WHAT'S BREWING - THE FLORENCE

Welcome to the newest series on The Outside In, What's Brewing.  With my love for coffee paired with Savannah's love for coffee shops, I felt that this was a natural series to do and I am so stoked to do it.  I will be stopping by different coffee shops around town for a drink and maybe a snack to see who has what in our port city.  

First on my list is THE FLORENCE.  Mostly because I have heard such great things over the past few months but also because I haven't made my way down the block to take a look at the property myself.  Wes and I headed over Saturday morning hungry and ready for some caffeine, fully prepped for our morning adventure.

After ringing the bell and waiting for Michael-our barista fairy-to arrive I ordered an iced chai latte with a chocolate croissant.  Wes got an americano with a bacon and cheese croissant.  While we were waiting for our order I asked Michael if I could take some photos for my blog.  Not only did he oblige, but he invited me over to the restaurant side of the building to take some photos of him shooting freshly baked bread that he was photographing for the restaurant.

After we set our breakfast down, we followed Michael to the restaurant and I just snapped a quick shot or two of him looking far more skilled and professional than me taking pictures of perfectly placed breads getting that amazing shot.  Getting to peak into the Florence before service was really great and has me so excited to come back for dinner soon.  
Not wanting our food to get too cold, we headed back to the coffee shop and settled down on the patio out front for the best croissants I have had in Savannah.  The flakiest and most buttery, heavenly croissants I've enjoyed in Savannah and quite possibly anywhere else.  I have never been to France, but I'm guessing these would be right at home in Paris.
Wes was also in love with his croissant, going for the savory rather than sweet.  Our drinks were perfectly on point as well.  My iced chai is the perfect drink to take to go and wander around THE STARLAND DISTRICT for a nice day of shopping.

The other bits that I really loved were the southern cookbooks and artwork on the walls.  They keep the decor so simple that what is on the walls really stands out.  You can pick up a cookbook from Hugh Acheson, the owner of The Florence, who opened shop in Savannah after opening three successful restaurants in Athens, GA.

I will definitely be back again and again, and I can't wait to grab dinner at The Florence in the near future as well.  Another successful addition to The Starland District that makes me delighted to live in this neighborhood.

LET'S EAT PT. 4 - TREYLOR PARK

This past weekend was a very special one as it was my dear Wesley's birthday.  His mom was in town for the occasion which made it extremely special.  As she trolleyed around the city, Wes and I fasted at work.  By dinner time we were all sufficiently starving.  After hearing great things from friends we decided to try out Treylor Park for the first time - I know, I know we're wayyy late on that one - but we were really glad we finally did.  We had a great time enjoying dinner in the beer garden out back.

We kind of shared a bit of everything from each  others'  plates  to get a better idea of what Treylor Park has to offer.   I've  got  to  say  that the PB & J chicken wings were my runaway favorite.  This may come as a surprise, but I  honestly don't spend all too much of my downtime thinking about crazy chicken wing  combinations that I would like to try.  That being said, the few times I have daydreamed about sriracha honey sesame  fire  wings  and the like, neither peanut butter or jelly came to mind as a winner  for  a  drummette's perfect pairing.  For that I am truly ashamed, because these  were  RIDICULOUSLY  GOOD!   These wings came out super fresh from the fryer and dripping with their peanut butter sauce.  The peach jam comes on the side so you can add as much or as little as you like.  I went  for  it  being that I love my condiments.  I can tell you I will never look at a PB&J sammie the same way again.

For our mains, Wes got the Chupacabra burrito with eggs, sausage, onions, peppers, and a very spicy sauce on top; Mrs. Norvell got the Southern Sloppy Joe with venison and fried banana peppers, and I got the Treylor Park Nachos Grande because I obviously hate myself.  Those nachos were massive!  Yes, they were awesome, but there's no way those are meant for one person.  I'm just glad we all shared our plates because that was a terrifying mountain of spuds I was facing down.  The Sloppy Joe was definitely a winner as well.  Memories from summer camp for sure, but much better tasting.  The Chupacabra was a great breakfast  burrito to really wake you up; tons of heat and everything was cooked extremely well.  

Also on the menu is a huge list of house made cocktails and plenty of beer options for everyone.  The atmosphere inside seemed a bit loud, but if you can find a spot in the beer garden out back, it's a peaceful hideout in downtown Savannah.  Treylor Park is a great place to go try out southern staples with a modern twist. 

And you can't end a proper downtown night without a river view.  We watched the sunset up at Rocks on the River before walking off dinner.

LET'S EAT PT. 3 - CHIVE SEA BAR & LOUNGE

I'm glad to say I am finally back with another Let's Eat post.  Up this week is the ever-popular CHIVE SEA BAR & LOUNGE.  If you live in Savannah, there is a good chance you have encountered the ELE AND THE CHEF restaurant group.  With six different restaurants in the city and a seventh on the way, they've just about cornered the market for Asian fusion in the city and I'm not complaining.  The attention to detail they pay in each of their restaurants is amazing.  I always leave happy when I'm eating with Ele and the Chef. 
We decided to go to Chive with Mom and her two friends who were in town for the weekend.   *NOTE* They came into our dear city to continue on a nine-year tradition of an annual girls vacation.  I'll tell you a bit about it because I think it is the coolest idea out there.  Eight women take a trip every summer.  Two are tasked with planning the trip and the other six aren't allowed to know where they are going.  They are simply told when to be at the airport and are given their confirmation number that morning along with a packing list about a week before.  There are hints along the way but from what I can tell they seem to be used more to try and throw everyone off rather than actually help them with guessing where they are going.  Dinner was spent tweeting and "periscoping" (a new one for me) video chats to the girls so they could ask questions about where they would be flying in the following morning.  The two planners arrive a day early to set everything up, hence dinner at Chive.  That's definitely the shortened version of the whole tradition, but I'm sure you get the idea.* Now, back to the food.
Chive's got one of my favorite atmospheres and menus downtown if you're looking for a more intimate setting. Everyone got something different and we did a bit of sampling from each other's plates which is always my favorite way to go about things.  Everything really was amazingly on point. 

