Old Fashioned Butcher

Once upon a time you walked into a butcher shop, glanced in the glass case, stared at beautiful cuts of meat, and selected your dinner.  The butcher would prepare your selection, and hand it over in butcher paper, either brown or white, and you'd be on your way. Most household refrigerators contained enough meat for about a week's worth of dinner. Few homes stock piled meat in freezers big enough to feed 19 and counting.

All of that has changed. I won't venture to say why, but know that we no longer frequent butcher shops or meat markets. Instead we tolerate the limited selections provided to us by our local chain grocery stores. We no longer truly know where our meat is coming from or the process by which we get that meat onto our plates to serve our families.

Kinda scary huh? You're darn right!

So I set to the task of finding a place to get some quality meats. Thankfully it wasn't that hard! Many of the locals spoke very highly of a local meat market. The solution: Ogeechee Meat Market!

Of course you can't just go buy meat and not check out the place, and that's what we did! Let's start with the helpful and friendly staff. They were eager and willing to answer questions, and assist in any way possible. The location is very easy to get to right off of Abercorn (Hwy 204) and Hwy 17, which are well-known and well-travelled roads here in Savannah, and parking was plentiful.

The first thing I noticed was the cleanliness. It was spotless and didn't smell of yucky meat or bloody anything. The cases were spotless and there were NO flies or other bugs making their way around the meats. The color of the meat was spectacular and you could smell the fresh spices of the sausage through the glass. No joke!

I had already explored there very user friendly website and knew exactly what I was getting. They have a Meal Deal of the Week, which changes monthly, and is very affordable. Because it's summer time and our children are off visiting grandparents, this Meal Deal lasted hubby and I about 10 days. The meats were so delicious and fresh and cooked up beautifully. I had stuffed pork chops, steaks, bacon, sausage, ground meat, and chicken breasts... and they were all part of the Meal Deal! Additionally I purchased some chicken patties that were outstanding! All of this meat for under $60! Whatta steal!

As if the great selection of meats and sausage weren't enough to keep me coming back, they have a Buddy Coupon that changes monthly. Last month I got an additional 1 pound of sausage for my purchase over $25. This month it's a dozen eggs. You gotta love FREE fresh food!

My sausage creation!

I can't say enough great things about the Ogeechee Meat Market. Go out and give them a try. They are open Tuesday-Saturday. I promise you won't be disappointed. We just got our second 10 days worth of meat on Saturday: chicken, ground beef, steaks, chicken cordon blue (which we had last night and they were AMAZING!), sausage, chicken patties, and stuffed pork chops. Again we managed to get 10 days worth of meat for under $60. WHOOP WHOOP!!


Go check out their Facebook page as well!

Happy Meat Shopping!

Pedalling made fun!

Family coming to town is always something fun and exciting, especially when it's a city we haven't lived in before. Exploration, history, touring and fun is what's on the menu!  Here in Savannah, you have all that and more, not to mention that you have many different modes to take of advantage of all the city has to offer.

Savannah Slow Ride logo used from TripAdvisor.

So when our friends recently came to visit, we decided Savannah Slow Ride was the way to go!

If you aren't familiar with the concept, don't worry, we weren't either! I do believe that Savannah is the only city who has anything like this. Picture this: a bike, 15 riders, sitting bench style, rolling through the historic district, our guide giving us magnificent stories of the people and events of the charming city of Savannah, all the while steering towards various pub stops. Sounds great doesn't it? Well it was a BLAST! Savannah Slow Ride is the only company in Savannah providing anything close to this 2 hour tour.

Everyone loves lists and they make for easy reading. I am including a Star rating so make it easier, with 5 being the highest and 1 the lowest.

So here goes my Savannah Slow Ride experience listed, for you, and your reading pleasure.

