I do not claim to be any sort of an expert on Southern barbecue, or Southern anything, for that matter. I’m a Yankee, through and through. But, dang it, if I don’t love me some good, old fashioned Southern cooking.
Thankfully, fatty Southern grub is pretty easy to come by these days, as comfort foods have made their mark in restaurants across the U.S. In Miami, I was no stranger to Yardbird, where the 27-hour fried chicken was pretty epic, though it had nuthin’ on the restaurant’s chicken liver toast…but I digress. Because hunger.
On my road trip north from Miami, we paused for the night in Savannah, which we had also done on our trip south. Back in October when we cruised through, we checked out a lot of the typical, popular tourist spots, like Olde Pink House, Alligator Soul, and Mrs. Wilkes’ Dining Room.
They were all quite good, but I wanted something more off the beaten path for this trip. Thankfully, ask Facebook, and ye shall find.
A friend who used to live in Savannah suggested that I check out Wall’s BBQ, a hole-in-the-wall joint down a quiet alley in the city’s historic downtown. He mentioned that this was where he got take out from on his last night in Savannah. I’d say a local’s choice for his last supper is a pretty good indicator that a place is going to rule.
After a sunset cocktail overlooking the Savannah waterfront at Rocks on the Roof, we wound our way through Savannah’s streets, turning down an otherwise unremarkable alley, which led to Wall’s. We chose to each order a meat-and-two, both choosing the ribs, as well as mac and cheese, coleslaw, sweet yams, and collards.
Oh. My. Word.
As Aretha Franklin crooned from the portable CD player, our waiter regaled us with tales of Wall’s storied history, and we chatted with the third-generation owner, Miss Teresa.
But mostly, we ate. And how.
I gnawed my rib bones til they shone, I scraped the sides of my dish to get every last yammy bite into mah belly. I swear, I would have licked the plate if our waiter hadn’t cleared it. Then, he brought dessert.
Red velvet cake. Omg.
And so, a new road trip tradition was born. See you in October, Wall’s, as I make my way back to Magic City for the winter.
