Tag Archives: food

10.07.25
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PARIS 2025

Thursday, 10/2

We departed Porto in the morning and flew to Paris via Munich, arriving in time for dinner at Chez Michel, an old favorite of ours.

The prix-fixe menu is 48 euros for 3 courses. A few dishes carry supplements. Stanley started with pate de campagne, and I had soupe de poisson. Then I had grouse, as they always offer it in season and I always order it. He had coq au vin. For dessert we both had ris au lait (rice pudding). With a bottle wine for 30 euros, the bill was 144.

Afterward, we took an Uber to La Varenne, where we stayed

with our friends Ana and Bertrand.

Friday, 10/3

We started our day in Paris with lunch at Gemellus.

This 2-year old restaurant has gotten rave reviews, so we were expecting a lot, and it delivered. From the amuses-bouche to the mignardises, everything was excellent. We chose the 3-course lunch for 55 euros. The first course was morels with bread and egg in a delicious sauce. The second course offered 2 choices, so we had one of each and shared; iberian pork and rascasse. We preferred the fish but the pork was good too. For dessert I had a chocolate souffle and he had figs. Service was flawless.

With a bottle of cotes catalan for 60 and coffee, the total was 180.

After that we went to the Rodin museum.

Following that, we went to the Musee d’Orsay, where we saw a temporary exhibit of paintings by John Singer Sargent, including many of his best and most famous works.

Dinner was at Amarante, another old favorite, where we met 3 other people whose acquaintance I had made through Hungry Onion (all Americans no Parisians unfortunately), where we all participate in discussions of food and restaurants. Everyone enjoyed their meals and the company.

I had calf brains and guinea hen. Stanley had lentil soup and sweetbreads. We had 2 bottles of wine for the 5 of us, a white from the Savoie for the first course and a red from the Languedoc for the second. The total per person was 64 euros.

Saturday, 10/4

The first order of business was lunch at Maison.

This is another example of a restaurant in Paris run by a Japanese chef, creating dishes that are French with an Asian twist, very creative and delicious. We very much enjoyed our 5-course tasting.

With wine and coffee, the total was 229 euros.

After that we went to the Bourdelle museum.

Antoine Bourdelle was a major sculptor of the early 20th century. The museum was formerly his studio. Inside are displayed his castings for the sculptures, while outside in 3 gardens are bronze sculptures, not his originals which were commissioned for public spaces elsewhere, but reproductions made by later artists from his castings.

After the museum we went to the Marais, where we strolled for a while before heading to dinner at Le Servan.

Stanley started with corn ravioli and I had beef tartare. These were good. For the second course, we both had carre de cochon. Though tasty, uinfortunately mine was almost entirely fat and gristle. His was better, but still partially inedible. For dessert he had ice cream with figs and I had an almond tart with berries. These were also very good. The wine was 44 euros but the bill showed 50, so I had them correct it, a reason to always check the charges. The total was 167 euros.

Sunday, 10/5

We spent the day at home with Ana and Bertrand. Ana accompanied us to the farmers’ market in the morning, where we bought food that Stanley and I would cook. The afternoon meal consisted of smoked herring for appetizer and sausage-stuffed quails with a girolle mushroom sauce, haricots verts and mashed potatoes for the main course, and flan for dessert. For the evening meal I made sauteed rouget with herbs, garlic and mustard, and served it with carrots and noodles.

Monday, 10/6

We left for the airport in the early afternoon. Originally we had planned to leave on Wednesday, but we heard the past Thursday that a strike by air traffic controllers was planned for 10/7 to 10/10 and that it was very likely to happen, so I changed the flight to Monday rather than risk being stuck in Paris. As it turned out, they called off the strike on Sunday, but we were content to stick with the plan to leave on Monday. We had a lovely 3 and a half days in Paris so no regrets.

We got to the airport in the early afternoon so we could have lunch before our 5:00 flight. The only sit-down restaurant is Bistro Benoit, which has some vague connection to Alain Ducasse, but you’d never know it from the food. Not that it was bad, just overpriced and unexceptional.

I started with an heirloom tomato salad with tuna mayonnaise, which was quite good, and Stanley had cream of carrot soup, which was decent. We would have ordered chicken, but they didn’t have it, so we were stuck with orechiette pasta, which was poor. There were very few choices on the prix-fixe menu, and a la carte would be a lot more expensive. For dessert we both had poached peach with unripe strawberries and currants, topped with a lot of whipped cream and shortbread cookies. The wine, which was marked up a lot from retail at 30 euros, was excellent. With coffee, the total was 122 euros.