1. Their website was very user friendly. It allowed us to see the various tours available for our group, and the pricing (group and individual). We could actually view the availability of guides for the time slot we wanted. When the tour we wanted didn't come up, we called the number and we were greeted by a friendly and helpful person. The entire booking process took about 10-15 minutes, and they sent us an email confirmation immediately. Be prepared the tour in its entirety because they are pre-paid tours. The only drawback about the website is they don't tell you where they have scheduled the stops, or how the stops differ from tour to tour. Website rates 4 out of 5 stars for usability and ease of booking.
2. We originally wanted to go on the Pub Tour, however they do not permit anyone under 21 on the pub tour. Our DD, which simultaneously stands for Designated Driver and Darling Daughter, is under 21and despite her DD status was not allowed. So we went with the Historic Tour- only to find out that the stops were exactly the same. Odd. 
3. On the day of the tour they were very easy to find- much easier than parking in Savannah, but that's a different post. We arrived early, as we were told, and got our waivers signed. This was a piece of cake! Within a short window after we arrived, we boarded our "craft". For their 'game day' ease, I give them a 5 out of 5. It was smooth, fast, and we were on board and having fun in no time at all. 
4. Our guide, Mike, had a great attitude and was incredibly knowledgeable about his Savannah history. His ability to weave tales and make history interesting made this tour phenomenal. He was also funny, and sarcastic and entertaining! Mike gets 5 stars as our guide.
5. Now for the "craft"- it's a 15 person pedalling bench-bicycle-apparatus that is steered (and stopped)by the guide but pedalled by the guests. That being said, I would recommend getting all 15 seats occupied by your party, or close to it. We had 7 people on the "craft" and 6 others. In an effort not to bash people I don't know, let's just say our 7 people did 99% of the work. At one point we are all pedalling, while they have they legs up on the railing. That sucked! Also let it be known that there are several seats they do not have pedals due to their location on the"craft". So position people according to who will pedal, and who might be along for the "ride". Oh! And don't forget to distribute your party evenly! Our entire party sat on one side of the "craft", which made it difficult to talk to each other and to see each other. Never mind the fact that all of our pedalers were on one side of the "craft". Since this issue had nothing to do with the actual company, but still take this bit of advice. Just be warned! You will work harder if others won't!



Photo taken from TripAdvisor-
Savannah Slow Ride.

6. The tour lasted 2 hrs, which is just enough to work up a sweat (even on a comfortable spring Saturday) and get heavily buzzed. We visited several cool historic sites and bars. Overall the tour was pleasant and informative, while still giving the drunks on board (myself included) the pit stops we needed to refuel. Tour itself gets a 5 out 5. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the afternoon and our friends in from upstate New York loved it as well! It is a unique experience they won't soon forget! 

Lastly, if you read other reviews out there (like I did before we did it), some will bitch about the heat, the physical exertion, and how exhausted they were at the end. Let's be real here for a minute.... you are on an eco-friendly craft where you have to pedal to make it run. Yup, that's physical! Savannah's heat can be brutal! I don't suggest you doing this in the middle of the day in the middle of summer. Hell doing anything but AC, the pool, the beach or a cold damn shower is highly unrecommended in the middle of Savannah summers. 

What I am trying to summarize is that you need to go into it with the right expectations, and I hope this review gives you that insight! 

Now pedal on my friends! 

**All photos and logos used are property of Savannah Slow Ride, and are used with the sole purpose of reviewing our experience. I do not own the copyrights to these photos and no copyright infringement is intended. 

The Bier Haus Gastropub, Savannah

So we are in Savannah, or as they say around here, Slow-vannah. I'm not really sure why they call it that because there is so much to do here, and it always seems like the city is alive with energy. I love it!

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This past Saturday we had the opportunity to try out a Savannah first: The Bier Haus Gastropub.

I honestly don't remember exactly how we heard of this restaurant, but it was probably doing an internet search for German beer in Savannah. *laugh* Either way, we enjoyed it.

When we arrived at the restaurant, the server was very friendly and helpful. The decor was light and airy, which was great for Savannah, but not very authentic German. The menu was varied, but still very much Americanized. For example, you could order Pommes Frites, which are french fries and not German in my book, with 'käse cheese' on them.  Kinda redundant because käse is cheese. So french fries with cheese cheese on them. Ok, I'll bite. Despite the language barrier on the menu, the fries were good- not authentic but certainly tasty. They were wedge cut, fresh fries drowned in melted white cheese reminiscent of Mexican queso dip.

