I was visiting Savannah, Georgia for a wedding. While I was extremely excited for that special day, I was super excited to check out The Lady & Sons. This is Paula Deen’s signature restaurant.
I have been wanting to visit her place for years. I have read all about it and seen it all over the Food Network. She is all about Southern comfort food and I could not wait to partake.
I arrived right at 11:00am when they opened (that is how excited I was). I did not have a reservation but this early in the day I was ok. The restaurant is huge. It is three floors and very deep. I had to get into an elevator to head to the third floor.
When the doors opened I was greeted by a ton of Paula Deen family photos.
I was welcomed with great Southern hospitality. After sitting down, I glanced over the menu but realized by the smell in the air that there was a buffet. What better way to taste everything that Paula Deen has to offer than the buffet.
The buffet (which does change daily) offered up the following meats:
- Fried Chicken
- Smothered Pork Chops
- BBQ Ribs
- Fried White Fish
Their sides were plenty too:
- Black Eyed Peas
- Mashed Potatoes
- Collard Greens
- Green Beans
- Candied Yams
- Mac N’ Cheese
- Cheese Grits
They also had a salad bar but I did not see anyone actually going up.
I loaded up my first plate. The first thing I had to try was the fried chicken. The breading was extra crispy with a slight hint of cracked pepper. The moisture of the chicken was locked in. When I peeled away the flavorful breading the juices just poured out. It was an amazing bite of chicken. I ended up getting a second piece too.
The mashed potatoes were extremely creamy. There was a layer of butter on top that needed to be mixed in. I would expect nothing less from Paula. There were chucks of potatoes mixed in that added great texture.
The mac n’ cheese was prepared just like what my mom would make at home. It was a creamy blend of cheese and noodles. There was a crispy layer of cheese on top for a little texture.
To accompany this wonderful meal I ordered a sangria. In true Southern style it was served in a mason jar. This was an interesting sangria; it had a cinnamon, spicy taste. It reminded me of mulled wine, just cold.
The wonderful waitress I had brought two fresh made bread options to the table. One was a corn bread griddle cake and the other was a cheesy biscuit. The corn bread was a little dry to me. The biscuit was fantastic. It was cute like a brownie. It was super light and fluffy. I could easily eat a few of them.
My second plate I made sure to try the smothered pork chop. The meat was extremely tender and moist. It can be tricky with thick pork chop to prevent them from getting dry. They cooked it to perfection. The gravy they used had a great buttery flavor. It was a perfect accent to the pork.
The collard greens were amazing. The greens were tender. There was this hearty taste to them that is extremely hard to describe. It had a meaty taste, perhaps they cooked them with some bacon grease.
I naturally got more fried chicken. That meat was so addicting. And so were the mashed potatoes.
I wanted to make sure I tried a few other sides. The candied yams were like a dessert – loaded with brown sugar. The cheesy grits were extremely creamy and slightly salty from the cheese. The green beans were the perfect Southern side. I could taste the bacon they were cooked in.
Now no meal would be complete without dessert. Luckily I saved a little room to try them.
The banana pudding was fresh. It had great creamy texture. It also had a rich banana taste. The whip cream on top was a nice extra.
The ooey-gooey butter cake was rich. It was crispy on the outside but extremely soft inside. It reminded me of a sugar cookie. It was really sweet so I could not finish all of it.
I had a blast at The Lady and Sons. I am so glad I finally got to check the restaurant out in Savannah. There are lots of places to check out in Savannah but The Lady and Sons needs to be the first stop. Check out the website at http://www.ladyandsons.com/
Enjoy!
T
