"Where Everybody Knows Your Name": Three Reasons I'm a "Regular"

What is it about those restaurants we return to over and over again? Is there that one menu item, that special sauce you just can’t live without? That quirky barista who serves up your soy latte with a smile. That fry cook who can spout a one-liner like he’s the star of his own sitcom?

What is it that keeps us sliding into those same booths week after week, picking up the menus we’ve read so many times we know it by heart, “I’ll have the B-1 please, ginger on the side.”  Announcing to our friends outside the packed restaurant, “It’s cool. They know me here.”  You know the places. The places where ordering is really just a formality.

In Savannah there are three, maybe four restaurants where I have that kind of relationship. Folks at these places know me by name. And they know what I’m going to order. And I know right where I’m going to sit. That’s right. I’m what they like to call a “regular” in the dining industry.  But why?

1. I Feel Comfortable Eating There Alone

I’m full time grad student and I also work full time.  So I don’t have a lot of time to make plans, so I find myself going out to eat more than a sensible person would. And my lack of planning usually means I’m dining alone.   And I want to go somewhere I feel comfortable doing so. For me that means the servers are friendly, but not too chatty to the point that I feel like they should be pulling up a chair. The worst are ones that actually do. Slide in beside you and whip open a notepad, gum smacking in their teeth, “What’ll be, sweetheart?”  

Then there are ones that ignore you completely. Or fail to acknowledge the fact that you’ve eaten at the place seven days in a row and ordered the exact same thing. When you arrive on the eighth day, you walk up to the counter, and nothing. Not even a hint of recognition.  Just a, “What can I get you?”  like you’ve never eaten there before in your life.

Bottom line, if I feel comfortable dining alone at a restaurant, it means I'll keep coming back.

2. Location, Location, Location 

I form habits out of convenience. Anyone who’s been following this blog so far might have noticed I’ve covered a lot of restaurants in the Sandfly area of Savannah.  So it should come as no surprise that I live in that area. I go to restaurants that are near where I live. Or on the way to the places I frequent. Places I know I can drop in and out of quickly when I’m in a hurry. 

3. The Food is Delicious 

I frequent places where I know pretty much anything on the menu is amazing. You know that place, the one where you’re often stumped when ordering because, well, everything on the menu it just so darn delicious.  Consistency matters too. I need to know that I can order my favorite sandwich with the sauce on the side, and it’ll be equally tasty the first and five hundredth time I order it. 

So what about you, what makes you a “regular”? 

Top Three Easter Basket Treats

Headed to an Easter brunch or an afternoon Easter egg hunt? Don't bring the same ol' same ol' jelly beans and chocolate bunnies. Trade in those Peeps and  Cadbury Eggs for some equally sweet and exponentially more inventive Easter treats from some of my favorite local bakeries around town. So what are you waiting for? Grab your Easter basket and get ready to fill it with Fork This, Savannah's Top Three Easter Basket Treats.

1. Maison de Macaron's Macaron Assortment

At $1.89 a pop these french inspired cookies come in all the the Eastery pastel colors and flavors you could ask for. I picked the blue vanilla bean, pink raspberry, and yellow Meyer lemon flavors. A crisp, slightly chewy shell gives way to a smooth, delicate, cream filling.

The vanilla bean had real flecks of vanilla bean for a rich flavor that's anything but "vanilla."

The raspberry wasn't too tart, lightly sweet. A flavor I can only describe as "pink."

The lemon was nice and sour; a cross between lemon curd and your mom's lemon bars.

Bring a dozen of these french cookies to the Easter brunch and the adults will thank you.

Maison de Macaron
 1100 Eisenhower Dr #28, Savannah, GA 31406
(912) 665-9894

2. Two Smart Cookies' Iced Bunny Cookies

Perfect for the kids. At $1.25 a piece, these blue-iced bunny-shaped cookies are better than anything you can get at the grocery store. Especially for the price. Trust me. They're thickly cut and dense. More like a shortbread because of  their smooth, sweet consistency. Not gritty like a lot of store bought sugar cookies. Think shortbread without the overt butter flavor with a splash of almond extract. Like a wedding cake in cookie form. The icing provides a nice glaze of sweetness and pop of festive color. Not chalky at all (I'm looking at you, Target sugar cookies...) Bring these cute blue bunnies to the Easter egg hunt and you'll probably get nominated for "World's Coolest Mom."

Two Smart Cookies
6512 White Bluff Road
Savannah, GA 31405
912-353-2253

3.  Smallcakes: A Cupcakery's  Vanilla Easter Cupcake

The over-achiever of Easter cupcakes. These moist vanilla (real vanilla bean right in the batter!) cupcakes are expertly frosted with a fluffy swirl of purple vanilla icing and cleverly decorated with Peeps and Robin's Eggs. I got one right out of the oven and seriously. The cake was oh-so-delightfully falling apart under the weight of all the indulgent Easter candy toppings.