The rest of the menu was a blend of bizarre non-German treats. We had Serrano ham with a tomato basil pesto on crostini bread. Again, very, very tasty but NOT AT ALL German, but again par for the course with the menu. Other strange items were mussels, portabella mushrooms, and fried artichokes with pancetta. The only authentic German items were Schnitzel and bratwurst, at least in theory.

We both ordered the Schnitzel with two sides, which was actually good. It was lightly breaded and not overcooked. The potato salad was closer to German cuisine than most of the menu, with it's decent vinegar based flavor, and my other choice was sauerkraut which was wasn't bad.

The beer list was far more impressive than the menu, and we enjoyed the selection they had on tap. I'm more of a Belgian beer kinda gal, while hubby really enjoys the Konig Ludwig Dunkel Weissbier. For us the beer selection was worth the visit. They have over 20 beers on draft and twice that many bottled beers. If you are looking to sample some international beers at a reasonable cost, it is worth the visit.

Lastly, I can't say enough about the service. Of all the things, the service was most like Germany than anything else. We sat for about 3 hours with little interruptions and leisurely drank our beers, had an app or two, and eventually ordered lunch. The wait staff was attentive without being overbearing and even spoke a little German- well at least she pronounced things in proper German.

After 3 years in Germany, I didn't it take me back to my favorite place in the world, but it was enough nostalgia to make it worth a second trip, if for nothing else than the Le Blond Bruxelles.

On a scale of 1-10 here is how I rate this restaurant:

Ambience: 6
Menu: 6
Beer Menu: 8
Pricing: 7
Quality: 7

Reasons why I miss Germany, and why you should VISIT!

I originally wrote this post prior to leaving Germany in an effort to get a handle on my feelings of moving back to the states. It also serves as a WHY you should get to Germany, if not Europe at large.  Travel is food for the wanderer's soul. 

Here are just a few reasons why YOU need to start planning your next vacation to Germany.

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1. Cleanliness 

Yes, it's really clean here! That's not to say there aren't slums or dirty areas, but by and large European countries are pretty clean. The cleanest countries we visited were Germany, Switzerland and Austria. 

I wondered about why this phenomenon doesn't exist in America, and it came to me after a visit to NYC: the recycle program in Germany. 

At first I thought I was going to lose my mind trying to figure out what went in which bag, bin or sack. There are blue bins, black bins, glass bins, recycle bins and brown bins- and that's just what I was recycling. There are pfands for bottles and places to recycle glass- of course by color. It's cumbersome, at times even frustrating (especially when your bins are full and it's still 5 days before pick-up), but more importantly it's the LAW. Just in case you didn't know, Europeans (specifically Germans) are all about following the rules. 

Getting back to the cleanliness- people not only follow the rules of recycling, but they take pride in doing so. You will see the Fraus out on Saturday sweeping their front steps and even their curbs. You don't see people working on their vehicles in their yards, leaving oil spills and old unusable tires in their lawns. And you never see people fling trash out their windows in cars. Hell you don't drive down the autobahn and see roadside trash. Come to think of it, you never even see road gators, dead animals or unidentifiable road kill. Unheard of. 

As a result, shit stays clean and I love the clean living!

2. Beer and all things bier.

So I'm gonna put this in print, and admit to it. I was NOT a beer drinker before coming to Germany. Now I LOVE beer. Delicious German beer! Delicious Belgian beer! It's really a toss up which I like better. Either way, I'm a beer drinker and proud of it!

German beer is a food group here. It has history, class and goes well with everything. Germans make beer drinking look like an Olympic sport, and they are more than happy to share with anyone willing to sidle up and train your liver. Germans pride themselves in their beer making prowess. So much so that there are laws on the books from the 1600s that guide beer making principles. That my friends is the true art of beer making. Bier is good! 

And of course because beer is good and plentiful, it's inexpensive. Now stateside inexpensive beer is usually crappy beer. Not here. Here you can purchase a beer for about 1 euro for a half liter bottle, and it's actually good beer. In many restaurants beer is cheaper than cola (soda), if that tells you anything. 

