Fancy, Schmancy

Yay, we've made it to halfway!  I think it's safe to say that procrastination and life got the better of me. So Wednesday was a very chill day, especially the morning/early afternoon. We took advantage of the great weather (fortunately, all of the storms happened at night) and the fact that we were staying right above the pool and went for a dip. We laid out for a bit - I ACTUALLY TANNED!! - then dove in. 

I must say that my friend can make a new friend anywhere, and that day, she made two. We met a teacher from Nashville who was staying at the resort with her family and then we met this couple from Charlotte, NC. Since my friend and I both work in the education field, we ended up discussing the differences in the school systems in each of our current locations. It's really interesting to see how something that all children in the country is receiving (or should be receiving) can be done so differently in so many different places. Like, here in the school district I work for, all students, starting next year, will be receiving free breakfast and lunch. In Charlotte, there was one school (that I know of) that was providing free lunch for all students, but to the teacher from Nashville, it was a shock because, as it normally is, only qualifying students receive free breakfast and lunch. Anyway, that's the education system for you.

Lunch was light as we planned to do a "fancy dinner" that evening before we headed back to Savannah. I had the rest of my AH-MAZING French Onion Soup from Vic's and my friend made an impromptu "pizza" with tortillas and pesto. We ate, showered, and got ready for our dinner reservation at Wiseguys, this restaurant and bar on the island. Also, as a heads up, you definitely need to make a reservation if you're going to go. Wiseguys is a gorgeous restaurant; it kind of reminds me of those restaurants in the commercials for the wallet flashlights. You know the ones? 

Anyway, we were seated in one of the corners of the restaurant and were almost instantly greeted by one of the managers, Sandy. When our waitress came, I ordered the Grouper Daufuskie while my friend ordered the Twin Crab Filets.

After looking at some other restaurants' menus, Grouper Daufuskie may or may not have a set recipe (?), because each menu had a different set of ingredients. If anyone out there knows about a concrete version of Grouper Daufuskie, let me know. The Grouper Daufuskie at Wiseguys was seared grouper on top of smoked gouda grits surrounded by baby spinach leaves coated with their Daufuskie sauce (The dish is also served with mushrooms, but I ordered it without.). The grouper was seared wonderfully, leaving the fish with a beautiful crust, and the sauce was good. The baby spinach was more like a garnish than an actual part of the meal, so the leaves ended up taking away from the dish rather than adding to it. The star of the dish, though, was the gouda grits. Good Lord, those grits. I was quite apprehensive of getting grits because, up to this point, I hadn't had a decent serving of grits since I'd been in HHI/Savannah. Those grits made up for everything. 

My friend's Twin Crab Filets were described as "Two 4 oz. filets encrusted with crab cakes, lemon butter, Yukon gold whipped potatoes, Seasonal vegetables".  A major reason I was excited for her to order it was because I was really curious as to how a steak was encrusted with a crab cake. Really, it was a filet topped with a crab cake. I am not a huge steak eater; I just don't crave a lot of red meat. But, this steak. I would gladly order this any day of the week. The steak was tender and the saltiness from the crab cake was a perfect complement to the steak itself. As I mentioned before, I love potatoes. Love them. 

Oh, Samwise Gamgee, be mine!

These whipped potatoes were delicious; they were creamy and silky and perfectly seasoned. It was safe to say that, other than Vic's in Savannah, this was the best meal we had on our trip.

After we left the restaurant, we headed back to the villa to change into clothes fitting to go out and find some ghosts.

  

Oh, you Winchester boys with your disguises and whatnot.

Stay tuned for the ghost tour blog!

If you happen to be in the Hilton Head Island area, take a trip to Wiseguys Restaurant and Bar. It's a little on the pricier side, but it's totally worth it. They're open from 5 to midnight, so they're strictly dinner and late-night eats. To check out their entree and their small plate menus, check out their website at www.wiseguyshhi.com.