These cupcakes are delicious and impressive. Bring these to the school Easter party and say you baked them yourself. People will call you the next Martha Stewart. Everyone will love you. Your dentist will hate you.

Smallcakes: A Cupcakery
7360 Skidaway Road, Unit L-1
Savannah, Georgia 31406
912-200-4395

Nostalgic BBQ Lunch at Sandfly BBQ

Tom Petty and The Heartbreaker's Free Falling blasts from the stereo as I walk into Sandfly, Georgia's aptly named BBQ joint, Sandfly Barbecue. Vintage license plates from states like Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee line the walls. In the small dining room, cherry red booths cozy up to framed pictures of music legends like Elvis Presley and Hank Williams. The Beach Boys and The Rolling Stones.

The Dining Room

Hank Williams

Like its decor, Sandfly Barbecue is a little bit nostalgic, a little bit rock-and-roll. The chalk-written menu behind the counter has all the familiar BBQ favorites you'd expect--pulled pork, ribs, mac and cheese, Brunswick stew--making it the kind of place you used to go with your grandparents after church. Back when you still had to wear a napkin tucked in your shirt collar. Or the kind place you might stop to eat on a cross-country road trip across southern Americana. Sandfly's menu is as extensive as it is classic, so I've broken down my favorites below:

THE MAIN DISH // THE BEEF BRISKET JR. SANDWICH

Beef Jr. with Fried Okra

 It's approximately six ounces of tender, chopped just-salty-enough beef brisket on a classic hamburger bun with sliced pickles on the side. The meat is juicy (not greasy), smoky, and flavorful-- you don't even need sauce.

But the sauce  takes this little sandwich over the edge. On the table, you've got three sauce options. A creamy yellow-orange one--a sharp mustard-based Carolina style (if you opt for the Pork Jr., I highly recommend the Carolina style).  A reddish one that doesn't even need to be labeled HOT. I can see the red pepper seeds through the bottle. And a maple syrup colored one. It's a sweet, slightly tangy--more of a Memphis style. If you're a fan of "Memphis Style" barbecue sauce like me, pick the last one.  A little goes a long way. I drizzled on just a teaspoon or so, and the sweetness really heightened the flavor of the beef.  

THE DESSERT// HOUSEMADE COCONUT CAKE

The kind of cake that starts a fight. If you're lucky, you come to Sandfly Barbecue when they have a freshly baked coconut cake sitting on a stand at the order counter. Get it before it's gone. Trust me. This ain't your synthetically sweet grocery store-bought cake. This is a cakewalk style, state fair blue ribbon-winning coconut cake. The best I've had at any bakery or restaurant in Savannah. 

It's sweet, but not too sweet, fluffy white cake frosted with thick, coconut flecked frosting. It's never dry, with a hint of pineapple if my taste buds aren't fooling me. The whole cake is topped off with an indulgent flurry of shaved coconut. They serve up generous hunks of this creamy coconut cake on green checked parchment paper. If you happen to order the last slice of cake like I did, I'd watch your back. 

Come for the barbecue, stay for the coconut cake. Either way, if you don't usually venture outside of the downtown area for a good meal, I highly recommend you grab the car and hit Truman Parkway for a short road trip to Sandfly, Georgia. Roll down the windows, put some Neil Young on the radio. The nostalgic, rock-and-roll- road-trip meal awaiting you at Sandfly BBQ won't disappoint.

Sandfly BBQ

8413 Ferguson Avenue
Savannah, Georgia 31406
(912) 356-5463
OPEN Monday – Saturday 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Price: Meals range from $7-$15

Not Your Mother's Blueberry Muffins

Forget everything you know about blueberry muffins. Those blue-dotted yellow cake crossovers often found gracing the baked cases around town. Those muffins with batter so sweet the berries seem sour in comparison.  Make way for Great Harvest Bread Company's Ultra Healthy Muffins that have more in common with a wholegrain slice of bread. And I mean that in the best possible way.

The Muffin

In these wholesome muffins, plump, juicy blueberries take center stage. Berries abound in every bite and the batter doesn’t upstage them—it’s packed with bran, whole-wheat flour, a touch of oil, and only lightly sweetened with orange juice and brown sugar. The rest of the recipe, the owner explains, “is confidential.”  And you won't find any paper cupcake wrappers here. They serve these muffins naked, fresh from the pan.

The Experience

Tucked away in Sandfly Georgia's Norwood Shopping Plaza, Great Harvest Bread Company quietly bakes up bountiful breads and other wholegrain goodies.  And they’re more than willing to slice up a free sample of their sweets and breads. Just ask! Their prime location, right next-door to Savannah Power Yoga makes Great Harvest Bread Company a great spot for a post-meditation munchie. I dropped by last Saturday before heading to the Lake Mayer, a nearby park for a mid morning run. I ordered an “Ultra Healthy Muffin” slathered with butter and an iced tea.  The muffin had the stick-to-your-ribs sustainability you usually get from a bowl of oatmeal. It was satisfying and delicious. I felt energized for my entire run. 

