Interlude Tours: A Visit to Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room (Travel Originating in Indianapolis)
We have a tour coming up that gives you a big taste of Southern enchantment:
Savannah and Charleston Spring
March 23-30, 2010 (8 days, 7 nights)
Escorted vacation and guaranteed departure
I have gone on several family vacations to the Charleston and Savannah area, and one thing I always love is the food! Mmm, that stick-to-your-ribs Southern cooking–just thinking about it makes me hungry! So I thought I’d review some of the great cuisine you’ll enjoy on your leisurely and satisfying Southern vacation.
Food is always a big part of our tours–wherever you travel with us, we take you to some of the best, most interesting restaurants. This tour is no exception. Take a peek at your itinerary, and you’ll see that 7 breakfasts and 5 dinners are included in this escorted vacation, including meals at the restaurants below.
When a meal is part of the tour, often you have a few choices as to what to eat–usually the specialties of the house. Or, sometimes, it is “choice of menu.” We won’t know this far in advance what the menus will be, so the following are just some examples to whet your appetite (I know they’re whetting mine!) and may or may not be on the menu when you visit.
The Lady & Sons (Day 4, Dinner)
This is the restaurant of famous TV chef Paula Deen, serving ultra-rich Southern cuisine with plenty of panache. Here are the dinner specials currently on the website:
Beef Tenderloin(9oz) topped with caramelized onions and Paula’s merlot steak sauce. Served with loaded baked potato and cayote squash. Accompanied by 5 herb grilled shrimp.
Blackened salmon(7oz) topped with lemon caper sauce. Served with wild rice and wilted spinach with cherry tomatoes. Accompanied by one crab cake.
Mrs. Wilkes’ Dining Room (Day 5, Dinner)
This is quite a famous restaurant that has been serving good ol’ homemade food in Savannah for more than 60 years. According to the website,
Inside Mrs. Wilkes’ Dining Room, four generations of the Wilkes family have worked the ground-floor, keeping the restaurant’s tables laden with platters of Mrs. Wilkes’ legendary fried chicken, beef stew and biscuits. Friends, family and fellow diners pass bowls brimming with her butter beans, collard greens, mashed sweet potatoes and banana pudding.
One interesting note about this restaurant is that it doesn’t accept credit cards. You won’t have to worry about that, however, since we are picking up the tab!
Grand Dining Room, Jekyll Island Club (Days 6 and 7, Dinner)
This is the main restaurant of the elegant hotel at which you’ll be staying for two nights. If you access the link above, you can download the menu in PDF form. Folks, I have to tell you, this sounds like what I call “fancy eatin’.” Here are just a few current menu items:
Seared Breast of Duck
Raspberry Port Glaze, Chocolate Demi-Glace
Israeli CouscousVeal Oscar Jekyll
Tender Veal Cutlets topped with Blue Crab, Asparagus and Béarnaise
Buttermilk Mashed PotatoesGrilled Sea Scallops
Avocado-Cilantro Butter, Orange Segments
Steamed White Rice
And so on. Again, I guarantee the same items will be on the menu when you dine, but my guess is that they’ll be two dinners you never forget!
Of course, great food is just one part of this fabulous vacation! Why not give it a try? We welcome reservations from Indianapolis, where we are based, or from any location in the United States or Canada.
Photo by Jimbo Wales; used with permission.
–Matt
The Interlude Tours Blog Team
•For immediate service, please call (317) 913-0387 or email us
•Share your Interlude stories and photos on this blog
•Sign up for our email newsletter
•RSS this blog
Tags: jekyll island club, mrs. wilkes' dining room, the lady & sons
