our reservations for 12:30, we spent the rest of the morning doing a Civil War emphasis walking tour. When we arrived back at the appointed time, we were taken to the third floor dining room and offered menus. Now normally, Joel and I have a standing "no buffet" rule when we go out to eat, but there are a few times when we have to make exception to that rule...this was one of them. Paula Deen is known is for her down home Southern cooking, and that's exactly what we got. On my plate, I have fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, black-eyed peas, creamed corn, lima beans, sweet potatoes (the best I've ever had, requiring a second helping), macaroni and cheese, and buried underneath all that food is also a slice of her cheesy meatloaf. Just so you know, I didn't have the succotash, greens, and the salad bar...I had to draw the line somewhere!
And while we were eating, they brought us each a hoecake (a cornmeal pancake). To top off the meal, we were offered a choice of banana pudding, peach cobbler, or the pumpkin gooey butter cake, and we chose the banana pudding. The waitress said we must try the pumpkin cake, and I'm sure glad she left us a piece to share (the recipe is on her website). We eventually waddled away from the trough, and I had to find a bench in one of the nearby squares to rest my miserable stomach. It's hard to beat that kind of Southern cooking. I don't think I'll bother getting on the scales for about a week...it would be too depressing.