The Lady & Sons in Savannah, Georgia

We left our home in beautiful Ontario, Canada on the morning of October 9, 2013 with a final destination of our vacation home in Florida.  Our plans were a sightseeing trip on the way down, staying there three week, flying home for three week, then returning to Florida for five weeks.  Once we crossed the border, we made our way to I-75 to I-33, crossing on an angle to I-77 then to I-26, then to I-95 and finally I-4.  This route was a little longer than the direct route of I-75.  Originally, we planned on staying a an adorable sounding bread & breakfast (Nostalgia Inn) in Pipe Stem, West Virginia.  Those plans were suddenly change an hour away when we called and the hostess told us she was expecting a large group on the weekend so didn't want to clean up again even though she had told us a room was available the day before.  Apparently she hasn't heard of Karma!  So we continued traveling, finally stopping in Orangeburg, South Carolina for the night.  That meant we would be in Savannah, Georgia (our primary sightseeing stop) before lunch rather than the planned dinner.  We had planned on staying in Savannah overnight but we would be at our vacation home before dinner with good traveling so decided to shorten our stop in Savannah.  Aside of seeing historical Savannah, the huge draw for us was eating at The Lady & Sons.

The Lady & Sons, established in 1989, is owned and operated by celebrity chef, Paula Deen and her sons, Jamie and Bobby Deen.  The restaurant is located at 102 West Congress Street in historical Savannah, Georgia.  Reservations are required.  They can be made by calling the restaurant or through their website.   If you get there early you can reserve a spot from the hostess located at the side entrance (to the right of the car) before the restaurant opens. 

We arrived a little before 10:30 AM so that handsome gent (aka my husband) carrying our purse went ahead to get our name on the reservation list for the 11 AM opening.  Not pictured is the crowd that gathered outside the side door prior to opening in the hopes of getting reservations.  It was indeed an impressive sight!  While we waited, we passed the time walking about Savannah enjoying the gardens and quaint shops.  

The Lady & Sons restaurant has seating on three floors.  The first floor is L-shaped.  The long arm of the L was the dining room; the short arm housed the buffet stations.  At the end of the buffet stations room was the entrance to the restaurant waiting area.  We were seated on the first floor at the table in the lower right corner with the chair on the angle.  We were close to the window beside the double doors in the picture above so had a wonderful view of passers-by while dining.  The dining area is spacious yet cozy.  The original wood floors added that extra ambiance. 

What impressed us was the lack of pretentiousness, something we did not expect given that Paula Deen is a celebrity chef!  Our entire experience was nothing but top notch.  The waitstaff were some of the best we have ever had, extremely friendly and sociable, attentive to our needs.   This restaurant is certainly brimming with old fashioned southern hospitality!

The menu was enticing but we decided on the all you care to eat southern buffet lunch ($15.99).  The waiter brought us southern cheese biscuits and hoecakes.  A hoecake is a unleavened johnnycake (cornbread cooked pancake style) made of cornmeal.  This bread was originally baked on the blade of a hoe over and open fire, hence its name.  Oh my!  It was had to decide between the two.  They were both as delicious as they looked, cooked to a beautiful golden brown with a tantalizing aroma.  The biscuits were rich, fluffy, tender and flakey.  The hoecake was tender and flavourful.  

The room holding the food bars was surprisingly small with just enough room for a few people at a time.  It was filled with the aroma of delicious food!  The small salad bar was tucked in by the stairs leading to the second floor dining area.  It was small and unpretentious yet well stocked with the basics for a salad.  All of the offerings were very fresh looking.  One of the trays (middle right) held packets of butter for the biscuits or mashed potatoes.  The only ingredient not often seen at this style of salad bar was artichokes.  The dressings were also are kept to a minimum.  Something about the simplicity of the salad bar struck me.  The focus was on simple food, nicely prepared and ready to enjoy, an excellent visualization that food does not have to be fancy to be good.

