A couple of years ago when I put together my first book, "Savannah Food Crawls," I gave a tiny bit of thought to where I should begin that journey through Savannah. There was only one logical spot, and it was at the Savannah River. Chapter one in that book is called Savannah’s Modern Day Theme Park. The original title--Savannah’s Waterfront Disney World--lasted all of about 10 minutes, once I realized that if I had run with that, if it even made it beyond the publisher, then I probably would have heard from someone representing the Mouse House. No bueno. Theme Park it was.
I re-hash that sentiment in 2024 for the simple reason that it was exactly the feeling my family and I got during a recent staycation at the JW Marriott, the hotel at the Plant Riverside District. There is certainly no shortage of things to do at any given time at Plant Riverside. There are activities for families year-round and, of course, there is an overabundance of food and drink. Which is why I was there. The assignment was simple. Over three days at the Plant Riverside District, I was going to eat and/or drink at each of their 13 food and beverage venues. Yes, thirteen. If you think that is a lot of food, you would be correct.
To be fair, that includes their gelato outlet and Starbucks coffee and other smaller venues like that, but it also includes their waterfront seafood and BBQ outlets, plus the burger joint, pizza and pasta shop and all of the others. The last time I did anything like this, Plant Riverside had just opened. It was maybe weeks old. Many of the outlets that exist today weren’t open yet. To be fair, there were a few things this time around that I didn’t love, but I was very surprised at how much of it I did very much enjoy. By far a majority. All of that said … a few greatest hits to consider for your next trip down to the waterfront.
Fried Shrimp at District Seafood
After a quick interview with Chef Kendall Carlos, I put it on him. “Show me what you got? What are you most excited about?” Of course, he mentioned a few items, including his crab cakes, but he insisted I dig into some of their fried shrimp. Fair enough, everyone loves those. Truthfully, I had last had them over a year ago and was underwhelmed at the time.
Since then, Chef Kendall has taken over and worked to perfect everything his outlets (seafood and BBQ) do. I wish I could share my natural reaction when I tried them. There was a camera rolling, but that’s for another time. Chef was standing off to the side watching.
“You season the cornmeal, don’t you?” I asked. “Yes, sir” He didn’t tell me with what but he did admit there was a little bit of cayenne pepper in that coating. They weren’t at all spicy. They were beautifully seasoned. I liked them so much, I went back the next day for lunch and had more. There are some great ones out there, but these are some of the best in Savannah and you know I wouldn’t say that if I didn’t believe it.
Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese and Brisket at District Smokehouse
The brisket at PRD has been very good since almost day one. I’ve always enjoyed it. Today it is better than it has ever been. Fact. The other must-try is one of their most popular items on the menu. The pulled pork grilled cheese was put on the menu as a special a couple of St. Patrick’s Days ago and it has never left. Pulled pork, barbecue sauce, pimento cheese on toasted sourdough. It is popular because it is fabulous and one of the best sandwiches on the Savannah River.
Red Lentils Hummus at Baobab
There was a lot of good eating that night at Baobab. The Maaf-Beef and Sweet Plantain Stew with peanut butter and white rice!!!!! So delicious. But the dish I’ve been dreaming about returning for since I got home was the Red Lentil Hummus. Crispy Chickpeas, Pita, Za'atar, Olive Oil, Lemon Balm. There is some great hummus in Savannah these days (Lost Square and Shuk on that list) but this was special. Unlike any I’d ever had before. A must-try next time you are in the building. Of course, there was more. That is just a few. “State of the Grub” assessed. I’ll share more another time.
The entire weekend was documented for air in a future episode of our television show, Eat It and Like It with Jesse Blanco. You can find that on Sundays at 12:30 p.m. on WJCL-TV.
