Savannah Day 1 - Alligator Soul and Rocks on the Roof

I have been very bad about posting the past couple of days, but I have the legitimate excuses of being in Savannah for a long weekend followed by travel delays (thanks, United Airlines).  The wait is worth the reward, though, because I have tales to tell with tips on where to go when you head to Savannah, which you all (y'all?) should!

We stayed at the Marshall House, located right in the middle of the Historic District of Savannah. 

The Marshall House

Nick reserved a room that had access to the balcony, which was perfect for a little relaxing and reading...

Or a little posing

What was fun was that rather than doors, the access was through a couple of really large windows - we had conflicting reports that is was either because of a door tax in Savannah, or because the balcony was not original to the building.

He came in through the bedroom window

The hotel was close to everything and the staff was extremely helpful with all of our questions. I highly recommend staying here.

On our first morning we headed down to the riverfront to explore all the fun shops, which included everything from touristy gift shops to art galleries to fun restaurants.

Along the riverfront

After covering most of the riverfront my stomach was growling.  Lucky for us, we were right outside the new Bohemian Hotel, which has a fantastic roof deck restaurant - the Rocks on the Roof.

Top of the brick building is Rocks on the Roof

The views of the river were beautiful...

Views

Also, I had no idea the river was so big - enough to carry a shipping container!  The bridge in the background looks a bit familiar - very similar to the Zakim Bridge.

Instead of getting actual entrees, we decided to just get a couple small plates - more in line with the menu's offerings.  First we went with the shrimp and crab bruschetta on foccacia with arugula.

Bruschetta

This was tasty, but paled in comparison to our next dish - chicken and waffle sliders.  Yes, you read that right: this place took chicken and waffles and kicked it up a major notch!

the best sliders!

The chicken and waffle sliders had crispy chicken tenderloins with boursin cheese and pepper jam sandwiched between two mini Belgian waffles.  These were unbelievable!  Any other sliders pale in comparison to these - imagine how good these are based solely on the name and they are even better.

That afternoon we walked around some more, checked out a few of the squares and read a little on the balcony (see above), enjoying the warm weather before heading out for dinner at Alligator Soul.  This was a recommendation made to Nick prior to our trip and the hotel helped us with reservations.  So off we went...

Alligator Soul is right off of Broughton Street in the Historic District in a "garden level" space with exposed brick and stone floors.  Sitting at the bar we were a bit overwhelmed by the fun offerings on the drink menu that not only had a number of fun cocktails but also a couple of different drink "flights." In addition to scotch you could choose three martinis or three different craft brews, which Nick went for.  I, on the other hand, was immediately drawn to the Sparkling Fleur de Soul.  

Sparkling Fleur de Soul

The drink was delicious and not too sweet, and the presentation was beautiful.  The drink had acai berry vodka and elderflower liqueur, and was topped off with some champagne and garnished with a hibiscus flower that was soaked in a sugar syrup and a bit of mint.

Each party was treated to an amuse bouch (thanks, Top Chef, for making these the norm!) of filet with a salsa verde. 

Amuse Bouch

This really fit the bill and got us excited for the rest of the meal to come.  To start we decided to split some shrimp and grits.

Shrimp and Grits

The shrimp and grits had Georgia wild shrimp sauteed in lemon butter and Creole spice served over Georgia stone ground grits with tasso ham and Cheddar cheese.  These were the best grits we have ever tasted!  The grits were so delicious with the rich flavors of the tasso ham and and cheese.  The shrimp was cooked perfectly and not at all greasy or oily from the butter.  I think this was my favorite dish we had in Savannah - a must have if you find yourself there.

For main dishes Nick and I went with the daily specials.  The menu items looked great, but we were swayed.  Nick ordered grilled mahi mahi on a bed of wild rice that included the "trinity" (of bell pepper, onion and celery) and grilled pineapple.  The fish was cover with an apricot bourbon sauce and greens. 

Grilled mahi mahi

The presentation was beautiful and the dish came together well.  The pineapple and the apricot seemingly would be an odd pairing but worked perfectly together.

I got the prime rib special that came with green beans and fingerling potatoes that were roasted in duck fat.

Prime Rib

The green beans were so tender and rich.  Obviously, the potatoes were perfection - I mean, they were roasted in duck fat!  The prime rib was cooked perfectly, and the meat basically melted in my mouth.  The sauce was something amazing, and unfortunately I cannot remember the different components, but I think there was some bourbon and cheese of some sort. 

We walked out of Alligator Soul completely satisfied and stuffed.  This was such a great meal!  Another great recommendation if you happen to find yourself in Savannah.

Our first day was a great intro to the city.  The warm and sunny weather was just what we needed after the cold spring we have been having up here.  The next two days had some more great food and some more fun tours of this beautiful city.