Northward bound! WIth a stopover in Savannah!

It's that time of year when we depart the warmth of south Florida and make our journey back north. This year we decided to make a few overnight stops at two destinations and take and be a tourist.

(enjoying the last day in Florida sun)

After 7 hours of driving we stopped in Savannah, Georgia at 12 noon. Many of my friends raved about Savannah. I honestly had not expectations. After spending the day and night, I was actually quite impressed with this hip college town.

(Architecture, hip restaurants, and lots of SCAD college kids)

 



Michael and I took the "trolley tour". Living in Ogunquit, we have trolleys, but these trolleys are mainly used for transporting masses people to the beaches in Ogunquit. The Savannah trolleys are actually used for touring. Savannah is quite a historical city with layers upon layers of history, and the trolley was quite helpful and informative.

(faux Paula Deen & Greg-being a tourist)

We also had reservations for Paula Deen's restaurant, "Lady and Sons"-again, my expectations were not high, but again, I was pleasantly surprised.

Make no mistake, Lady & Son's is a tourist destination with long waits, and crowds in the gift shop adjacent to the restaurant. To my surprise, there was a "Gluten Free" menu! Who would have thought, a southern soul food restaurant with GF options!

My meal was yummy with rice, seafood (scallops, shrimp and oysters). Michael opted for the Chicken Pot pie. This was a prime example of southern soul food ala Paula Deen. A pie the size of a dinner plate with puffy braided crust and mounds of chicken.

The city is fun and lively, pedestrian friendly. I went for an hour run through several neighborhoods. I think Savannah will be a new stopover on our treks back north!

Cafe San Juan - Restaurant Review

While channel surfing in Argentina, I came across reality show about a restaurant called Cafe San Juan on Fox Life TV in Buenos Aires. The show is about a small boutique restaurant in San Telmo district of Buenos Aires. I am not a fan of reality TV, and really don't watch those types of programs ( e.g., I have never seen Survivor, Big Brother etc). I find these types of programs boring and over dramatic. However, this show caught my attention. The series presents itself as a "docu-reality", which I think is more accurate than, just a reality show. The situations and characters are real, not contrived.

Cafe San Juan is a small boutique restaurant located on Calle San Juan in the San Telmo District. San Telmo is known for the legendary San Telmo fairs on Sunday. San Telmo is also an antique and art destination. The district is: edgy, young, gritty, immigrant and up & coming. Think NY city's Chelsea or Lower East side in the 1970's.  Celebrity Chef/Owner/skateboarder, Leonardo Cristobal  is young and edgy. He looks like a younger version of Spanish rock star Manu Chau.

Cristobal is a passionate man. He is passionate about his restaurant, food, presentation of the meal, and skateboarding. He buys all is vegetables locally and uses products that are in season. There is no delivered processed food.
What really piqued my interest while watching the television program is how well the staff got along. Everyone, sliced, diced and prepared the food for dining clients. This was true when we dined. The staff operated like a well tuned orchestra.

 (San Telmo is gritty, artsy and full of passion, like these street performers)

The restaurant is small, with tables outside and maybe 10 to 12 tables inside. The kitchen is open, and diners can observe celebrity chef Cristobal prepare the evenings meals. Like San Telmo, the food is edgy, eclectic and entertaining.  Jazz and ambient music flow through the small restaurant. There is no set menu; the waiters truck a chalkboard from table to table with the day's specialties. Tonight's specials were, Squid, Rabbit and Salmon.

I decided on the salmon. It's spring in Argentina and the wild salmon are in season. The portion was a good size and was accompanied by eggplant, onions, and covered in greens. The meal was delicious, and the presentation was perfect. The salmon was probably the best I've ever had.

I must admit, part of my attraction to this restaurant was it's style and sexiness. Dining in Argentina is a process. It is not rushed. Like the saying, "life is too short for cheap wine", this is how Porteños dine, leisurely, relaxed and luxuriate at a table for hours. There is no, "eat and run" in Argentina. Dining is an art form. Food is celebrated. Argentines have adopted the Spanish culture's way of eating late,  the Italians love for food, and the Frenchman's passion for the Cafe Society.

For dessert we split a chocolate mousse with almonds and topped by eatable chocolate  gold thread-Need I say more! Like most restaurants in Buenos Aires, desserts are homemade!

I found the staff helpful, and efficient. The restaurant opens in the evening at 8pm ( reservations are highly recommended).  This was my best meal in Buenos Aires this year, and Buenos Aires is known as a foodies paradise. Prices are a bit higher than most restaurants in Buenos Aires, but still much cheaper than stateside restaurants. Cafe San Juan only accepts cash, and not credit cards.

The Details:

Cafe San Juan

450 Calle San Juan

San Telmo ( Buenos Aires)

Telephone: 4300 1112

CASH ONLY Dollars accepted.

Reservations are highly recommended.

Watch the Video
Episode One of Cafe San Juan

Farmers market in San Telmo

Lester's Diner Fort Lauderdale

This classic style diner located moments from Fort Lauderdale's 17th Street seaport area is popular with locals and visitors. This shiny chrome diner has been serving breakfast, lunch and dinner with a Greek flare since 1967. Lester's Diner is open 24 hours and has an extensive menu. The waitresses are very friendly and a bit on the kitschy side.

Lester's features a wide chrome counter, booths and a larger dining room. There is plenty of parking, and the diner is large.

I had a vigorous  one and a half hour swim workout this morning, so I needed a hearty breakfast. I invited my buddy Jay, who is always up for a good meal!

I got the omelet with feta cheese and spinach. Home fries and toast accompanied the meal. The omelet was perfect! The home fries were just average.

Jay got chicken friend steak with mashed potatoes, the perfect greasy spoon meal. Both meals were hearty, and service was perfect and prompt. The menu is extensive with: pancakes, French toast, pot roast, soups, huge salads, and Greek gyros. Many of the desserts are homemade, and the baklava  is popular with the patrons. The extensive menu also features Italian and seafood specialties.

 Depending what time of the day you go, the clientele can be interesting and entertaining! ( present company excluded, of course!).

The Details:

Lester's Diner

250 W State Route 84

Ft Lauderdale, FL
Telephone:  954.525.5641

American diner with a Greek flare.
Rating: Good