The entire main course buffet station was only about ten feet long at best, with serving from both sides.  Once again, the simplicity echoed in the unpretentious main course offerings, especially the southern fried chicken done to perfection and piled high in the tray.  There was no doubt that chicken looking this good would be a sure-fire culinary delight!  Less selection means that the focus was on a few dishes cooked perfectly rather than a large selection of mediocre dishes.   To me, that is always key.  The main course buffet station certain did not disappoint!  Each tray was filled with delicious looking dishes cooked home-style.

My husband chose the southern fried chicken, baked chicken, meatloaf with gravy, mac & cheese, creamy mashed potatoes and a mixed vegetable casserole.  Both styles of chicken were cooked to perfection!  The meatloaf was a basic ground beef based meatloaf, lightly seasoned, moist and tender topped with a rich, creamy brown gravy full of flavour.  The mixed vegetable casserole was a mixture of peas, carrots, lima beans and corn in a creamy sauce topped with cheese.  The mac & cheese was just like homemade, rich and creamy with lots of cheese then topped with cheese!  My husband enjoyed his meal then went back for seconds. 

I chose the southern fried chicken, creamy mashed potatoes, green beans, black-eyed peas and collard greens.  Now this was some of the best southern fried chicken I've ever tasted!  It was nicely fried to a golden brown, seasoned perfectly, crispy on the outside yet moist and tender meat.  I normally do not eat the coating or skin but tasted a little. Delicious!  The mashed potatoes were a dream, light and fluffy with a rich creaminess undoubtedly from milk and butter.  This is the second time I've had collards and while they were nicely cooked, they really aren't something I will be making at home.  The black-eyed peas were delicious.  The green beans were my only complaint.  They were cooked in bacon grease in traditional southern style.  They looked like green beans, perfectly cooked to al dente but despite their appearance, they were mushy.  I know this is the way southerners cook their green beans as opposed to the northern al dente, still it was a bit of a surprise. 

Dessert (peach cobbler, banana pudding or ooey, gooey butter cake) came with the buffet so we each got one to share.  More specifically, me to have a taste and my husband to enjoy most of it.  This has been a standing tradition with use ever since our newlywed days.  I very seldom eat dessert and we rarely order dessert when out but when we do, he ends up eating both.  I ordered the banana pudding.  This rich, creamy dessert was scrumptious!  The flavour was amazing, not too sweet.  a lovely dollop of whipped cream just accented the flavour.   Paula Deen's Classic Banana Pudding can be duplicated at home as well as and Paula Deen's Not Yo Mama's Banana Pudding, a fancier version of the classic recipe.  I plan to make the classic version for our next family gathering.

Paula Deen is well know for her use of butter and the catch phrase butter y'all.  It isn't surprising that she came up with a specialty cake aptly named, the ooey gooey butter cake.  This dessert is incredibly rich and way to sweet for my liking.  My husband who does have a sweet tooth even declared it too sweet.  I'm certain it is a popular choice for many though given the reviews on the restaurant.  I found it interesting that when I searched for a recipe to duplicate at home, I found several versions of her butter cakes, just not this particular one.  At any rate, if you like rich, chocolatey sweetness then you would like this dessert!

Overall, we were impressed with The Lady & Sons!  As mentioned our experience was wonderful, well worth the side trip, and we had a chance to see a bit of historical Savannah.  I kept hoping we'd spot one of the Deens but that didn't happen.  Perhaps we will get to meet one of them during our next visit to Savannah...

Leonardo's Italian Grille in Romulus, Michigan

One of our great pleasures when traveling is discovering new restaurants that offer homestyle cooking in a cozy atmosphere.  While we find some of these gems through word of mouth, quite often we discover a good eatery by shear luck.  Sometimes it is the name of the restaurant, other times the  look of the exterior and others still a combination of both.  So it was during a recent road trip when we discovered a small, cozy Italian restaurant.

