Greetings from Tybee Island, GA (Part 3)
Speaking
of sweets, Savannah has two tea rooms of some renown. I didn’t get to try The
Tea Room at 7 East Broughton Street, but its flyer looked inviting. I did crash
one afternoon at the Gryphon Tea Room at 337 Bull Street for an unusually flavorful
cup of hot chai and a huge piece of coconut cake. It looked just like one my
mom used to make so having a piece was a foregone conclusion!
I will have to
go back several more times to try the breakfast and lunch menus and more of
the desserts, of course. Apple Caramel à la mode immediately comes to mind.
This establishment is yet another example of the way SCAD (Savannah College
of Art and Design) has positively impacted the city. It acquired the former
Solomons Pharmacy building in 1982 and created the tea room in 1998, uncovering
and maintaining many original features such as carved mahogany and tiffany
lamps. It has restored about 40 buildings throughout the city, including the
building across the street that now houses a retail shop of items made by students
and faculty. 
You have to try an old ice cream parlor named Leopold’s that makes its own creamy confections. They are smart, too. Whenever there is a performance at the Lucas Theatre around the corner, they stay open late for the exiting theatre-goers. The theatre itself is incredibly beautiful--restored with donations from many, Kevin Spacey for one.
Back to the ice cream, a pitcher of self-service ice water graces the end of a beautiful wooden freezer case which holds many great flavors. We tried several, but Lemon Custard and a special flavor for Valentine’s Day, pale pink Rose Petal, were my favorites.
There is one special occasion restaurant we will definitely try on our next
trip: Gottlieb’s Restaurant & Bakery, 1 West Broughton Street, Savannah.
Three brothers operate the restaurant and recently reopened a family bakery
that has been in operation for 100 years. Two of the brothers honed their chef
skills at the famed Inn at Little Washington, near our granddaughter’s home
in VA—another restaurant I have wanted to try for a long time. Someday, if
we win Lotto!
Enjoy
the savannah area recipes we’ve added to our website and browse the websites
listed below if you want to learn more about this great vacation area. Your
first stop should probably be the Savannah Visitors Center on Martin Luther
King Boulevard. It’s perpendicular to the west end of Bay Street, the main
drag parallel to River Street, where our granddaughters loved the riverboat
cruise and other friends got a kick out of the apparently free small ferries
that go back and forth to Hutchinson Island,
a hotel-conference
center complex where we learned of some southern construction products at the
annual home show.
They will come in handy when we build on the lot we bought on Tybee Island, signing papers after volunteering at the Tybee Marathon that day and having a couple of martinis to give us the courage to go through with it. We have absolutely no regrets about it, and invite you to give us a call if you’re in the neighborhood next winter!