The flight was comfortable and we arrived on time.

10.01.25
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PORTUGAL 2025 – PART 3 – PORTO

Sunday, 9/28

We took a morning train to Porto, arriving before noon at Sao Bento Residences, an apartment hotel directly across the street from Sao Bento station. We had a huge studio apartment, complete with kitchen and 3 balconies. It’s an amazing deal at about $325 per day.

Lunch was at Vinum, with a winery tour and port tasting at the adjacent Graham’s cellars.

Lunch was superb. I started with clams in garlic sauce, then had duck with foie gras. Stanley had seafood soup and suckling pig. With a glass of wine each, and coffee, the total was 132 euros.

Next was the tour and port tasting, which cost 60 euros each.

It was a great tour with a very informative guide. The tasting consisted of 3 different ports, with an accompaniment for each, chocolate, cheese and a custard tart. Afterward, we bought 2 bottles of port to take with us.

Dinner that night was at Gruta, a Brazilian restaurant with a rather small menu comprised entirely of seafood.

We enjoyed everything. I chose to have 3 appetizers, starting with oysters and then going on to langoustine with kohlrabi and lemongrass, and a mixture of barnacles, mussels and razor clams. Stanley had the cod. We shared a baba au port for dessert. With wine and cocktails, the bill was 180 euros.

Monday, 9/29

This was the day of our tour of the Douro valley. We started at the meeting point at 7:40 am. Thankfully it was pretty much across the street. The reason they start so early is that they can’t have all these tour buses in this area after 8:00. That means we get a 25 minute stopover in Amarante on the way to the tours and tastings, which is not an entirely bad thing as the town does have some charm.

We continued on to the first tour and tasting, with lunch. This producer specializes in moscatel, the lesser-known sweet wine of the Douro region. It was good, though we can see why port is the more important one. The lunch was very good, consisting of a leek and potato soup, lettuce and onion salad, gratin of cod and potatoes, roast pork with potatoes and cabbage, flan and fruit for dessert, a glass of moscatel for aperitif and one for dessert, and coffee.

We then were taken to the port of Pinhao for the 50-minute river cruise. On the way we stopped to take some photos.

After that we continued on to the Quinta da Roeda, the vineyard and winery where Croft port is made.

Back in Porto, we had dinner at Digby.

We had a very nice dinner, starting with a sardine tartlet for each of us. Stanley had suckling pig and I had a tripe and bean stew with a hunk of perfectly medium-rare to rare pork. I made a mistake when I ordered the wine and ended up with a reserva at 88 euros instead of the 38 euro I had intended to get. Of course it was a wonderful wine though, and with cocktails the total was only 208 euros anyway.

Tuesday, 9/30

Our first stop in the morning was the cathedral, just up the street from the hotel.

Next to the cathedral is the bishop’s palace, which is definitely worth exploring, even though there is a separate admission charge.

Then we headed to Casa Guedes Progresso for lunch. No reservations so we arrived early, but it turned out the restaurant was not busy at all.

We both had francesinhas. This is a sandwich that is a specialty of Porto. They offer 2 versions, the traditional and the Guedes. I had the Guedes which contains Bread, Roasted Pork, Egg, Mortadella, Red Sausage, Fresh Sausage, Ham, Gouda Cheese and Special Sauce. Stanley had the traditional, which has steak instead of roast pork. The slices of cheese are on top of the sandwich, then a fried egg is placed on top of that, and the whole is smothered in gravy. You eat it with a knife and fork, and it is heavenly. I drank a glass of sangria with tangerine and ginger and he had stout. With coffees the bill was 41 euros.

After lunch we took a 2-hour boat cruise on the Douro, which was lovely.

Dinner was at Casario, where we sat on a terrace overlooking the river, a beautiful setting.

This was the best dinner yet in Porto, and the cheapest. It’s a small plates restaurant, and they suggest ordering 3 or 4 dishes for 2 people. We started with cocktails made with port from the Cruz winery, which were excellent. We then shared 4 dishes: Crab terrine, asparagus souffle, turbot and guinea fowl. A bottle of wine from the Douro was 27 euros. The total came to 100. Quite a bargain.

Wednesday, 10/1

We began with a visit to the Soares dos Reis Museum.

