A new post at People.com about Savannah’s food scene has been making the rounds on social media — and for good reason.
“5 Can’t-Miss Bites In Savannah, Georgia” by People’s senior style editor Alex Apatoff is a great bit of press for the Savannah Food and Wine Festival, for a handful of restaurants and for the city itself.
“You’ll have to forgive my fake Southern accent, but after visiting Savannah, Georgia for the first time, it’s a little hard to resist,” writes Apatoff. “Also hard to resist? The amazing food jam-packed into a not-very-big city.”
The food scene in this not-very-big city has changed dramatically over the last decade or so with more chefs presenting fresh interpretations of Southern traditions.
People’s list begins by raving about the avocado toast at The Collins Quarter, the relatively new café on Bull Street at the corner of Oglethorpe Avenue.
Apatoff writes: “It was almost too pretty to eat — until I took the first bite, at which point all bets were off.”
The Collins Quarter isn’t the only newish spot to be highlighted. Apatoff praises the quality and beauty of the chocolates at Chocolat by Adam Turoni at 323 W. Broughton St., and the Frito Pie served by Dept. 7 East at Taste of Savannah.
Originally focused on lunch service, Dept. 7 East at 7 E. Broughton St. is now open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
The People piece also heaps praise on Wall’s BBQ at 515 York Lane, which opened just over 50 years ago.
People’s list is rounded out, fittingly, by a trip to Leopold’s Ice Cream at 212 E. Broughton St.
Apatoff notes how hard it was to whittle the list to five: “This was not an easy decision. You should probably go visit to judge for yourself.”
We’ve got some excellent high-end restaurants in Savannah, but it seems like there has been more attention in recent years on simpler foods and less expensive options.
Consider Apatoff’s take on Wall’s: “There’s no ambiance (though we were digging the Sam Cooke CD playing) but who needs it when you get perfectly-cooked meat, two sides and a little extra cornbread because it’s still hot — all for $10?”
There has been a lot of press in recent weeks about shopping local here at the holidays, but there is something to be said for eating local too.
It’s obviously great when our more expensive and more popular restaurants attract major press, but it’s nice when smaller establishments get some national attention too.
City Talk appears every Sunday and Tuesday. Bill Dawers can be reached via billdawers@comcast.net. Send mail to 10 E. 32nd St., Savannah, GA 31401.