Marandy's
This Soul food restaurant packs 'em in at lunch and is one of few Savannah restaurants that does enough dinner carryout to make the effort a pay day. The menu specials changes daily -- and range from ox tails, fried whiting, smothered chops and other classics. On my visit, I couldn't resist the old school Chicken and Dumplings. The stock was the same used to stew the whole pieces of chicken that were present in the dish and the hand cut dumplings - more like large, flat noodles -- were wonderfully flavored by the stock and that certain saltiness that comes from such loving cookings. Sides of black-eyed peas and mac-and-cheese rounded out this rib sticker. Both were perfectly prepared, seasoned and piping hot. I decided to forgo dinner -- and sampled a giant piece of Chef Cynthia's near legendary Red Velvet Cake with cream cheese frosting. It's reputation is well-earned!
7010 Skidaway Road/ 692-0036
Sushi Zen
Years ago, my first experience at Sushi Zen ended with Chef Yoshi politely asking me this question: "Was it fresh?"
That simple question acknowledged his respect for the art form, for the tenets of the craft and for the diners' pleasure.
And, yes it was. It continues to be fresh to this day. I recently enjoyed a trios of roles that featured yellow fin tuna, fried green mussels and eel - man, I love me some eel! The types of rolls aren't as important as me reinforcing to you that every ingredients was fresh, the rolls were constructed and presented beautifully and each component was dead-on correct -- from the spiciness of the Mexican roll to the crisp texture of the fried green mussels. Still wary of Sushi, so was Ms. TJ, my loyal sidekick. The staff at Sushi Zen worked overtime to slowly acclimate her to the raw fish variety -- and offer a selection of dishes and rolls that contain no raw fish.
Food Lion Shopping Center, corner of Waters Avenue and Eisenhower Drive/ 303.0141
Sunrise
Scores of Savannahians and touristas alike know Sunrise for its great breakfasts -- but I'm also partial to the lunch menu at the Chatham Parkway location. I slid onto a bar stool during a recent visit and spied one of my favorite Sunrise entrées -- fried chicken. I once saw a guy in a KFC shirt come in and order chicken to go form Sunrise: The Colonel probably rolled over! My breast and wing were crispy, hot and nicely seasoned. Sides of black-eyed peas and collard greens were equally seasoned with classic Southern flavors. The plate is portioned well, meaning not too much food -- but enough to make you feel you received good value. The burgers and other sandwiches are nicely built and satisfying -- a salad bar offers diners looking for lighter fare a DIY option.
1 Southern Oaks Dr./ 238-8018