It wasn’t especially interesting. The 2 paintings above were the only ones I thought worth photographing.

Then lunch at Ora Viva.

It’s a small restaurant that takes a limited number of reservations only up to 12:30. We arrived at noon without a reservation and got right in. The food is good but very traditional. Stanley had melon with smoked ham and then grilled flounder. I had octopus salad and cod. With a half liter of sangria and coffee, the bill was 66 euros.

After lunch we went to the Bolsa (formerly the stock exchange, which moved to Lisbon, it is now the chamber of commerce) for a half-hour tour.

For our last night in Porto, we had dinner at Almeja.

This is a very attractive restaurant with a limited but interesting menu. Dishes we had were pig’s head terrine with apple and brioche, goat cheese with honey and truffle, grilled pork with blood sausage, and roast kid goat on rice. With a bottle of wine, and cocktails, the bill was 135 euros.

The next morning we left for our flight to Paris via Munich.

04.12.25
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NEW ORLEANS, APRIL 2025

Tuesday, April 1

In the afternoon we boarded an Amtrak train at Penn Station for the 30 hour trip to New Orleans. We took a bedroom, which at $2,000 was quite an expense, but not having to deal with airports and having a relaxing journey with all meals included (reasonably good food, far superior to airline food) made it worth doing. The bedroom was tight but better than the roomette we took to Savannah last fall. We remembered our 1982 trip to California, on which the bedroom was larger, so this was disappointing.

Wednesday, April 2

Arriving in New Orleans at 8:30 PM, we took an Uber to the hotel, The Pelham, where we spent 5 days.

The photos don’t really do it justice. The room was very large and had 12 foot ceilings. The bathroom was very large as well, and there was a long entrance hall with a coffee bar and a double closet.

The history of the hotel is quite interesting. The land it was built on was originally a plantation owned by the founder of New Orleans, Jean-Baptiste LeMoyne de Bienville. The current building, dating to the mid 19th century, was the home of James Caldwell, who founded the first English-speaking theater in New Orleans as well as the New Orleans Gas Lighting Company. He named the house Pelham Manor, after the most prominent actor in his theater. The building probably housed others related to the theater, and likely many social events were held there. It does not bear any resemblance to typical single-family houses of the period.

Wednesday, 4/2

We started out in the morning by visiting the New Orleans Museum of Art. It’s a rather austere building.

The art and furniture on display, though from prominent artists and craftsmen, is not of the quality found in major museums. The only thing I thought worth photographing were displays of “Fairytale Lusterware” pottery made by Wedgwood.

After the museum we had lunch at Turkey and the Wolf, in the Garden District.

It took a long time to get there, but it was fortuitous that, arriving after 1:30, most of the customers were leaving so we had no problem getting a table. We shared a fried baloney sandwich and a cabbage salad, probably their 2 most lauded dishes. and they were delicious.

Following lunch we took a short walking tour of the Garden District, which is filled with gorgeous historic houses. Then back to the hotel.

Dinner was at Cochon.

Food and service were excellent. Standout dishes were wood-fired oysters and rabbit stew with dumplings.

Friday, 4/4

Morning: Longue Vue house and gardens, in the lake district on the eastern edge of the city.

Though designed to look like a 19th century house, it was actually build in the 1930s, and furnished with antiques.

It was surprising the flower gardens were not yet in bloom considering that temperatures were in the 80s.

We then went to Emeril’s for lunch.

Food, service and comfort level were outstanding. The lunch prix-fixe is $125 for 4 courses plus an amuse-bouche, pre-dessert sorbet and cookies after. The first menu is Stanley’s and the second is mine, the only difference being the choice of main course.

After lunch we toured the Hermann-Grima house in the French quarter. I didn’t get any good photos. It was interesting but not spectacular.

After a rest at the hotel, we had cocktails at the Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone.

The photo is blurred because the bar is a carousel that moves. It’s a ridiculous scene, with everyone hovering to try to grab a seat at the bar so they can tell their friends they did. We found a comfortable chair and sofa just 10 feet away, where a waitress quickly served us. It was much more civilized.

Dinner followed at GW Fins on Bienville St.

We were seated quickly, in a comfortable booth with a view of the entire room. Service was prompt, and though the food was very good, it didn’t quite compare with what we had at Cochon the previous night.

Saturday, 4/5

Plantation tour:

We were picked up around the corner from the hotel for the one-hour bus ride to Laura Plantation.