Eating a muffin named “Ultra Healthy” definitely does something to your psyche. You feel like you’re eating the “right” thing, like you can enjoy it without the guilt of indulgence. And for that, the folks at Montana-based Great Harvest Bread Company are marketing geniuses.

Ultra Healthy Muffins are available in the baked case on select days. Butter is available upon request. Visit their Savannah website for a complete bread and sweets schedule.

Looking for an ultra healthy muffin that’s also ultra delicious? Fork this, Savannah!

Great Harvest Bread Company
7360 Skidaway Road
Suite J -1
Savannah, Georgia 31406
(912) 777-7263
M-F 6:30am-6:00pm
Sat 7:00am-4:00pm

Something simple, something spicy, something sweet: ordering al a carte at Blowin’ Smoke

Situated just over the 37^th Street tracks in a refurbished filling station on Habersham , Blowin’ Smoke Southern Cantina offers open air seating and a chockablock of southwest/southern goodies like tequila lime chicken tacos and chipotle mac and cheese—all with a psychedelic flair. It’s also my favorite place to order al a carte.  Their menu is rife with ample al a carte options, but today--I bring you the best items for pleasing any palate. 

SOMETHING SIMPLE // BLACK BEAN SOUP

Folks fancying something simple without compromising taste can spoon into a bowl of simmered black beans with broth, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. The generous dollop of cool sour cream takes this dish to the next level of delicious.  Looking for protein? Add pulled pork for just $2 more.

SOMETHING SPICY // CHIPS AND SALSA

The Chips and Salsa Appetizer might be difficult to screw up, but it’s also equally difficult to spice up. Blowin’ Smoke rises to challenge with what my server called “doctored up” salsa. They start with a bottled salsa base and the chef adds his own twist with garlic and chipotles. The result is a distinctly thick, spicy as heck salsa.  Scoop it up with bubbly, crisp housemade tortilla chips for an al a carte experience you won’t soon forget.

SOMETHING SWEET // SOPAPILLA

A little bit chewy, a little bit crunchy; flash-fried flour tortillas cut into wedges, drenched in honey, and sprinkled with cinnamon. Bring a friend or two along for this sweet south of the border classic. This decadent dessert comes heaped in a basket with plenty to share. Dining alone? With this scrumptious sopapilla to share, you’re bound to make a new friend!

Ordering al a carte?  Fork this, Savannah!

Blowin’ Smoke Southern Cantina is open Sunday - Thursday 11am to 10pm and Friday & Saturday 11am to 11pm. Simple, spicy, and sweet options available all day.

This Salad Will Change Your Life

Famous for their signature pastel butter-cream cupcakes, Savannah's Back in the Day Bakery might not be most conventional place to sample a life-altering salad, but let me assure you, they can deliver.

Spiced walnuts, shredded carrots, golden raisins. Sounds like ingredients for a killer carrot cake, right? Add a bed of spring mix, peeled cucumbers, sliced beets, a sprinkling of Parmesan pecorino cheese. A drizzle of rich, caramely balsamic dressing.  Pop a few cherry tomatoes on top. Garnish it with a generous scoop of pimiento cheese and a hunk of crusty house-made ciabatta. That’s Back in the Day Bakery’s Happy Day Salad. A salad that’s bound to brighten any day.

Served up in a parchment lined pie pan, the Happy Day Salad is colorfully arranged, its flavors artfully assembled.  Want a little extra protein? For a couple bucks more, ask for a scoop of rosemary chicken salad or for a meatless, equally tasty option, pimiento cheese (pictured here).  You won’t be sorry.

Like Back in the Day Bakery and its owners, the Happy Day Salad playfully pairs the sweet and savory. Cheryl Day specializes in sweets, like the dense, sugar-dusted Starland brownies and cupcakes so classic you’ll swear she stole your grandma’s recipe. Her husband Griff is responsible for the savory, like rustic breads and grab-them-before-they're-gone ham and cheese croissants.    

Venture over to Savannah’s Starland District, home of Back in the Day Bakery. Order the “Happy Day Salad.” Maybe add a cold mason jar of brewed iced tea to wash it down. Take a seat (I recommend one of the red bar-stools overlooking W 40th street ) Take a bite--sweet golden raisins and tangy balsamic provide the sweetness most salads only dream about. Cherry tomatoes, shredded carrots, cucumbers, and beets, give a cheerful pop of color and satisfying salad crunchiness we all know and love.  Repeat. Watch other patrons stare at your plate longingly, “Where did she get that?”  Leave happy.

The Happy Day Salad appears on Back in the Day Bakery’s lunch menu, available Tuesday-Saturday 11am to 3pm.  Fresh baked desserts like sea salted chocolate chip cookies and pink butter-cream cupcakes are available in the case all day, or while they last.

O happy day? Fork yeah!

Back in the Day Bakery

2403 Bull St, Savannah, GA 31401

(912) 495-9292

Hours Open: Tuesday-Saturday 8am - 5pm
Closed Sunday & Monday