I will miss the lovely biergartens and the ability to sit and "linger" for hours with a beverage, friends and enjoying the great outdoors. I will miss all things bier. Thanks Germany for making me a believer. 

3. Fest, Fests and more Fests.

Germany, and as much as I can tell from my travels, Europe as a whole loves to "festival". There are wine fests, Easter fests, music fests, fall fests, and so many other festivals. You can literally find something to attend virtually every weekend. It's a celebration of everything from life, to seasons, to harvests to ancient celebrations of towns, to the celebration of foods and drinks. 

I didn't attend one festival that didn't entice and appeal to every one of my senses. The sights of the beautiful landscapes and smells of the tasty food. It all comes together in such a wonderful way that it leaves you wanting more! 

Of course the most world renowned festival in Germany is Munich's Oktoberfest, and that is a great example of festivals done right. However there are so many other festivals that are smaller in size but grander in scale and amusement. Some of the others area the international beer festival Bierbörse, which an amazing traveling festival that showcases beer from all over Europe. There are also Easter markets, which aren't huge markets, but they sell some of the most amazing hand-painted eggs you will ever come across. 

Probably the best part of festivals in Europe is that they are FREE! Yes, I said the magic words. Every fair we attended was free of charge. You can walk around and enjoy the festival at no charge. The only thing you pay for is food and drink. Don't get me wrong you can spend a small fortune eating and drinking your way through a festival, but that's the point right? You want to try every food stand and drink all the beer and wine you possibly can!

All I can say is that while we do the festival thing in the states, we don't seem to be able to incorporate the food, the drink and the ambiance that Europe has mastered. Perhaps as we age as a country, our festival-ness will mature as well. Which leads me to my next point….

4. Old-ness of Old World living… and the Pride that goes with it 

They say age is nothing but a number, and while that may hold true for the dating scene, that adage is completely unfounded when it comes to the history and culture of a region or country. Europe has age, experience, and history in spades. 

I've always loved history, it's my thing. So when we found out we were moving to Europe, specifically Germany, I was elated about the prospects of learning more history. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get to visit so many cool places. I don't think I fully grasped the concept of 'old' until we visited cities who celebrated their 900th birthday, or had Roman ruins, or even a 2,000th birthday in 1984! The oldest city in Germany, Trier, was is one of my favorite places to visit and take visitors. It has an awesome pedestrian walkway lined with shops on either side. The cathedral and basilica are sites to behold, and the most amazing thing is that is was heavily bombed during WWII and has been rebuilt to feel older than the remnants of that devastation. 

This age is only rivaled by the pride that Germans, and Europeans at large, have for their villages, cities and countries. You see this pride in the way they care for their cities. How they care for their public spaces, and create public spaces that everyone can enjoy. From comprehensive bike trails that traverse the country, to walking trails that provide countless hours of exercise and entertainment, their's is a deep seeded pride for their surroundings that unfortunately don't see everywhere in America.  They sort their trash and recycle not only as part of the law but as part of their environmental awareness. You will see the pride they take in their personal possessions and how they care for their things. And this pride doesn't stop with their country and possessions, but in how they carry themselves and how they act. Germans will be loud and rowdy, but in a bar or in a drinking tent. You don't often hear Germans being rowdy in a group. You almost always hear Americans coming down the street. Germans don't go out in sweats and sneakers, that attire is for the gym or working out- maybe it stylistic or maybe it's about pride in appearance. Culturally there seems to be a greater sense of "this is ours and we take care it", and that translates into almost everything they do. 

5. Wine: Taste, Price and all things Wine

Wine is cheaper than water. I'm guessing because not only can we drive about 30 minutes to the local Cora and buy French wine for next to nothing, but Germany does a pretty bang up job of producing it's own fantastic wine. Most people associate fine wine with France, and their wonderful Bordeaux wines. Or even Italy with their magnificent Pinot Grigio, for the white lovers, or one of my favorites Sangiovese. However, I would be doing Germany such a disservice if I didn't mention her wine region along the rivers Rhine and Mosel. Some of my favorite German wines are Rieslings and Dornfelders. Of course I can't speak of wine in Germany without mentioning glühwein. 