Leonardo's Italian Grille is located at 7575 Merriman Rd in Romulus, Michigan about a mile away from Detroit MetroAirport.  The restaurant is owned by brothers Vito and Joe Liparoto who emigrated from Sicily to America in 1969 with their family.  Years later the brothers opened their first pizzeria, now operating as Leonardo's Italian Grille.  They have captured the essence of authentic Sicilian cuisine with the inspiration of Chef David Neal. They offer a variety of Italian specialties as well as dishes from the grill.

The exterior of Leonardo's is modern architecture  with Italian overtones of red and green.  There is a large outdoor dining patio to the left of the entrance.  The interior is cozy and welcoming with shades of taupes and greens, lots of wood, and an Italian themed mural.  There is an impressive bar with comfortable sitting in the lounge area as well as tables and booths.  The atmosphere is cozy, casual with friendly waitstaff.

The waitress brought us a basket of fresh bake twisted Italian bread stick with butter to accompany our meal.  These soft chewy bread sticks were delightfully delicious!   The texture was quite similar to a crusty roll yet a slightly different.  A little twist opened the warm bread stick forming a small pocket perfect for the butter.  This is one recipe I will be looking for to make at home!

Entrées were served with soup or salad.  We both ordered salads with our entreé.  The side salad was a simple salad greens with shredded red cabbage, shredded carrots, red onion slices, cherry tomatoes, croutons and Italian dressing. 

Leonardo's serves Provimi veal, a superior milk-fed pale coloured, fork-tender veal, the finest available.  My husband ordered the veal parmesan ($19.95).  The generous portion of tender veal was coated with Italian breadcrumbs, sautéed in olive oil then topped with marinara sauce and baked with mozzarella cheese.  It was served with spaghetti in marinara sauce.  The dish was garnished with finely chopped red onion and carrot, something a bit different from the over . used sprinkling of dried parsley. 

My husband really enjoyed the veal parmesan.  It was tender with a nice richly flavoured mainara sauce and gooey melted mozzarella cheese.  This entreé was a sure winner!

I ordered the Sicilian pasta ($15.45) with a side salad.  This entrée consisted of sautéed tender peas tossed with homemade meat sauce and fresh ricotta served over bowtie pasta.  The fine textured meat sauce had a bit of a zip bordering on heat to it so I think the meat was hot Italian sausage rather than ground beef.  The Sicilian pasta was a delicious entreé!

Leonardo's is ranked #2 of 33 restaurants in Romulus on Trip Advisor and for good reason.   The waitstaff are friendly and provide fast service.  The unpretentious food is simply good, homestyle basic Italian nicely presented in a cozy, inviting family-style atmosphere.  The portion size for the entreés is substantial. It is child-friendly for those traveling with little ones but can also accommodate larger groups.  If you are in the vicinity of the Detroit Metro Airport, this is a great restaurant for lunch or dinner.

Revisiting Benders Sports Pub in West Bend, Wisconsin

By definition, pub grub foods are not gourmet.  Most can be recreated at home which is one reason to stop in for a few new ideas.  They tend to be on the inexpensive side.  In general, pub grub foods involve greasier types of food as well as snacks but that all depends on the pub.   Some pubs give you complimentary popcorn or peanuts and while this makes you feel good, the pubs know these salty freebies will get you drinking more (usually beer) where they actually make their money.  Most pubs offer daily specials, weekly entertainment and other incentives to get you in the door.  They even encourage this with low priced or two for one drinks during happy hour.  For the most part, pubs are just pleasant places to spend a bit of time.  With that in mind, pubs are still one of the best values for your eating out dollars. Oh and many pubs are kid friendly as well.

I shared our experience vising Benders Sports Pub in West Bend, Wisconsin in 2011.  On that visit the focus was on their famous jumbo garlic wings as it was lunchtime but I had a feeling this pub had a bit more to offer.  We had the opportunity to stop there again with the kids a couple of weeks ago.  So, we stopped in for dinner on the Sunday of our visit for dinner.

