Originally Posted:
Friday, August 4, 2006
1:02:00 PM CDT
Feeling Happy
All I can say about our lunch at Mrs. Wilkes this morning is, "Sweet Jiminey Cricket! That was the BEST meal I've had in a LOOONNGG time!"
Kat, who is a self-proclaimed foodie, has been doing loads of research on Savannah and mentioned the rave reviews that Mrs. Wilkes restaurant gets. She said all the reviews say this place puts Paula Dean's Lady and Sons restaurant to shame. I can give a first hand testimony that Mrs. Wilkes (if she were alive) could take Paula Dean in a cooking match on her worst day. Mrs. Wilkes is the queen of southern cooking. Her tombstone should have a crown and a sash on it.
When we walked into the restaurant there were at least twenty different dishes of food waiting for us on our table. They offer three beverage choices: sweet tea, unsweetened tea, and water. I don't know if I can remember all twenty plus desert items, but here goes:
1. Fried chicken (Just like Granny used to make in her iron skillet)
2. BBQ pork
3. Beef stew
4. Macaroni and cheese
5. Fried apples
6. Okra and tomatos
7. Guloash
8. Baked beans
9. Candied yams (THE BEST EVER!)
10. Squash casserole
11. Biscuits and muffins
12. Creamed corm
13. Lima beans
14. Snap beans
15. Black eyed peas
16. Potato salad
17. Stuffing
18. Cabbage (ICK!)
19. Rice
20. Turnip greens
21. Bananna pudding
22. Strawberry shortcake
The whole dining experience at Mrs. Wilkes was wonderful. Even though we were in line at 11 am when the restaurant opens for lunch, only the first twenty five people were allowed in because a large party of Girl Scouts had a reservation so we had to wait for the next seating at 11:40. The smell of homemade fried chicken wafting down the street had me sniffing the air like a bloodhound hot on the trail of a rabbit. Sense of smell is strongest of our senses and has the ability to trigger memories like no other. I can honestly say that the aroma in the air took me straight back to Granny Pace's. I can't remember the last time I was at Granny's house (I'm guessing it's been 20-25 years) so it was quite weird, yet comforting, to have such a flashback. We were seated with a family from Florida visiting their son who is serving in the military at Hunter Air Force Base. Everyone in the family said please and thank you and made conversation so it was a down right civilized meal which is rare these days. My favorite part of the whole experience (aside from the scrump-del-icious food) was at the end of the meal when the server told us to take our plate, glasses and utensils to the kitchen to keep with the tradition of eating in Mrs. Wilkes dining room. I swear, this could not have been any closer to having a family dinner than if it was Thanksgiving in my own home.
If you ever make it to Savannah, GO TO MRS. WILKES DINING ROOM. It's a MUST!!! They are only open M-F 11 am-2 pm and reservations are not accepted (unless you are a large Girl Scout Troop :-( )
http://www.mrswilkes.com/
KAT, THANK YOU FOR FINDING MRS. WILKES!!!!
This entry has 3 comments:
#3 Comment from menaughtykat
8/7/06 11:21 PM
I can't remember most of the dishes, cos I didn't really know what they were. I think I could only make out rice, chicken, cabbage, macaroni & cheese, and lima beans (becos you told me they were lima beans!), but I just piled everything on my plate and had a taste of it all. They tasted great, and that was all that matters! :) Hmmm, I'm drooling now just thinking of the food galore.
#2 Comment from tracypace
8/5/06 10:04 AM
The apples were stayed next to the mom sitting across from us. I think we were so caught up in passing the other NINETEEN dishes that the apples got overlooked. The creamed corn was sitting in the middle of the table and the only reason I remember that it was there is because the daughter sitting across from us asked for the creamed corn to be passed but she was pointing at the squash casserole and I said, "Which yellow one do you really want?"
#1 Comment from ssflener
8/5/06 8:49 AM
There was fried apples? I don't remember those, or the cream corn!
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