Rave: Vic’s On the River (Savannah, GA)

Overlooking the Savannah River, Vic’s On the River provides an extraordinary dining experience with delectable food, romantic ambiance, and a gorgeous view. It’s located in the popular touristy area, River Street. We spent an afternoon shuffling along the shops, stopping for an oyster/crawfish lunch and to pick up some irresistible pralines.  There’s nothing like market-shopping with a fresh Georgia peach sangria…

So, back to Vic’s. The ambiance and attention to detail really made this restaurant stand out among our honeymoon dinner spots. The menu is Southern inspired, meaning there are “pockets” of southern influence throughout some of their dishes, but they are not a “southern cuisine” establishment. Their low-country influences are evident in the buttermilk biscuits served before our meal, the crawfish beignets, and in other menu items such as fried green tomatoes and shrimp & grits.

We chose Vic’s for our second night in Savannah. Seated at a great table by the windows opening out onto a patio on the river, with elegant chandeliers softly lighting the main dining area and a jazzy live pianist, I was not disappointed in the ambiance.

Before our main courses, we were brought flutes of “honeymoon” champagne and a basket of petite, tender buttermilk biscuits with whipped honey butter. Darrell loves honey…and butter. We both love biscuits. Needless to say, they were quite a hit at our table!

I was pleased to see a lamb dish on their menu, as lamb shanks rank very highly on my “must order” list at any restaurant. Their port wine braised lamb shank with wild mushroom risotto and sautéed carrots and string beans with a Black Mission fig jus was…outstanding. The creaminess of the risotto paired with the falling-off-the-bone tenderness of the lamb shank was just perfect. Let’s face it: no one gets excited over carrots (except for our boxer) and string beans. However, they were also flavorful and prepared well. Unfortunately I didn’t get a photo of Darrell’s seafood dish, but his was equally delicious. Two very good entrees.

For dessert, our server surprised us with a mini “congratulations” chocolate cheesecake. Attention to details? Spot on, and very much appreciated. (Not that our over-indulgent selves needed dessert.) It was rich and creamy without being heavy.

We still raved about this dining experience after returning home from our foodie honeymoon. If you’re traveling to Savannah, I highly recommend dining at Vic’s. As much as we love exploring new eateries, I’m inclined to say that this restaurant would be sought out by us once again if we return to Savannah.

Rave: Bar Louie appetizers

When traveling, Darrell and I enjoy exploring non-franchise dining options. Do we enjoy some restaurant chains? Sure. But, a rule I’ve followed since I was quite young is: on vacation, never eat at restaurants that are available at home. We enjoy supporting small businesses, and also partaking in the less generic menus that “mom and pop” establishments tend to offer. Our favorite restaurants here at home are Bluegrass Kitchen and Lola’s. Both of those restaurants are eclectic, intimate venues with absolutely delicious fare; I’ll rave about them more specifically in another post.

In spite of our love for creative menus and mom ‘n pop dives, we also enjoy typical bar food. In St. Louis last spring, we visited one of Darrell’s favorites: Bar Louie. While their dishes aren’t anything spectacularly cutting-edge, they do “bar food” well, and offer many chains across America. We indulged in buffalo calamari, soft pretzel sticks with an assortment of dipping sauces, and loaded tater tots. Darrell frequented Bar Louie when working out of St. Louis, but last May was my first opportunity to dine at one. I wasn’t disappointed!

The buffalo calamari are lightly breaded with a zippy, vinegary sauce, topped with bleu cheese crumbles. Of course tater tots are a side dish favorited by many American children, but Bar Louie takes them to the next level with spicy jalepenos, bits of salty bacon, and smothered with queso; the glorious, heaping plate is then garnished with scallions and fresh carrot. The last, and final of our appetizer tasting, were the soft pretzel sticks. These are warm and chewy, with a perfect “bite” from the coarse salt. Options for dipping include a creamy, sweet cinnamon butter, a honey mustard with a hint of horseradish, and mild queso. Delicious!

Bar Louie has several locations in the United States. While you won’t find anything necessarily innovative, we do consider this a “rave” somewhere in our book.

Happy Saturday!