Baby cows, bourbon, and books

Ok, we're finally making progress on these things. If you haven't read the last entry, go do that now and catch up on our trip to Savannah so far. If you have read the last entry, then you know that at the end of our shopping trip on the Savannah riverfront, we stopped by a restaurant named Vic's on the River. There are two entrances to the restaurant: one on Bay Street, which is the main entrance, and then there is the entrance on River Street. The entrance on River Street is actually the entrance to the restaurant's coffee bar; to get to the actual restaurant, you have to go through the coffee bar to the elevator and go up to the fourth floor to the dining room.

Like I said before, the actual building was gorgeous, but their food? On a scale of one to ten, ten being the best, their food was a solid...12. Yes. It was off the charts delicious. Even their worst dish, I would gladly order again. I ordered their Fried Green Tomatoes and their French Onion Soup. My friend ordered their Crawfish Beignets and their Crab, Shrimp, & Oyster Stew, but more on those dishes later.

I love Fried Green Tomatoes, and I'm not just talking about the movie. Seriously, I could quote and reference that movie until they discover the real secret in Sipsey's sauce. If you didn't get that, then you have a movie to watch, don't you? 

 Anyway, the Fried Green Tomatoes at Vic's were delicious. They were served on grits and topped with goat cheese, tomato chutney, and a balsamic glaze. The only problem was that the cheese, chutney, and glaze just added to the acidity of the dish. I prefer my FGT's to be accompanied with a little lot of spice so, in my opinion, the tartness of the goat cheese and the balsamic glaze was almost overpowering if you had a bit of each in a single bite. Also, putting tomatoes on top of another tomato, albeit a fried one, is a bit much for me. BUT. It is an appetizer so I really think that if you split with another person, the flavors will be just enough. Or, you could do like I did and just take some of the stuff off and keep it for yourself.

Unlike the FGT's, Vic's French Onion Soup had no flaws. None. Not even a little. Perfection. If you don't know what a French Onion Soup consists of, it's basically meat stock (most likely beef) and onions, topped with croutons and cheese. There's also some wine, brandy or sherry or something similar in the soup, depending on the recipe used. Vic's uses bourbon in their soup, but the thing that really made their French Onion Soup was the meat they used in their stock. Vic's uses veal to make their stock instead of beef, which gives their stock a much richer flavor and makes it 1000 times more drool worthy. My mouth is watering just writing about it. Honestly, if I had to choose a dish for my last meal, it may very well be this soup. 

As I said before, my friend ordered the Crawfish Beignets and the Crab, Shrimp, & Oyster Stew. The Crawfish Beignets were pretty good, despite the fact that they weren't really beignets. Beignets are a lot like doughnuts are in the US; they're fluffy and fried and, according to Disney darling Charlotte La Bouff, have the added benefit of helping one catch a man. 

"I'm gonna need about 500 of your MAN-CATCHING beignets
for my ball tonight!"

The "beignets" at Vic's were more like empanadas or turnovers, as they were pastry dough filled with meat and then folded over while creating a seam by either folding the dough in on itself or by pressing the dough shut with something like a fork. I had never had crawfish before but I have to say, it was tasty. I'd definitely try some more crawfish dishes. However, for me, the star of the show was the Tabasco syrup. Yes, syrup. It was delicious and was the perfect complement to the crawfish beignet/empanada (beignada?).  The Crab, Shrimp, & Oyster Stew, though, was her winning dish. The stew was comprised of sauteed shrimp and blue crab in a cream based seafood broth, topped of three large pieces of fried oysters. The menu says that there were to be potatoes in it but I don't think there were and, honestly, I don't think it needed them. If you know me, you'll know that me being okay with the lack of potatoes is saying a lot; potatoes are my favorite things. 

Beignets

Empanadas

After leaving Vic's in our partial food comas, we headed back to Hilton Head. We dropped our stuff off at the room and then headed out for our next adventure. Whenever I get together with my friends, there are two things that we will ultimately do: eat good food & buy a ridiculous amount of books. So when we returned to the island, we stopped by the local Barnes & Noble. This excursion took us an hour...or so. It would have taken longer if I had wandered into the DVD/music section. Have you ever been in that part? It's like a time suck, a glorious, expensive time suck. Anyway, we got our books (and gave the cashier a shock, as she'd never seen so many books purchased at a single time) and headed back to the room. Dinner consisted of leftovers and candy and Scene It.* Ah, to be in grandma mode at 24 - it's a beautiful thing.

