by Margaret Swaine | Apr 11, 2019
Ever since reading Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt’s 1994 true crime novel set in a sultry atmospheric Savannah, the city has been on my travel bucket list. Georgia’s oldest city, it was once an English colony and boasts historic mansions, 22 inner city park-like squares and more than 100 restaurants serving up southern hospitality.
The non-fiction book depicts a time in the 1980’s when Jim Williams, a respected antiques dealer and dedicated private restorationist of historic homes, was put on trial for the killing of Danny Hansford, a local male prostitute. The killing took place in Williams’ home the ‘Mercer House’. Today, like a number of the most historic houses in Savannah, Mercer House has been fully restored and is open to the public for tours. http://www.mercerhouse.com
The historic nature of Savannah as described in the book and the caste of eccentric characters was what fascinated me. Later when Clint Eastwood directed a film about the crime drama starring Kevin Spacey as Jim Williams, the place was so etched into my mind that I knew I had to visit someday.
What I discovered when I finally visited last week was even more delightful than I imagined. The history is deep going back to 1733 when James Edward Oglethorpe and 113 other English colonists chose to settle in what is now downtown Savannah. The charter for the new colony included such prohibitions as no Catholics, lawyers or hard liquor. Modern day Savannah has no such restrictions to say the least.
Oglethorpe’s plan for Savannah which called for residential and commercial buildings to be built around central park-like squares set the scenario for how the place developed. By 1851 the original four squares had grown to 24. Todays 22 remaining squares make the city a beautiful and serene place for walking about. Each square offers something different such as gardens, monuments, statues and even graves. Walking and trolley tours of the historic downtown are available throughout the day year round.
My visit in the beginning of April also coincided with Savannah’s 30th annual Music Festival, Georgia’s largest musical arts event – a 17 day program that presents a wide range of music from classical to bluegrass to jazz. The show I saw ‘Billie and Blue Eyes’ featured the John Pizzarelli Trio performing Sinatra and Catherine Russell singing Billie Holiday tunes. www.savannahmusicfestival.org
The restaurant scene was equally dynamic. My list of places to dine was longer than my time in the city but my husband and I ate what we could to cover the best. Our hotel, Perry Lane, smack in the middle of the Historic District and part of Marriott’s The Luxury Collection, had an American brasserie The Emporium Kitchen and Wine Market as its prime dining spot. Every day we walked by delicious smelling chicken on their rotisserie until one day we caved and had their Smoked Springer Mountain Chicken Hash for breakfast. Truly yummy, it had ample amounts of that chicken along with sweet potatoes, onions, sweet peppers, poached eggs and smoked jalapeño hollandaise. (We had pre-booked all our lunches and dinners as April is a busy time in Savannah.) www.perrylanehotel.com
One of our favourite meals was at Elizabeth’s on 37th, where Gary and Greg Butch, brothers and partners in the restaurant, both worked the floor with great charm and character. “We are authentically southern,” Gary told me when describing their cuisine. “We speak to the place where we are.”
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Local seafoods included Half Moon River clams with cornbread madeleines, oysters roasted with caper-herb butter, flounder and the grouper. The wine (250 well-chosen selections) and spirit lists were also extraordinary as was the location in an historic mansion built in 1900. www.elizabethon37th.net
Husk was another favourite with its fresh interpretations of southern cooking. Husk Savannah is one of four locations for Husk restaurants which are all part of The Neighborhood Dining Group. Executive Chef and Savannah native, Chris Hathcock helms the kitchen here and the dishes we tried were all made with an expert touch – light not heavy, fresh, local and delicious. We started with the classic southern dish of pimento cheese (a spread made with cheddar and cream cheese, pimentos and spices) which Husk served with Benne wafers and house made pickles.
Their local lettuces topped with pickled onion, raw shitake mushrooms and crispy pig ear and drizzled with black garlic dressing was brilliant. So too was their version of hot fried chicken (crispy skin with juicy interior) served with a bowl of grits and raw local radishes. www.huskrestaurant.com
The Grey, located in a former Greyhound bus terminal, was a bustling restaurant with pizzazz. Quite casual but ultra fun with tables packed closely together, we ended up making friends with our fellow diners on both sides of our table. Local oysters were as fresh as could be. Our duck was perfectly cooked rare with crispy skin and tender, juicy meat. “Smashed” potatoes were a decadent butter drenched treat covered with sour cream and brewers’ yeast that our smoked collard greens helped balance. Here too the wine and cocktail list was top notch. www.thegreyrestaurant.com
Vic’s on the River, in a 1859 converted warehouse, had a commanding view of the Savannah River. The menu was pure, classic southern with rich belly filling dishes such as wild Georgian shrimp and smoked grits, creamy thick she-crab soup, heavily breaded fried green tomatoes topped with goat cheese and oyster po-boy (a deep fried twist on a submarine sandwich). www.vicsontheriver.com
Other highlights: Cha Bella served up tasty local farm to table cuisine in a homey, relaxed atmosphere. B. Matthews Eatery made wickedly good Bloody Mary’s. Leopold’s Ice Cream, which first opened in 1919, still draws long line ups for its famous cones such as tutti frutti, an ice cream flavour they created 100 years ago. www.visitsavannah.com
by Margaret Swaine | Apr 1, 2019
Kent, the oldest county in England, is known as the Garden of England for its abundance of farms, wineries, beer making from the locally grown hops and fresh from the sea Dover sole and Whitstable oysters. It also has over one hundred golf courses, some of the spectacular links that naturally follow the coastline. A chance to indulge all my passions in one place was irresistible. READ NOW
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by Margaret Swaine | Mar 14, 2019
Decades ago when I lived in Ottawa and worked in politics, I was decidedly unimpressed by the restaurants and bars in the city. Fast forward to today and I have to say that Ottawa has a cool factor and it’s not just the weather. Things have vastly improved – not in the antics of politicians – but at least in food and drink.
