Mrs Wilkes' Dining Room Savannah Georgia

When you hear either Jackie or I talk about food in Savannah you will always hear us say that Mrs Wilkes' is our favorite place to eat.  Why?  Because the food is so good.  This is plain everyday food prepared very well.  Everything that is served there is prepared there.  Sysco be damned.  This is my kind of place.

The boarding house was taken over in 1943 by Selma Wilkes who was looking for a way to support her family.  Somewhere along the line the restaurant grew beyond the boarder and eventually the boarders became a thing of the past.  All of that is to our benefit.

Eating at Mrs Wilkes' is an adventure because no matter who you are, you are going to wait to get in to the restaurant and once inside you are going to eat with strangers.  How do you find Mrs Wilkes'?   Well that is easy, "Walk along West Jones Street until you smell fried chicken."   That is what we did.  If you know me then you know that Fried Chicken is one of my favorite meals.  But when you smell the chicken you also see the line to eat that chicken and while I love fried chicken there are few meals for which I will wait.  For some reason we began talking to a couple at the end of the line and they told us they were from Florida and every time they come to Savannah they stop at Mrs Wilkes' for lunch and that it was truly worth the wait.  We decided they were convincing and that we should try the food.  We ended up waiting over and hour and during that time we had a great conversation with many of the folks waiting in line, all of which turn out for the better because these are the people you are going to sit with.

When you enter the restaurant you are sitting at a table for 10 and unless you brought your own entourage some of these people are strangers.  They call it community seating in some restaurants but here it is just the boarding house way of life.  At each place there is a already a glass of tea.  Probably because who can go to Mrs Wilkes' and not drink the tea?  The table is already covered with plates and bowls of food and the staff are bringing out more items.  The menu changes slightly each day but they always have Fried Chicken, Biscuits, Corn Bread and Greens after that the list seems endless.  The day we were there they had Mashed Potatoes, Carrots and Raisin salad, Baked Beans, Beef Stew, Sausage and Rice, Cucumber salad, Creamed Corn, BBQ Pork, Okra and Tomato and the list just kept going.   After you have stuffed yourself silly they bring out Banana Pudding for dessert.  The Fried Chicken has a nice crispy skin, juicy inside and seasoned perfectly.  All of the food was done very well.  I didn't find a thing I did not like.  

Here is the recipe that was published in Epicurious magazine June 2001:

Fried Chicken

Epicurious  | June 2001

by Sema Wilkes

ingredients

• 1 (2 1/2-pound) fryer, cut up
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons evaporated milk
• 2 tablespoons water
• All-purpose flour
• Vegetable oil

preparation

Sprinkle the fryer with salt and pepper. Pour the milk and water over the fryer and marinate for about 10 minutes. Dip in a bowl of all-purpose flour. Shake off the excess flour. Heat oil to 300° and deep-fry (or heat oil to medium and panfry) the chicken. Make sure the chicken is covered with oil at all times. Fry until golden brown.

The idea of community seating bothers some but not us.  We first ran into concept at K Pauls' kitchen in New Orleans.  We ate lunch with another couple, had a great time and now we look forward to the opportunity. Besides, since you have to wait in line for an hour, you may as well get to know the people you around you.  And in true boarding house tradition, you are asked to carry your plate to the kitchen.

If you are torn between Mrs Wilkes' and The Lady and Sons, Paula Deen's restaurant, choose Mrs Wilkes' you will be glad you did

There are few places I would wait for 1 1/2 hours to eat, but this is the one.

Until next time: Live Well, Love Much, Laugh Often.