We ordered the deep fried cheese curds ($7.99) with ranch dressing and 20 boneless wings ($14.99) with three different sauces, ranch dressing and celery.  The deep fried cheese curds were amazing!  Their wings are rather good too.   Chicken wings tend vary in size considerably.  One place we frequent has good wings one week but the next week they are over cooked and quite small.   We certainly were not disappointed in flavour or quality at Benders.

Quesadillas have become typical pub grub fare that are easily duplicated at home.  The nice thing about quesadillas aside of being easy and inexpensive to make, is they are very versatile.  You can use any meat, go meatless, with or without cheese, and the dipping sauce possibilities are endless. 

My husband ordered the quesadillas with steak ($9.99).  It was made with a blend of cheeses and steak sandwiched between two large flour tortillas.  It came served with fresh lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sour cream and salsa.   It was declared good and really when you are eating out that's all that matters. 

Sunday is taco night at Bender's!  One of our kids ordered the chicken tacos at $2 each.  The soft tacos consisted of chicken, lettuce, chopped tomato, topped with cheddar jack served on a soft taco.  Sour cream and salsa were included.  The filling was quite generous making this a very inexpensive yet tasty meal. 

This is another easy and inexpensive dish to recreate at home that can even use left over shredded or sliced meats.  Tacos make for a quick meal as well so if you are rushed, they are something to consider.  I like keeping cooked meat, shredded cheese and other toppings on hand just for this very purpose.

One of our kids ordered the Swiss mushroom burger ($8.99).  Strips of marinated portabello mushrooms topped the burger pattie that was smothered with Swiss cheese sandwiched between a toasted bun. It was served with lettuce, tomato and Benders homemade chips.  The burger quite looked delicious!  You really can't go wrong with that combination.

Homemade chips are very easy to make with thinly sliced fresh potatoes and a deep fryer.  If you want a healthier version, you can bake them in the oven.  This lowers the fat content but still gives crispy results.  You can easily control the sodium content by making homemade chips either way.

Spaghetti with homemade marinara sauce served with a side garden salad and soft garlic bread stick is a odd offering for pub grub food so I ordered that.  I was in the mood for pasta and besides how bad could it be?  The salad was the average iceberg lettuce with a couple of cucumber slices, tomato wedges and onion slice served with choice of dressing.  The pasta itself was just a bit over cooked for my liking but the sauce had a nice flavour.  Overall it was a rather decent meal for $8.99.

We really enjoyed our second visit to Benders Sports Pub.  Most of their dishes do make use of that gorgeous Wisconsin cheese.  The atmosphere was nice, the food good and the company stellar.  I know I'm a bit biased but any time I get to spend with my kids is always going to be a good time!  We don't get to see the kids in Wisconsin as much as we would like.  Facebook, texting, Facetiming and calling are all great but in person is better.

Our one kid immigrated to Wisconsin when married so there are some things missed about Canada, especially certain Canadian foods.  I taught them how to cure a pork loin for pea meal bacon and even brought the Morton's Tender Quick which was rather amusing at airport security - white substances even in their original packaging do draw attention.   We brought three large canisters of Tim Horton's coffee with us something that customs usually checks.  I also brought home canned salsa for a taste of home.  We brought back some lovely Wisconsin cheese.  It was a wonderful visit filled with lots of great food.  I can't wait until our next visit!

Train Fare Food

Yesterday, I shared our foodie purchases on our recent visit to Wisconsin.  We opted to travel by train to avoid nasty road conditions.  Having traveled that route a few times in the winter, we know just how treaterous it can be.  Seriously, the one year we hit the bad area at the bottom of Lake Michigan to see several car accidents, a few jack-knifed trucks and we were at 20 miles an hour for  about 60 miles.  We drove from Ontario, Canada to Port Huron, Michigan where we caught the 6 AM train heading to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  There was a stop over in Chicago, Illinois.  The train between Port Huron and Michigan has a dining car as it is almost a 6 hour ride but the train between Chicago and Milwaukee has a dining cart that the conductor goes from car to car as it is only about a 2 hour ride.

