The Lady and Sons Restaurant

While I'm not really a huge fan of typical deep-fried, greasy, buttery, Southern fare, I thought it was only appropriate that I end my Savannah experience with a Paula Deen extravaganza at The Lady and Sons. We were under the impression that they didn't take reservations, but we could show up at 5 PM, put our names on the list, and then come back at the time we wanted. We were sadly mistaken. The Lady and Sons DOES take reservations but only the day of starting at 9:30 AM. Casually strolling in at 5 PM pushed us back to a 9:15 dinner time. This was a little late for us, but we didn't know if we we would ever have the chance to dine at Paula Deen's restaurant again, so we were willing to make the sacrifice. Besides, we wanted to be good and hungry by the time we got our food. Even though we had to wait a really long time to actually get into the restaurant, the service was excellent once we sat down.

Paula sure knows how to start things right. As soon as I sat down, a cheddar garlic biscuit and hoecake (later drizzled with maple syrup) was immediately placed directly in front of me. They disappeared in about, oh, 30 seconds. Sorry in advance for the poor quality of pictures.

Because it was my last night of vacation, I ordered a glass of the featured Malbec (my favorite wine). As I sipped my wine, I probably didn't fit in too much with the rest of the restaurant (people loading their plates down with fried chicken, mac 'n cheese, and creamed potatoes from the buffet line), but I don't care-it was what I wanted.

My parents and I also split the Fried Green Tomato appetizer, which came with a side of vidalia onion relish and roasted red pepper sauce and were the perfect accompaniments. It was marked as one of Paula's Picks, so I knew they had to be good. They were crisped to perfection and might have been my favorite part of the meal (except for dessert).

We decided to pass on the buffet and order off of the main menu. I ordered Tilapia for my main course, which was also one of Paula's Picks (and also her favorite!). It came with a side of jasmine rice and sautéed mushrooms and asparagus. It was topped with crab butter, but I'm sure another stick of butter was also used in preparation of this dish-I wouldn't expect anything less from Paula!

Skipping dessert obviously wasn't an option last night either. My parents and I split the Key Lime Pie after hearing it was the "fan favorite." While we were in Destin a couple of years ago, my family set out on a quest to find the best key lime pie at the beach. While Red Bar's Key Lime Pie still ranks at the top of our list, this pie may be a close second. It was thick, creamy, and not too tart-just the way I like it. I really think it was the almond graham cracker crust that sealed the deal for me. Crust is definitely my favorite part of pie, and this one was delicious!

Eating at The Lady and Sons was really more of an experience to me than anything else. I probably wouldn't go back to eat there time and time again (just not my type of food really), but it's definitely worth it to go at least once in your lifetime. If you're ever in Savannah and want some down home Southern cookin', I would definitely check it out!