*- We did not eat Scene It. Do not eat board games and do not put game pieces in your mouth. You could choke. And I doubt they're tasty.

If you happen to be in the Savannah area or really within a day's drive of the place, go to Vic's on the River. Don't question it, just go. Check out their website and their menu at www.vicsontheriver.com. 

"We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams." - Albert O'Shaughnessy

Just as one does not simply walk into Mordor, one does not simply go to Hilton Head without taking a day trip to Savannah, GA. Savannah is one of best cities in the South* and it's only about an hour away from Hilton Head.

*- While this may seem like an opinion, it is 100% fact....based on my opinion.

The drive to Savannah from the island is ridiculously beautiful, especially if you're a sucker for Spanish moss-draped trees lining the streets like I am. It also can make you a bit nervous if you aren't a fan of giant, hella high bridges. Hint: I am not a fan. Regardless, the trip is worth it. And one place you should definitely go is River Street. If you haven't already guessed, the cobblestone street sits directly on the Savannah River. The street is lined with stores and restaurants, ranging from those T-shirt stores that seem to be at every tourist locale to gorgeous art stores selling original works and prints to Irish pubs to more upscale restaurants serving amazing soups and seafood. Basically, there are tons of choices for everyone, whether they want to shop or eat or both.

Who doesn't love some good Spanish Moss?

 

Once we got to the riverfront (btw, parking can be a little tricky. If you can manage to get a spot in a lot on the riverfront, you can pay to park there for up to 10 hours. If not, there is paid parking on Bay St. and the time allotted ranges from 2 to 5 hours.), we browsed a bit as we made it to our main destination, River Street Sweets. If you've been to Myrtle Beach or Charleston or even Atlanta, you may have come across one of the many branches of this store. However, this one is the original and the best. You can see them making their famous pralines and their taffy, so there is absolutely no doubt that their goods are fresh. To me, the store feels like you've wandered into some part of Willy Wonka's factory. There is candy and sweets everywhere; there's a wall of taffy. A WALL OF TAFFY. 

The main reason we went to River Street Sweets, other than the fact it's amazing, was that my mom requested an undisclosed amount of pralines. I am not overly fond of pecans but, my gracious, I will willingly gorge myself on those pralines. While there, we bought...well, let's just say we bought a lot. As a marshmallow lover, I always get their chocolate covered marshmallows with sprinkles. I also decided to try their truffles and they definitely lived up to my expectations.

White Chocolate Raspberry & White Chocolate Cappuccino Truffles

At this point, we had been there for a while and were ready for lunch. While we were walking the riverfront, this girl handed us a flyer for this restaurant called Vic's on the River. The menu looked good so we decided to try it. It was a gorgeous restaurant; the ambiance was enough to come back for.  So, how was the food? I guess that will follow in the next blog!

If you want to check out River Street Sweets and are headed to one of their many locations, check out their website: www.riverstreetsweets.com. You can also order their goodies online and send them as gifts to relatives or friends. Or yourself. Let's face it, you're totally gonna order stuff for yourself.

Smashing!

So, recap. We're in Hilton Head, and we're relaxing, adventuring, and eating - not necessarily in that order. 

Monday was a chill day and a pretty good one, aside from the fact that my morning meal was not the best.  But I digress, on to part 2!!

After our grocery shopping, we came back to the room and relaxed for a while before heading out for dinner and then our scheduled ghost tour in Savannah.  Our dinner of choice today was a place called The Lodge, which I can't help but describe as a barbeque bar type of joint. The place is owned by a chef named Orchid Paulmeier, who, if you have good taste in television shows revolving around food competitions, you would (read: should) recognize her as one of the finalists on season 7 of Food Network's Next Food Network Star. And, by the way, she was one of my favorites and I was so upset when they sent her home. But that's okay, because now she gets to run this restaurant and her other restaurant, One Hot Mama's (which is located right across from The Lodge), and give us all of her delicious foods!