On a recent visit to the capital, I looked up dear friends from those past years and asked them to pick a place and time for our rendezvous. My friends Margaret and Pierre booked us in Riviera on Sparks Street, likely the hottest, hippest spot in town. It was terrific.
Chef-restaurateurs Matthew Carmichael and Jordan Holley’s first two projects in Ottawa were the popular ethnic eateries taqueria El Camino and the Asian street food-inspired restaurant Datsun in the south end of Elgin. Riviera, in a gorgeously converted former bank building circa 1869, is a vision to behold that delivers the latest-greatest in trend setting drinks and eats.
On the menu when we ate there were items like tuna crudo with puffed quinoa and argan oil, roasted Romanesco (Roman cauliflower) with yogurt and za’atar and black cod with sun choke puree. Talk about hitting all the millennial hot buttons.
Most impressive was the huge list of inventive cocktails created by bartender manager Stephen Flood. There are nine takes on the Negroni cocktail, including a resinous one call Venus in Firs, six variations of Old Fashions for warming up winter and specialty Flood creations such as Lie to Me with bourbon, amaro Nonino and coffee liqueur.
The list of spirits including Amari and herbal ones was enormous with many specially selected small craft distillers. The wine list was also extensive with so many lesser known but excellent picks from around the world that I’m sure I was drooling on the menu as I read. Customers best reserve far in advance to get a table here. www.dineriviera.com
My friend Christine took me for brunch at Benny’s Bistro in the Byward Market area. Benny’s tucked in back of The French Baker, is like a secret hideaway only known by savvy locals. The French baker, which many consider the best in the city, was opened 1995 by Jérôme Mantel. He added Benny’s in 1999, reached by walking past the bakery counter down a narrow passageway.
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Christine and I also visited the Westboro neighborhood in the city’s west-end as she wanted me to see some of its neat eateries such as Pure Kitchen for tasty vegan fare, Gezellig which serves up haute cuisine versions of comfort food and Baker Street Café famous for cinnamon buns and hearty brunches. https://westborovillage.com/directory/baker-street-cafe
Then I went onto Soif, sommelier Véronique Rivest’s charming wine bar in a former hamburger joint in Gatineau. Food here features local ingredients in small-plate dishes made to pair well with the curated wine list such as tempura mushrooms, ricotta tartine, bison tartar and veal cheek. https://www.soifbaravin.ca
My first night in Ottawa, I stayed at the Andaz Hotel. This newly built hotel in the Byward market area had lots of bistros and cafes nearby. It was an easy walk to Parliament Hill and other attractions. My room, an Andaz suite, was spacious and very contemporary (blond wood floors, sleek furniture, glass walled shower and toilet cubicle) – the work of Canadian interior design firm Mason Studio. Windows were floor to ceiling and provided lots of light. I was impressed by its urban chic and Copper Spirits & Sights, the city’s tallest rooftop bar, located on the 16th floor. https://www.hyatt.com/brands/andaz
My second night I moved to the Hotel Fairmont Chateau Laurier to experience the freshly renovated modernized Fairmont Gold rooms of this magnificent landmark on the banks of the Rideau Canal, next to the Parliament Buildings. Zoe’s, their cocktail bar was also recently renovated to both maintain its special architectural elements including the chandeliers, crown moldings and marble bar and add a sleek new look. I ordered The Statesman a rich, smoky, cocktail made with rye whiskey, maple syrup and Islay single malt and served with panache in a smoke-filled glass box. www.fairmont.com/laurier-ottawa
I left our capital city feeling much of what was stodgy had been replaced with hipster. Yes ,Mamma Teresa Ristorante, a favourite haunt of politicians in the seventies when I worked on the Hill, was still around but even if old traditions die hard among politicians and bureaucrats, there was a plethora of new destinations for a hot night on this cool town.
by Margaret Swaine | Dec 1, 2018
Barbados isn’t the most beautiful island in the Caribbean, nor does it have the highest peaks, the best beaches or the most abundant local produce. Yet billionaires who could vacation anywhere in the world, come here year after year and folks with more modest incomes make this their once a year holiday trip.
The answer was obvious to me after a two week visit this September in which I stayed in five different hotels from the ultimate high end to the value priced all-inclusive. I travelled by local bus and Rolls Royce and ate from high brow to street food. I experience beautiful sunny days and the lashing rain and flooding of tropical storm Kirk. Even the island’s politics had a measure of novelty and diversity. READ NOW
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by Margaret Swaine | Apr 1, 2018
I’m a well-seasoned food, drink and travel writer. After four decades, I’m still loving the gig, though it does have a downside. Over time, stuffing all conceivable edibles (and some unimaginable ones) down my throat has played havoc with my metabolism. Your order still will be assembled, but it will not be shipped out until your prescriptions have been http://icks.org/data/ijks/1482460671_add_file_5.pdf commander viagra verified with your doctor. You can also icks.org purchase cialis online and that too with just a single click. Night generic viagra cheapest sweats affect various people today, regardless of age or gender. This supplement has been prepared from one of the most ancient and useful Chinese plant called astragalus and from the course. cipla tadalafil icks.org Constant time zone changes and continual nights of missed sleep compound the issue. READ MORE
