Huey’s Southern Café
Beignets

Bite into a beignet (ben – YAY) and you’ll get much more than a face full of powdered sugar. These sweet, little dough pillows are lightly fried clouds of heaven found right here in Savannah. At Huey’s Southern Café on River Street, an order consists of 3 beignets, served hot with a warm southern pecan praline dipping sauce made from brown sugar, creamy butter, real vanilla and laced with tiny pieces of crunchy, chopped pecans. “We make the dough here fresh daily,” says Ginger Sommers, assistant manager. “They are cut into rectangles, deep fried, and sprinkled with lots of powdered sugar. In season, we probably go through at least 50 lbs of powdered sugar each week…We sell so many of them on the weekends that we have someone in the kitchen solely dedicated to making beignets 6 hours each day.”

Bar • Food: BBQ Wontons

Nestled in the Habersham Village, Bar Food proprietors Johnny Baker, Alicia Cannon and Paula Letcher have created a back-to-the-basics approach to their French–Asian-themed restaurant. Each dish is priced under $12, and the menu is refreshed with new selections weekly. “We look at what is selling the most and listen to our clientele to guide us when changing up the menu week to week,” explains Baker, “but the BBQ Wontons aren’t going anywhere.” It’s a good thing they’re sticking around. The tasty pork pieces are slow cooked for 12 hours and spun with sesame and sauce. They are served in bite-sized crispy wontons, also made daily in the kitchen. Simply delicious. Bar Food, 4523 Habersham Street, 912.355.5956, www.barfoodsavannah.com

Bistro Savannah
Shellfish-Stuffed Black Sea Bass with Clam Sauce. One bite of this flamboyant sea-inspired dish and you may not want to venture back to shore. Bistro Savannah Chef Danny Kim uses fresh local seafood, infusing lumps of blue crab meat, shrimp, scallops with cream and saffron, wine and even a hint of fennel, all topped off with a rich clam sauce. “The dish became popular in Savannah because of [its] presentation and the flavor of fresh local seafood,” says Kim. “This dish, I believe, is what Savannah seafood is about.” Bistro Savannah, 309 West Congress Street, 912.233.6266

Wiley’s: Beef Brisket
Wiley McCrary spent six years honing his brisket skills, balancing the multifaceted textures and flavors for an unbeatable outcome. His brisket is ranked one of the top in the nation, and it is no wonder why.

“The trouble with brisket is that some people treat it like a roast beef,” explains McCrary. “And it certainly is not. It is a delicacy unto itself when cooked correctly.” And a delicacy it is. The beef is smoked with cedar and hickory for 12 to 14 hours before a dry rub is applied, enhancing the flavor while keeping in all the juices. The end result is meat so deliciously tender that it melts like chocolate in your mouth.

McCrary recommends some old-fashioned macaroni and cheese as a side to his brisket rather than your average mashed potatoes. Even better is his Dutch crust sweet potato casserole, which is reportedly so decadent many diners say it should be a dessert rather than a side.