                   

We had looked at the menu beforehand and it was still so hard to make a decision when it came to ordering. We ended up ordering a couple of their appetizers and, geez, they were so unhealthily delicious. We got the Fried Mac & Cheese and the Truffle Parmesan Tater Tots and, oh my goodness, they were amazing. The mac & cheese comes with a sriracha mayo and the tots come with a basil pesto mayo. By themselves, the apps were good, but the sauces really took them to the next level; honestly, you could put that stuff on anything and I'd eat it. And, for all those mayo haters out there, you can't even taste it!

For the entrees, as usual, we ordered something different. I decided to get one of the gourmet grilled cheeses and my friend ordered a burger. I got the Pulled Pork Melt, which came with hickory smoked pulled pork, smoked onions, and pepper jack cheese (which, let's face it, is the best cheese). It was. So. Effing. Good. The sandwich also came with a barbecue sauce dipping, which, like the rest of Orchid's sauces, were perfect. My friend ordered a Smash Grilled Burger, which you can customize to your liking. If you've ever been to a restaurant like SmashBurger, then you know what a "smash grilled" burger is. If not, I'll explain. The burger is smashed on a griddle or skillet within the first bit of cooking to ensure browning all over the burger patty. This leaves a nice crust on it, making it super meaty and delicious. If you want to know more about smashed grilling, here is a nice article on it. Both sandwiches were amazing and they both came with homemade chips which were dusted with a mesquite-y spice blend, making them taste like barbecue chips. 

This actually was the end of our evening because, either due to the peppers from the morning or just the amount of food consumed, I ended up sick. So, instead of going to Savannah and searching for ghosts, we played Scene It and Phase 10, then watched a mini-marathon of Snapped. A truly wild night.

If you're in the Hilton Head Island area and you want to check out either or both of Orchid's restaurants, I highly recommend it. Check out their menus at www.hiltonheadlodge.com (The Lodge) and at www.onehotmamas.com (One Hot Mama's).

Naps are a necessity

Uh oh, it looks like I'm already getting behind on the days. Guess that's because I'm having an awesome time on my vacation!!

Monday was the first full day of our vacation and, as any vacation should, it started with a wonderful morning of sleeping in. Of course, for me, sleeping in is until 8:30. This morning, we went to a local restaurant named Stacks and it's safe to say that there were some mixed feelings. 

We had gotten a flyer when we checked in and we were super excited to go there because everything sounded ah-mazing. So when we got there, the first thing I noticed was that it was crowded, which, of course, is always a good sign, right? Looking at the menu, there was so much to choose from that I could barely decide. Ultimately, I decided to go with the Shrimp & Grits, which is basically a true Southern staple. They also had many sides to choose from, including small bowls of fresh berries with whipped cream. 

The Shrimp & Grits were...okay. On the menu, the dish was described as having fresh shrimp, chorizo sausage, and Parmesan cheese grits.  There was fresh shrimp, which were absolutely delicious. However, the grits were coldish and the sausage was not seasoned nor was it chorizo. For anyone who loves chorizo or has even just had chorizo, they know that the best part of the sausage is the spice and the amount of flavor that is packed into it, so for the sausage in the dish to not be chorizo (or at least poorly seasoned chorizo), it was a disappointment. There was a kick ass sausage gravy on top of the dish, but, sadly, the gravy was not a perfect match to the rest of the dish. As you can see, on top of the gravy, there were peppers and scallions. Normally, this would not be a problem, but I, unfortunately, cannot eat bell peppers, as I will become violently ill. The peppers were not mentioned on the menu and, while I was able to remove most of them, I still ended up getting a few in my system. Overall, as much as I hate to say it, I was not pleased with my meal. But those berries were great, so that's a plus, right?

But!

It wasn't all bad. My friend ordered the South Carolina Crepe, which was a crepe filled shrimp, lump crab, and jack cheese, topped with a lobster cream. I had a bite of her's and it was definitely a winner. The cheese was nice and gooey (as cheese should always be) and the seafood was fresh. I'm not necessarily a huge fan of lobster flavors but, for those of us who don't want an overpowering flavor of lobster, the cream was perfect. It was definitely a nice compliment to the crepe itself. The only issue we had with the crepes were that they were smaller than we would have liked!