The guide here was exceptionally knowledgeable and gave us a wonderful tour with a huge amount of information. The house is simpler than most plantations houses but has a fascinating history.

After the tour, we were picked up for the 5-minute ride to the second plantation, Oak Alley.

This is the sort of grand house one normally associates with plantations. Photography is not permitted in the house. The guide was very good but it seems that there just wasn’t a tremendous amount of written information about the property, so much remains a mystery.

We arrived back at the hotel at 4:30.

Dinner that night was at R’evolution on Bienville St., which is highly regarded and I was excited to try.

It’s elegant and the service is impeccable. The food was out of this world. The dishes we had were:

Roasted oysters, death by gumbo (a stuffed quail in a gumbo sauce), stewed rabbit, rack of elk, cherry shell with ice cream and cherries inside.

A bottle of Kokomo zinfandel was $60, a very good price as it retails for $32.

I would rate R’evolution right up there with Emeril’s, and without the pretentiousness.

Sunday, 4/6

The day started off with light rain as we headed to the steamboat tour on the Natchez.

Unfortunately the rain was heavy on and off, but it was an enjoyable trip nonetheless. The history of the port and the river are explained in detail. I had inadvertently purchased the buffet brunch. Since our plan was to eat afterward at Brennan’s, we just had a few bites. The food is acceptable, but I can’t say I would recommend it.

Brennan’s, on Royal St. is one of the classic New Orleans restaurants.

The food was good but not exceptional. I enjoyed my turtle soup very much, and the crab and avocado toast was very tasty as well. Stanley liked the Scotch egg. My gulf fish amandine was well-prepared with a nice sauce, but wasn’t exactly rousing. Overall a pleasant lunch.

For dinner we went to Compere Lapin on Tchoupitoulas St., just a few blocks from the hotel.

Rustic chic atmosphere, delicious food and excellent service. Loved the tuna ceviche, papaya salad, conch, fried chicken, goat stew and chocolate cake. Again a well-priced wine from the Langhe, less than twice retail. Seems to be customary here.

Monday, 4/7

Gallier House

Lunch: Peche Seafood Grill, Magazine St.

This is a very popular spot. We decided to keep it light and ordered 2 small plates each. Stanley started with a gumbo and I had fried catfish with pickled greens in an Asian style broth. Then we both had fried oysters with a salad. We shared a salted caramel cake for dessert. It was a very enjoyable meal.

Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Camp St.

A fairly small museum, with most of the works having been donated by Roger Ogden. Many artists are represented, most of them not well known outside the region.

Dinner: Atchafalaya, Louisiana Ave.

Charming restaurant, lovely service, great food. Crab raviolo was outstanding, crawfish bisque excellent. Pork chop and shrimp and grits both excellent. Chocolate semifreddo great as well. Wine, an Ermitage for $60 was once again a bargain.

Tuesday, 4/8

Boarded the train for the trip home. When the conductor came by to check the ticket he notice it was for the 9th, not the 8th. I have no idea how I made that mistake, and there was nothing else available in the sleeper cars. So we were changed to coach, which turned out to be a better choice than the bedroom. Not only did we get a refund of $1,300, the seating on this train was very comfortable, with plenty of legroom and seats that recline more than what we are used to. This made sleeping much more comfortable than with the bedroom. Unfortunately, not being in a sleeper meant no use of the dining car, but the cafe was decent enough. Having done this, we would be unlikely to use the sleeper if we take another trip in the future. We arrived home the next evening, a bit ahead of schedule.

02.24.25
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GRACIE’S LUNCHEONETTE, LEEDS, NY / MANOR ROCK, HUDSON, NY

Here are two of our most recent discoveries.

Gracie’s:

Gracie’s has been in business since 2016, but we were unaware of it until we were heading to Casa Susanna and saw a sign for Gracie’s at the exit from Route 23 to Main St. in Leeds. We took a ride past and saw that it was obviously popular, and now we have been there twice.

This is luncheonette food raised to a higher level. I loved the fish sandwich and the brisket melt. The onion rings are heavenly and come with a delicious dipping sauce. Burgers are very good but our gripe is they cook them to medium (we prefer medium-rare). The milkshakes, with your choice of ice creams, and with or without bourbon, are fun. A nice touch is that with iced tea they don’t just give you the usual packets of sugar that never melts, but instead you get a small pitcher of simple syrup. This is what we do at home and it makes so much sense. They also make their own sodas. It’s like an old-fashioned ice cream parlor and soda fountain.

