Date: 11/02/2013
Day: 37
Location: Daytona Beach, FL
Miles Today: 259
Total Miles: 8262
A New Friend; Savannah by Night; Savannah by Day; Restaurants, Daytona Beach; Seen on the Road
A New Friend
Part of the way south out of Savannah today was on I-95, a very serious three lane Interstate; safe, fast, boring. The speed limit is 70 and the traffic flow is about 80. This is how New Englanders get to Florida and they are intent on doing so rapidly. Snowbirds in $250K motorhomes are common, all heading south in early November. The Interstate bypasses the great inlets like the Chesapeake and the Delaware.
Savannah by Night
John Wesley looms in the dark, in the rain.
Savannah by Day
There was time for an hour long walk around Savannah this morning. This is certainly a city of character and worth an extended revisit.
The Colonel loves faded old signs.
French food to go. What do they offer?
Lump crab meat with mango on a roll. Hmmm.
Check the great combination of colors, rust plus bricks.
Does each Scout have to have a Marine or is it the other way around? Actually, this is not quite as odd as it looks; Savannah is the home base of the GSA.
Girl Scouts are common on the ground in Savannah-- here is a coven.
Savannah City Hall
Restaurants
Two resturants to report on; one really remarkable, the other... lets start with Chick-Fil-A:
Chick-Fil-A (pronounced Chick Fillet) is a fast food operation with stores across the country, but it gets no closer to San Francisco than Walnut Creek. This is probably not an accident. It may be as unfamiliar to you as it was to the Colonel. You may remember the not politically correct comments made by the Southern Baptist founder of the firm a year or so ago in reference to same sex marriage.
The basic product is a fried chicken sandwich made with a solid piece of chicken breast perhaps 3/4" thick. It is properly done and tasty. The bun, unfortunately is not up even to MacDonald's standards. Soft at best, soggy at worst. A secret sauce is supplied separately. The potato offering is a waffle cut disc, something interesting and different. It was a bit under salted (!!) but salt is available, of course.
Bottom line: not bad but not really worth a revisit.
On the other side of things, consider The Olde Pink House in Savannah. It was recommended by N of O who said that she had one of the best meals of her life here; Grouper stuffed with crab. The Olde Pink House really is a restaurant in that category
The mechanics of the operation are flawless. The Colonel showed up an hour early for his 10:30 single diner reservation. The staff took the time to show him two places where he could be seated immediately and a place to wait for a proper table. The Colonel chose a place at the bar -- it is easier to talk to your fellow diners that way
The place is immaculate and smells great. It is very well lit. The interior is complicated, lots of small steps, but since it claims to date from the 1770's that is to be expected.
The Colonel got on the outside of a scotch and soda, of course -- isn't it interesting how often a great restaurant pours a great drink? The Grouper stuffed with crab was a given but he dithered over the 'shrimp with ham gravy and grits' and the 'crab cakes with green fried tomatoes' -- he has never had fried green tomatoes, but he has never had ham gravy either. The bar keep suggested the shrimp, so that is the way he went.
Seriously good choice. The point of the dish is the "gravy," which is actually a light cream sauce cut with sherry. To this they add, yes, a little ham and some ham juice, but it is the product of some sort of super ham; not salty but with a distinct ham (not pork) essence. No fat is detectable at all. There are small bits of ham in the dish, but they function like small slices of onion, as exclamation points in the creamy gravy. The grits were treated like a fried polenta; a solid triangular cake that hangs together when cut with a fork. The shrimp were a bit bigger than bay shrimp you might find on a salad.
This was a dish that had the Colonel fully engaged. It was wonderful, complex and subtle.
The Grouper with crab was perfect. Less complicated than the appetizer, it relied on the clean distinct flavors of its constituent parts, which were clearly present. It could not have been better made or presented. It was plated with nice mashed potatoes and a mix of green beans and sugar snap peas.
The Colonel messed up his wine selection. He chose a Malbec which had way too much horsepower for the meal. Good stuff, but it had be held until after the entrée was disposed of. There are worse fates.
Fancy restaurants are not the focus of One Lap. The Olde Pink House in Savannah is a worthy exception. If your travels ever take you to Savannah, don't miss this place.
Daytona Beach
The Daytona Motor Speedway is literally across the street from tonight's motel. Shown is the main stadium. This is "tri-oval" and road course and is supposed to seat 125,000 people, so it is fortunate that nothing is going on this weekend.
The race track is on Speedway Blvd. The powers that be avoided Speed Way, which would have been the Colonels choice. Insufficient whimsy in Daytona.
Seen on the Road
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