So that was the majority of the morning/early afternoon. On the way back, we stopped at the grocery store and picked up some essentials (read: ale and marshmallows). Then, I hate to say, we took naps. Yes, I know that napping is a crap way to spend your first day of vacay, but when you are living under a herd of elephants, surrounded by screaming children, and your balcony is looking over the headquarters for the frog vocal competition, a nap became necessary.

So that was the first half of the day. For fear of making these posts too long, there will most likely be two parts to a day, if needed. So, thus ends Part I of Day 2. 

To be continued...

If you do go to Hilton Head and you want to try out Stacks (and their great crepes), take a look at their menu at stackshh.com/.

Cloudy with a chance of cornbread

We're here!!!

We got into Hilton Head yesterday and I couldn't be happier! It's sunny here this morning but yesterday, that was a different story. But more on that later.

I think the worst part of going on vacation (other than packing) is traveling to your destination. However, with the right travel companions and a, dare I say, perfect playlist, traveling is the best part! About three hours of music, fun, and sun, right?!

Nope.

Yep. That's rain. Lots and lots.

(Also, you'll see we have a travel buddy. Her name is Susie.)

Anyway, we got through the rain, passed through some of the best named towns, spent some money at Target, and got to Hilton Head around sundown. After unpacking and relaxing, we went to dinner.

 

I never have regrets (read: try not to), but I truly regret not taking a picture of my dinner last night. It was amazing! We went to a local barbeque restaurant called The Smokehouse, which had a great atmosphere, awesome food, and oh so cute waiters. I had the ribs, mac & cheese, and baked beans, while my friend had the brisket, mac & cheese, and roasted vegetables. But the highlight of the meal was definitely the cornbread. OMG THE CORNBREAD. 

Even though I had eaten Smokehouse barbeque before, for some ridiculous, unfounded reason, I had never had their cornbread. It is safe to say that, last night, I had the best cornbread I have ever had. It was sweet and creamy and just, gah, perfect. My friend teased me saying that I would be raving about this cornbread forever and, you know what, she may be right!

That was pretty our day: good music, not so good weather, and good eats. There will definitely be more posts about delicious food and fun adventures. Now, off to enjoy the island!!

But, seriously, if you ever happen to be in Hilton Head Island, SC and you love good barbeque, there are tons of options but The Smokehouse is a must. You can check out their menu at http://smokehousehhi.com/#.

Rain or Shine

So after about two days of being sick, I am beyond ready for a vacation. The tickets for almost all of our excursions have been purchased (and by “all” I mean the one excursion – well, planned at least). The other thing we’re planning on doing is going a ghost tour in Savannah, which I am SUPER EXCITED ABOUT!!!!! The only problem is…well, let me just show you.

This is the weather forecast for next week. That's a lot of precipitation.

Now, if you know anything about South Carolina's weather, you know that just because the city you're in is expected to get rain, it doesn't mean that the part of town, the neighborhood, or even the street you're in will get rain. I've heard stories from people whose houses were getting drenched in a torrential downpour while the houses across the street were bone dry. So, am I worried about the days and days of rain? No...well, maybe a little. Do I care? Nah, not so much. Because we all know that rainy days are nothing more than a perfect excuse to binge-watch a show on Netflix and maybe cheat a little on your diet (HA! Who are we kidding? There was never a diet.).

Now, this constantly changing weather forecast (like, seriously. It's changed like three times just today) has brought forth another dilemma: packing. I hate packing. So much. Especially when I have no idea what the weather will be. But fortunately (?), I haven't started shopping for my vacation wardrobe. Yes, I am leaving in three days. No, I haven't even thought about what I'm taking with me. Yes, procrastination is my greatest skill.

Anyway.
I have numerous lists made and starting tomorrow, I can begin to cross them off.

All I can say is I am super glad that I just got paid. Pre-vacation spending is gonna hurt.