It’s a cheerful place, tables are well-spaced and the servers are wonderful.

https://www.graciesny.com/

Manor Rock Restaurant:

This is another nice new dining choice in Hudson. Most of the produce comes from the owners’ small farm, and they do creative things with it. The space is attractive and the service is impeccable. We had a short wait for our table so they gave us glasses of sparkling wine, a very nice touch.

Four of us had the following dishes: Smoked beet salad, fromage de tete (tasty but could have been more moist and tender), stuffed roasted leeks, duck confit, sausage with pureed potatoes and veal jus, porchetta, duck breast, and apple sesame cake. A bottle of 2023 Mas des Brousses, was very good if slightly overpriced at $65.

With tax and tip, the total was $487, high but not unusual for Hudson these days. Definitely worth a try.

https://manorrockfarm.com/

01.05.25
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OIJI MI – WOW!

The original Oiji was a small restaurant in the East Village that served small plates, and was known for excellent Korean food. It was not cheap, but reasonable for the quality. A couple of years ago it moved to large and beautiful new quarters in the Flatiron district, serving an ambitious 5-course menu. We hadn’t heard about it, but one evening we were walking along 19th St. and spotted it (very unprepossessing from outside) and stopped to take a look at the menu. We were intriqued, but they didn’t have any tables available, so we filed it away for future reference and I did some research on it. Every review I read was a total rave so we reserved for dinner last night.

At $150 per person it is certainly up there in price, but compared to many of the top-tier restaurants it is a relative bargain. The first course is 3 small dishes, while the remaining 4 courses offer a choice of 3 dishes.

Everything we had was flawless, with interesting flavors and tremendous creativity. After the first course, we had the bossam, which was absolutely spectular. Next came lobster ramyun and octopus. Then sea bass and duck. For dessert we had bingsu and cheesecake.

Not only was the food wonderful, the service was the best we’ve had in years, the decor is gorgeous, and the wine selection tremendous, and though the wine list was full of expense-account level choices, there were a good number of fine ones in the $60 to $80 range, and the markup is lower than typical. We had a bottle of Domaine des Ardoisières, Mondeuse, Silice Rouge, Vin des Allobroges 2020 from the Savoie, at $75. It paired beautifully with all the courses.

I just can’t say enough good things about this restaurant. It is absolutely not to be missed.

This is the menu:

5 course Prix-Fixe Menu – $150 per person in the Main Dining Room

A la carte in the Bar & Lounge.

– 1st Course –

SPOTTED PRAWN · 도화새우
gochugaru vinaigrette, green apple pearl, yuja

BEEF TARTARE · 육회
celeriac, pickled radish, caviar

GYERAN-JJIM · 계란찜
pumpkin soup, truffle foam

– 2nd Course –

Choice of:

ARTICHOKE · 아티쵸크
kimchi tofu tartar sauce, pickled ramps

SCALLOP · 가리비 오이냉국
finger lime chojang, cucumber broth

BOSSAM (FOR 2) · 보쌈
pork belly, oysters on the half shell, mustard seed mignonette

– 3rd Course –

Choice of:

OIJI BOWL · 성게알 덮밥
sea urchin, spotted prawn, ikura, oiji, seaweed rice
*supplement MP

LOBSTER RAMYUN · 랍스터
chili, sesame, cucumber

OCTOPUS · 갈낙탕
somyeon, wagyu galbi broth, heart of palm

– 4th Course –

Choice of:

SEA BASS · 농어
scallop, manila clam, truffle seafood broth

DRY-AGED DUCK · 숙성오리
potato dumpling, spicy chorizo, kumquat

WAGYU · 와규
potato gratin, jicama
*supplement 15

– 5th course –

Choice of:

CHAPSSAL DONUTS · 찹쌀 도넛
gruyère, raclette, sweet rice, crème fraîche ice cream

BLACK SUGAR BINGSU · 흑설탕 빙수
black sugar syrup, boba, black tea cream

BASQUE CHEESECAKE · 치즈케이크
yuja, black cocoa meringue, black sesame ice cream

https://www.oijimi.com/

11.08.24
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NEW RESTAURANT DISCOVERIES IN AND NEAR HUDSON, NY

Via Cassia, Hudson

This was formerly Ca Mea, which was very good, but Via Cassia is on a different level. Unfortunately the menu is quite limited, but the food is superb.

