Description: All along River Street in Historic Savannah are many great restaurants, but the Cotton Exchange Grill and Tavern attracted us by the name and its location in an old warehouse. The brick warehouse had attractive, low-arched windows and doors, and inside, the exposed original 4x15 ceiling joists were dark and old. When we said we came for lunch, the hostess led us through the dim tavern to the dining room and sat us in front of a beautiful, arched window, set in a 24-inch-thick brick wall. Our table was a 30-inch-wide slab of wood reinforced with an old metal strap. While we waited for our dinners, we could look out the window and see the Savannah Trade and Convention Center and the elaborate Westin Hotel across the river and watch the $1 shuttle boat land near the center.
It was later in the afternoon, so we decided to order a dinner. The menu offered several things from the low country. That means the land, like Savannah, that has a lot of swamp and is near the ocean. In Savannah, cooking recipes were affected by the Creoles, and their traditions were offered on the menu as well. Most dinners were either seafood or steak.
I’m trying to find delicious ways to prepare grouper, so I ordered that, fried. The meat was firm and fresh and deep-fried in bread crumbs. The waitress allowed me to substitute veggies for the potato. They consisted of broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and yellow squash and were fresh. Coleslaw was also included, and it was crisp and fresh. Of course, Southern hospitality insisted on hush puppies, and it was a nice touch. That dinner cost $16.95.
Bob ordered a 12-ounce chopped sirloin, charbroiled. It came with French fries and coleslaw. It was very nicely done, but 12 ounces is a lot for any man at one sitting. The fries were excellent. That dinner cost $10.95.
The menu offered interesting desserts like Bourbon Pecan Pie, $3.95, but we’re trying to diet, so we decided not to indulge.
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