Traveling by train is less restrictive than traveling by plane in that there aren't security checks so you can bring your own food and drink on board without being tied to what is offered on the concourse.  Bringing you own is considerably less expensive even if bought from a deli.  We were at Walmart to buy a cooler for the cheese so decided to buy a garden salad for me, a turkey and salami sub for my husband, two individual serving sized yogurts and two apples for our lunch on the train from Milwaukee to Chicago.  The entire lunch for two ended up costing us $11.50 but it was more substantial than just the snacks being offered.

The layover between the train from Milwaukee to Chicago and the one from Chicago to Port Huron is 1 hour and 15 minutes if the train is on time.  There is no dilly dallying or time for a quick meal as there is at the airport.  Train seats are unassigned so if you want to sit together, you need to get in line quickly.

The dining car on a train is the same size as a regular car.  You do have to walk to it and be aware that the train is moving.  The car is divided into about three quarters of table seating if you wish to sit there.  There are plugs available for electronic devices not only in the dining car but at each seat.  While personal food and beverages are allowed on the train they are not allowed to be brought into the dining car.  The remaining quarter of the car is the cooking and serving area.  Be warned that this space is small so if you want to use the dining car, try to time it away from the prime meal times.

My husband is a former classed engineer (CN rail) and conductor (VIA rail) so we have had plenty of train experience.  At one time, all food served on the trains was prepared on the trains.  I think about the only food actually made on board the short distance trains now is coffee.   The menu is rather limited and the prices are higher but not so high as to be gouging customers.  Tips are not mandatory but it's nice to leave one.  Unlike the plane service, the trains will take old fashioned cash but credit cards and debit are also accepted.  Food and drink including alcoholic drinks can be brought from the dining car to your seat if you choose.

We are looking at doing a train adventure that would take us 3 days on the train each way.  A berth, (private sleeping/riding quarters) is definitely recommended for this type of trip and meals are included.   Long distance trains still have on board meals and a dining car.  You do have to RSVP as seating is in 15 to 30 minute intervals so as to not over crowd the dining car.

Dining on the short distance trains is not fine dining but with no time to stop between trains, it is better than nothing.  I actually walked to the dining car to bring back a few goodies for our dinner (perfect excuse to get some pictures!).

I got my husband a peperoni pizza.  It came in a half pizza box with the pizza on a microwave safe foil tray that ensured the crust didn't get soggy.  I can remember years ago, these pizzas being sold in vending machines at the university cafferterias but haven't seen them for ages.  I don't know if they are still available to the general public or just for the food service industry.  Surprisingly, these pizzas are rather tasty.

All heated food on the short distance trains is prepared ahead, vacuum sealed then reheated in the microwave oven.  Now, this is not as bad as it sounds.  I've done countless quick starts then vacuum sealed them and froze to be reheated in the microwave or a boiling pot of water.  In fact, a lot of the top chefs are now using the boil-in-a-bag method because it retains flavour and nutrients while decreasing cooking time.

I bought two Angus cheese burgers.  It was sealed in a pouch for easy reheating.  Condiments were available including and the first I've ever seen it a condiment packet of chopped onions.

The cheeseburger was a good size and it was quite tasty.  I was not fond of the texture of the bun but then I could say that about any bread coming out of the microwave.  The bun was more steamed due to the packaging so on the borderline soggy, chewy side.  Other than that it was a good burger.

I paid $19.95 plus a tip for the pizza, two burgers and bottled water which in perspective is not that bad of a price for a meal for two when traveling.  Had we had a long enough layover, we likely could not have eaten for that price at Union Station in Chicago to begin with so eating on the train for a hot meal, wasn't such a bad deal.