Dishes we had:

Porchetta tonnato (a variation on vitello tonnato, but so much better)

Prosciutto

Grilled quail “Fra Diavolo”

Skirt steak

Torta Caprese

With wine, tax and tip, the total was $218.

https://viacassiahudson.com/

Julia’s Local, Round Top

We absolutely loved Julia’s, a small place with simple decor, in an out-of-the-way location (25-minute drive from Hudson) and is only open Wednesday through Saturday. The food is French-American with Scandinavian influences. Dishes are very creative, and the menu is extensive enough that you could eat there often without repeating choices. All vegetables come from their own garden, and most meat and fish is locally sourced.

Dishes we had:

Rainbow trout tartare

Cured venison

Grilled mocha-marinated rainbow trout

Short-rib Bourgignon

We also got 2 quarts of soup to take home, split pea with smoked ham and trout chowder with trout dumplings.

Service is included in the prices. With wine and tax our total was $207.

https://juliaslocal.com/

Klocke Estate, Claverack

A 10-minute drive from the center of Hudson, this is a distillery where they grow everything they use to make brandies. They recently opened a high-end restaurant, where the decor, view and food are spectacular. I took a few photos but unfortunately they disappeared.

As with too many restaurants these days, the menu is very limited. I hope they will expand and change it more often, as the food was delicious. We were three for dinner, and these are the dishes we tried:

Oeuf mayonnaise

Chicken liver mousse

Duck breast

Pork chop au poivre

Crispy potatoes

Plum tart

Chocolate semifreddo

Almond cake

A bottle of Rioja Reserva was a good deal at $70, only about twice retail.

A 20% “operating charge” is added to the bill. Total for the three of us was $400.

https://www.klocke-estate.com/the-restaurant

10.02.24
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4 DAYS IN CHARLESTON, SC

Saturday, 9/28

We picked up a rental car in Savannah and drove to Charleston, where we began with lunch on our way to Drayton Hall, one of the plantations along Ashley River Road.

Betty Lou’s Bistro:

This is an unassuming little place in a strip mall down the road from several plantations. It was a convenient place to stop, but also happened to be very good. We both had burgers, topped with bacon, pimento cheese and caramelized onions, served with very good fries. I had a grapefruit soda and Stanley had peach. They also have a large selection of craft beers. The total was $56.

https://bettylousbistro.com/

Drayton Hall:

This is a 1738 house that has never had plumbing or electricity, despite the great wealth of its owners. It is also one of very few that survived the civil war intact.

https://draytonhall.org/

After the tour, we drove into Charleston and settled into our hotel, the Church Street Inn.

This is a boutique hotel with duplex suites. We had a large living room, full kitchen, a massive bedroom, 1 and 1/2 baths, and a huge walk-in closet.

Saturday evening we celebrated Stanley’s birthday at a very special restaurant, the c. 1886 House. The restaurant is in the former stables of what was the Rogers House, but has been turned into a luxury hotel called the Wentworth Mansion as it is located on Wentworth Street. They serve 2 different 5-course tasting menus, so we ordered one of each and shared all the dishes.

Everything was spectacular; food, service, cocktails, and wine were just phenomenal. The five-course tasting was perfectly paced so it was filling without being overwhelming. Our only regret is that this would likely be so far above any other meal we would have.

Here is the wine I chose:

At $85 it was reasonable, between 2 and 3 times retail.

We also had a glass each of Iniskillin ice wine with dessert at $16 a glass.

The total with tax and tip was $540, which may seem like a lot, but if we could find a comparable meal in New York it likely be near double that.

https://circa1886.com/

Sunday, 9/29

We visited 2 plantations, with a lunch in between. We began in the morning with Middleton Place.

This is not the original house. It was built in 1755 as offices and guest quarters but converted to a house after the other houses on the property were destroyed in the civil war. Photography is not permitted inside the house.

Below is the restaurant, where we had brunch today. The food was excellent. I had shrimp and grits, and it was infinitely better than the version Stanley had at the Pirate’s House in Savannah. He had eggs with bacon and roasted potatoes. With iced teas, tax and tip, the total was $61.

middletonplace.org

After lunch we drove down the road to Magnolia Plantation.

As with Middleton Place, this was not the original house. Most of that was destroyed in the civil war. A small part was left intact and turned into a 4-room cottage. The rest was added in the late 1800’s to create what we see today. Photography is not permitted inside the house.

magnoliaplantation.com

Back in Charleston, we had dinner at the Charleston Grill, located in the Charleston Place hotel.

