In three words: we loved it! Cindy, our tour guide, was fun, professional, and personable. When one member of our group proved to be a little obnoxious (no, not me, you goose!), Cindy handled his constant interruptions with patience and grace. I know from experience how hard it is to achieve that kind of gentle refocusing without encouraging further disruption, so I was very impressed with her skillful handling of a fellow who, in lesser hands, could have ruined everything for everyone.
We started off at Harris Baking Company, a local, family-owned bakery where the artisan breads are baked from scratch … along with cookies, artful cakes, and dozens of other reasonably-priced baked goods. The owner greeted us with gift bags of cookies … and most of us bought extra loot, to boot.
From there, we went on to Polk's Fresh Market (fresh tomato sandwiches on soft bread, plus samples of barbecue and boiled or fried peanuts), the Savannah Bee Company (gourmet honey and beeswax products), Angel's Bar-B-Q (where the beans, I thought, were tastier than the famous pulled pork), Wright Square Cafe (a slight disappointment, because the store merely resells chocolates made by others instead of making their own), Shannon Vineyards (for red, white, and muscadine wines), and frozen hot chocolate from The Paris Market.
We also made the obligatory stop at Paula Deen's over-rated The Lady and Sons, where we were given a tiny bowl and told we could have one — and only one! — serving of one item off the buffet. I choose the mac and cheese — buttery! — and Clyde helped himself to the grilled chicken (I would have preferred the fried). Both were good, but neither had us rolling our eyes, rubbing our tummies, or making embarrassing "orgasmic food faces" in public.
My favorite stop? Surprisingly, it was Polk's Fresh Market. That sandwich! On the outside: two spongy layers of soft, sweet, yellow bread. Inside: two thick, meaty slices of salted fresh tomato. In between: lots of country mayo.
This wasn't so much a sandwich as it was an experience: bread sticking to the roof of the mouth, tomato slices bursting with moisture, mayo
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