We started off with some oysters on the half shell and She Crab Soup.  Two local staples down here and some of the best you will get in town.  It's pretty much guaranteed that if She Crab Soup is on the menu, Wes and I are going to try it.  It's just kind of our thing to find our favorite in the city.  Chive is definitely in the top three, if not the reigning champion for us at the moment.  And how are you going to argue with something that comes in that bowl?  

On to the entrees.  Above is the tuna ceviche.  This was the winner for me out of everyone's meal.  I will say that if you don't like spice, steer clear.  It's pretty well packed with heat; that being said it is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! Take me back, take me back now, please.  It's listed as a small plate but is easily a full entree.  They do not skimp on the tuna or the avocado and the crispy bits on top are just perfect.  I've got to stop writing about it because now I'm just drooling on my keyboard.  

For my entree I got the prawn risotto which was almost as amazing.  The prawns were cooked perfectly and the serving was massive.  The risotto had a great flavor with asparagus and cherry tomatoes mixed in with a bit of heat creeping through as well.  

Above is the Wagyu steak with the same asparagus and cherry tomato risotto.  Having never had Wagyu steak before, I now understand the hype.  Yes, you really can cut it with a fork and yes, it really does melt in your mouth. 

Lastly we had the seared ahi tuna with spinach.  Honestly, I didn't try this plate as I was hogging all of the ceviche but I was told the spinach was wonderful and the ahi was good but a bit overcooked.  The flavor was all there though, so just a bit of a slip on the cooking time.  All together, the meal was top notch.  I've been there before and I will gladly go back again.  The crew at Chive know exactly what they are doing.  If you are downtown looking for a great meal and a cool setting, this is a must for sure.
The only thing better than the food was the company and the conversations over dinner.  Mark down another great Savannah night with great people.  I'll leave the periscoping to Regina from here on out.

BIKES IN BEAUFORT

Over the weekend, Wes and I decided to take a ride out at Skidaway State Park.  We had never been before and heard good things from people in town.  We threw the bikes in the car and headed over to check it out.  After speaking with one of the worlds nicest park rangers, we parked the car and headed over to the Old Ferry Trail.  If you know Wes and I, you know that we don't ride mountain bikes.  We ride fixed gear road bikes.  The trail we decided to check out was actually a bit of a pine straw trail with roots sticking out of the ground.  Figuring out how to maneuver without going down hard was a complete blast.  By the end of the ride, the only thing that was really sore was my face from having a smile plastered on it the entire time.  Serious throwback to being a kid and having the best time taking your bike off road.  I need a mountain bike ASAP.  I highly suggest to anyone struggling with the harsh realities of adulthood to go ride a bike in the woods.  It will brighten your day.

All in all, Skidaway was really gorgeous if a bit small.  We hadn't fulfilled our want to ride for the day so rather than ride around Savannah we decided to continue the park theme and head up to Beaufort and go ride on Hunting Island. 

We made the hour drive and had a lot of fun biking through Forrest Gump's Vietnam.  I haven't been out to Hunting in close to a decade so it was nice to go back on a very calm day.  

Being that we were in Beaufort and knew that there was no food back in our fridge in Savannah, we invited ourselves over to Mom and Larry's house for dinner.  Dinner and a movie quickly translated into 'Louisa is too lazy and tired to drive home - let's spend the night!'

On Sunday morning we woke up to another gorgeous day of warm weather.  We decided to take the new Spanish Moss Rail Trail downtown for lunch and then plan out a ride from there.  We had a standard lunch down at Luther's, took the obligatory bike photos by the water, and decided to ride the loop over both the Wood's Memorial Bridge and the Mcteer Bridge back to the house.

Once we got back to the house, we all hung out outside by the new pool.  By "hung out" I mean that Wes and I lounged our sore bodies by the pool, Mom screamed at Ellie and Pita for making attempts to roll in something gross in the yard, Larry taped off a door to be painted, and two hawks feasted on some sad roadkill up in the trees while looking down at the silly humans struggling to function.  I don't have a picture of the screaming mother, taping step father, rolling dogs, or even the hawks, but I think I painted a pretty good picture.  We had a great time hanging out with the family for an impromptu visit and making the most of the warm weekend.  

EARTH DAY AT FORSYTH PARK

One thing Savannians know how to do is have a good hangout at Forsyth Park.  And why wouldn't they?  It's an absolutely beautiful park that offers something for just about everyone.  In celebration of Earth Day there were tents all over the park offering up advice on helping to do your part in preserving our collective home.  The Savannah Bicycle Campaign had their bike valet set up to offer a safe place to park your bike and enjoy the festivities as well as hosting their 8th annual Earth Day Wheelie afterward.  It was a really fun ride that ended over at Blowin' Smoke Cantina for food and drinks.  Earth Day gets me excited for the season's bike events; I feel like it's the starter event to send us into the season of hanging out with the Bike Campaign which is always a great time.  Make sure you click on the bike campaign's link above in the bold black writing to see what events are coming up and how you can get involved!

The Forsyth Farmer's Market was also out in full force with some really great produce and samples to try.  The farmer's market is out every Saturday from 9:00 to 1:00 with great vendors and amazing foods.  It's a great way to spend a Saturday morning supporting something local.  Here are just a few snaps of our day at the park, hope you enjoy!