Due to a flood in the main restaurant, they were serving in the “Palmetto Grill”, which was very nice anyway. The food was phenomenal, pretty much the same quality and creativity we experienced the previous night at the c. 1886 House, but we ordered less food. I started with squab and then had venison. Stanley started with seared foie gras and then had the squab as his main course. We had a wonderful bottle of wine from the Alto Adige. It was quite a bargain at $50 as it was a 2017, no longer available in stores, but the 2020 is retailing for $30, so the markup was extremely low.

https://charlestonplace.com/dining/

Monday, 9/30

We returned the car in the morning, then walked over to the Aiken-Rhett House.

The house has not been restored; instead it has been preserved. In other words, the interior and its remaining furnishings are all original.

https://www.historiccharleston.org/house-museums/aiken-rhett-house

After that tour, we had lunch at King Street Foods, a Thai Restaurant.

We shared shrimp shu mai and a red curry with beef. We enjoyed it. With Thai iced teas, tax and tip, the total was $46.

The next stop was the Joseph Manigault house.

https://www.charlestonmuseum.org/historic-houses/joseph-manigault-house/

On the way back to the hotel I stopped by the synagogue Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, the oldest congregation in Charleston.

The original building from 1794 was lost in a fire in 1838. In 1840 it was replaced by the structure that still stands today.

https://www.kkbe.org/

Dinner Monday night was at Magnolias.

Unfortunately my interior photos were unusable. We enjoyed this place very much. Atmosphere, food and service were great.

Stanley had 2 appetizers, fried chicken livers and grilled sea scallops. I had deviled eggs and then lamb chops set on wild mushroom & crème fraîche orzo pasta, with sautéed spinach & cipollini onions, in a rosemary-lingonberry lamb jus. This was especially delicious. For dessert we shared pumpkin tiramisu. I chose a bottle of Frog’s Leap Zinfandel, which typically retails for close to $40. The restaurant only charges $68, a good deal.

With cocktails, tax and tip the total was $284.

https://magnoliascharleston.com/

Tuesday, 10/1:

We set out to see 3 more houses, the first being the Edmonston-Alston house.

https://www.edmondstonalston.org/

Next we visited the Nathaniel Russell house. This one was spectacular, beautifully restored and by far the best restoration we have seen in Charleston. The furnishings were not original to the house but were carefully chosen to reflect the type of things the owners would have collected, and were of supremely high quality.

The paint colors and decorative architectural elements were an exact replica of what the original owner had.

https://www.historiccharleston.org/news/test-nathaniel-russell-house-post

We had lunch at 82 Queen.

We both had the she-crab soup (award-winning, so they say). We thought it was good but not outstanding, and it seemed to be thickened with cornstarch, which seemed strange. Stanley had a roast pork sandwich, which he liked. I had jambalaya, which was pretty good, but again not great. We had peach sodas, which I think are house-made and were very tasty. The bill with tax and tip came to $101.    

https://82queen.com/

After lunch, we toured the last house of the day, and the last of our trip to Charleston, the Heywood-Washington house. The owners were the Heywards, but George Washington once visited, so his name was added.

https://www.charlestonmuseum.org/historic-houses/heyward-washington-house/

Dinner was at S.N.O.B. (Slightly north of Broad).   

The food here was excellent. Stanley started with a charcuterie platter, then had grilled scallops. I began with stuffed quail and then shrimp and grits (not quite as good as the version I had at Middleton Place, but nonetheless praiseworthy. For dessert we shared banana cream pie. A bottle of Ridge “3 Valleys” 2021 zinfandel was well-priced at $70. With cocktails, tax and tip, the total was $230.

https://www.snobcharleston.com/

Wednesday, 10/2:

We set out early to catch our 9:15 AM train back to New York., concluding a wonderful week in Savannah and Charleston.

09.28.24
by

3 DAYS IN SAVANNAH, GA

Wednesday, 9/25

We arrived in Savannah after an overnight train trip, where we had a lovely dinner in the dining car and a not very comfortable sleep in our roomette, due to the poor condition of the tracks which caused the train to shake. Overall not such a bad trip and we arrived on time at 7 AM.

We took an uber to the Marshall House, which is a beautifully restored 19th century hotel in the center of town on Broughton Street. The room was very comfortable and the included breakfast quite good.