When traveling, there are only so many food items you can carry with you.  At some point, you will need to buy a meal or extra drinks.  If you are on a train from 6 AM to 3 PM, at some point you will need to buy food or refreshments.  I found the food rather reasona bly priced for what you got although the selection was rather limited.  Bottled water was $2.50 which was rather high and alcoholic drinks were $7.  We filled our water bottles at the kids then again at the train station during the layover and my husband brought a couple of cans of pop so we avoided that cost.  He doesn't drink much pop.  So over all, we spent about $40 for the day for food for two people which really isn't bad.  Heck, we have spent that much in air terminal food in one sitting!

A Foodie Train Ride Road Trip

My husband and I have itchy feet or what some refer to as wander lust.   Honestly, had we not had kids, I doubt we ever would have settled down.  Not that settling down and establishing roots is a bad thing it's just there are so many places to see, so many adventures and my gosh the food possibilities are endless.  We are beyond pleased to have become established, creating firm roots for our kids and grandkids, but we still have a bit of wander lust yet to expore.

A couples of our kids and family live in Wisconsin so we try to get there two or three times a year.  The problem with driving from Ontario to Wisconsin is you have to go down under the bottom of Lake Michigan and let me tell you with the lake effect, that stretch of highway is beyond brutal in the winter.  So this trip, we decided to take the train.  If you have not traveled by train especially for a longer distance, this is a must do on your bucket list!

We seriously have coolers and insulated food bags at home, on the boat, at the vacation home and in both vehicles.  Well, we arrived at the train station for our early morning 6 AM departure, opened the trunk and all we had was the large insulated food bag.  I'm sure it would have worked fine but my husband insisted we would buy another cooler in Wisconsin with the size depending on the amount of cheese being brought home.  He felt the insulated bag would not keep the cheese cool enough for the over 8 hour trip.

Only foodies would buy a cooler to bring home their stash of goodies :)  We stopped at Cedar Valley Cheese Store where we delighted in stocking up on cheeses.   Then we stopped to buy a cooler to fit our purchases.  He bought the 28 quart Igloo Island Breeze cooler which just fit all of the cheese leaving just enough room for the light lunch and yogurt we purchased at the grocery store for our lunch on the train before the switch-over.  Now, we were travelling rather light with two back packs (one almost empty for other purchases), the computer case (computer, iPad) and we had a spare cloth shopping bag just in case.  The nice thing about traveling by train is there's no liquid restrictions and coolers are allowed (50 lb or under with size restrictions) plus we only had to get the cooler from the rental car to the train then to the next train on switching then to our car and finally in the house but it was considerably less complicated than flying.  If traveling by train, I highly recommend not getting a cooler larger than this as when filled, this cooler just comes under the size restrictions.

I have blogged several times about Cedar Valley Cheese Store in Wisconsin.  The store has expanded and now offers gift boxes, wines and imported cheeses along with their own cheeses. You can order online with shipping via UPS or USPS.  You really cannot appreciate this cheese without visiting the store though.  It does have some of the best cheese in Wisconsin although I may be just a tad biased.

Pictured is our Cedar Valley Cheese Store purchase of just over $140.  The only cheese I bought that was not from Cedar Valley was the English Blue Stilton.  We bought a total of about 30 lb of cheese: 6.3 lb whole milk mozzarella cheese, 3.57 lb sharp cheddar, 3.64 lb white mild cheddar, 3.84 lb medium chedar, 3.26 lb colby jack, 3 lb low fat cheese strings, 2.23 lb cheese curds, 1.21 lb cheddar garlic and dill, . 90 lb swiss premium grade and .19 lb of the Stilton.

Our kitchen refrigerator is stuffed with cheese but make no never mind, I will put it to good use!  It's a toss up what will be first - poutine using those beautiful cheese curds or a cheddar beer soup. Of course, lasagna is a given as is homemade mac & cheese.  Stay tuned ...