We set out to see 3 historic houses but only managed to make it to 2 of them that day.

Owens-Thomas house:

https://www.telfair.org/visit/owens-thomas/

Davenport house:

https://davenporthousemuseum.org/

This was a very interesting tour, and a fairly long one. We then had a late lunch at the Pirate’s House (forgot to take photos). I had a crab melt and Stanley had shrimp and grits. It was classic southern cooking and done well. With iced teas, tax and tip, the total was $54.

We were tired and decided to skip seeing a third house in favor of a nap back at the hotel. At 6:30 they serve wine and cheese in the beautiful library, and that night there was a harpist performing.

That evening we had dinner at Chive Sea Bar, which was just a block over. It’s very comfortable and the food was outstanding.

I started with she-crab soup, which was absolutely fabulous, and Stanley had a very nice shrimp cocktail. Then I had striped bass with a red curry sauce, and he had a giant crab cake on top of fried green tomatoes. With cocktails and a bottle of rose, the bill came to $231.

Thursday, 9/26

After a good night’s sleep we had breakfast and waited for the rain to slow down. This was the only seriously rainy day. Luckily by late morning the rain slowed somewhat, and we headed over to the Juliette Gordon Low birthplace. She was the founder of the Girl Scouts, and they now own the house.

The history is quite interesting.

https://www.juliettegordonlowbirthplace.org/

Some restaurants had closed for lunch in anticipation of severe storms (which never materialized) but we found a good one that was open.

Toast All Day:

We both had fried oysters, which were very good. With iced teas, tax and tip, the total was about $54.

https://toastallday.com/locations/

After lunch we visited the Telfair Art Museum, which was originally a grand private house owned by the Telfair family.

Back to the hotel for wine and cheese. There was also a trivia quiz.

Dinner was at the Olde Pink House.

This one lived up to its reputation. The service was excellent, as was the food.

To start, we shared an order of she-crab soup, as the server suggested it could easily feed two. It was very good, though not quite as rousing as the one I had at Chive the previous night. Stanley had a very good pork tenderloin and I had a fried pork chop.

With a bottle of a 2021 garnacha, tax and tip, the total was $179.

https://www.theoldepinkhouserestaurant.com/

Friday, 9/27

We had intended to visit 3 houses, but were only able to see 2. There was a severe windstorm during the night, causing power outages and downed trees, so some houses were closed or late to open. the same was true for restaurants, though the one we planned to eat at was open. The Andrew Low house was not open, but here is a photo:

It’s said to be very grand on the inside, but the exterior looks rather austere, and a bit rundown.

Thinking the other 2 houses were also closed, we had lunch, but on the way, we passed the Sorrel-Weed house, and it had opened, so we planned on stopping back after lunch.

The Public Kitchen:

I had a smoked salmon BLT, which was delicious. Stanley has a gyro, which was unexciting. With an iced tea, a grapefruit soda, tax and tip, the total was $57.

https://www.thepublickitchen.com/

Then we went back to the Sorrel-Weed house, for a very interesting tour.

sorrelweedhouse.com

After that, we crossed the street to get a photo of the Green-Meldrim house, and were pleasantly surprised to find it too had opened, and we were able to catch a tour.

https://greenmeldrimhouse.org/

In a nod to my Jewish ancestry, we stopped to see Savannah’s oldest synagogue, Congregation Mickve Israel.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped off at Leopold’s Ice Cream, a famous ice cream parlor.

I had an ice cream soda, strawberry with banana ice cream, Stanley had a scoop of pistachio. This is a must for anyone visiting Savannah.

leopoldsicecream.com

For dinner we went to Vic’s on the River.

Even though it faces the river, there are only a few tables that look at windows on the river. However, it matters little, because the view is quite uninteresting. The food was pretty good, though I can’t say exceptional.

Stanley had a salad with riesling poached pears, blue cheese, pecans and arugula, and for the main course, fried flounder. He liked it all. I had she-crab soup to start. It was very good, similar to the one I had at the Pink House, but neither of these compared to the one at Chive. For my main course, I had 2 appetizers, a crab cake and fried green tomatoes. The crab cake was quite good, and the tomatoes were also but the portion was so big I couldn’t finish them. We had cocktails and a bottle of a very full-bodied rose from the Rhone valley. The bill with tax and tip was $224.

That completes our visit to Savannah. We departed for Charleston on Saturday for a 4-day stay. I will be posting another report on that.