Now onto to prices.... when I think cheap wine in the states, the back of my mouth waters and I get the distinct urge to throw up Boone's Farm or Arbor Mist. (No offense to all the Farmers and Misters out there who still call that fine wine.) However, in Germany, or Europe, wine doesn't have to be expensive to be good, no not good-great! It's just the way it is. 

Now take this heavenly grape elixir of the gods and give it a festival, and well you have the making of two of the best things: wine & festivals. What more can I say about this? Great taste, great price, and celebrations- winning!

6. Pace of Life

Germans have an automatic reset button- it's called Sunday. Sundays are reserved for quiet, peaceful nothingness. You can't do work or really make noise on Sundays. The countryside is quiet and tranquil. Going for a Sunday drive means you aren't competing with trucks as they are not allowed on the roads or to work on Sundays (special permits withstanding). Nothing but a quiet peaceful country.

When we first got here I didn't appreciate, hell I didn't like it. But after learning to work around the store closures, you really start to enjoy the idea of the easy button, the reset that comes with being forced to do "something" else on Sundays. We learned to go out on walks, hikes, runs, bike rides, or just enjoy each other's company. Who knew, right?

Now this different pace of life isn't reserved for one day of the week. Germans, on the whole, work hard during their business hours, which are much less than American business hours. They also take what seems like, a ton of time off.  You can walk down any pedestrian strasse, at any given time, and there will be boat loads of people shopping and just generally out and about. It's more like what you would experience on the weekends stateside. I can't really put into words how their version of work hard and play hard is different than ours, but somehow in the execution of this mantra, you get an overall different pace of life. It's slower without losing it's efficiency. It works for them and after living here, it worked for me. Paraphrasing Bubba, that's all I can say about that.

7. Traveling

Sixteen countries in less than 3 years. Two Mediterranean cruises- one with the kids and one without. I'm not bragging, just trying to show you how much traveling you can do in a short time, and yes we we were on a budget. So much to see and experience. Never enough time. The traveling opportunities are without a doubt amazing! Sadly, I know people who hardly travelled at all in the two plus years they have been in Germany. I can't fathom not exploring, not getting out to see all Europe has to offer. I know, no questions asked, I will miss it dearly. 

8. Bäckerei, Bakeries and Baked Goods

It's a Christmas miracle I'm not going home 50 pounds heavier. The baked goods in Germany are fantastic! You can find a bakery in almost every village, and it's a cornerstone of village life. Opening bright and early, many times before the bright even started, and closing just around mid afternoon. Awesome deliciousness just emanating from it's shelves! Breads, donuts, pastries, and always fresh. My favorite was Johanisbeeren pastry, which is currants. What's it taste like? It's a little bit tart, a little sweet, and totally delicious!

 OMGosh is it amazing! So yeah, pastries are amazing, but I haven't mentioned the bread. German bread is just as great! I'm not sure what their secret ingredient is, but I'm pretty sure it lacks all the preservatives we find in our bread. Simply because

9. Amazing Food

Pastries. Bread. Rolls. Strudel. Schnitzel. Pork Roast and all things pork really. Wine. Rest stop food. Yes I said rest stop food, but that is a separate item all together. All of it is just amazing! In the almost 3 years in Europe I did not sit down to a meal that was awful or worthy of being sent back to the kitchen. We ate tapas in Barcelona, stuffed grape leaves in Athens, escargot in Paris. All of it phenomenal, and I'm not exaggerating. We either truly lucked out every single time or our palates were so indiscriminate that everything tasted yummy! Either way, I tasted my way through Europe and loved every minute of it. 

10. Rest stops worth the stop.

I joked with my mom when she came to visit, if she thought we could bring the German concept of rest stops back to the states. We laughed because there is no way I can see any American paying to use a public restroom. That being said, it's the best 70 euro cents you will ever pay. What are you paying for you ask? A clean bathroom. One that has an attendant keeping up with the tp, sinks and overall hygiene. Some bathrooms are high tech in that they include a self-sanitizing toilet! In all my travels I think we stopped once at a rest stop and were disappointed. Mind you it was more disappointment at the long lines than anything hygiene related. On top of clean, usable restrooms they have wonderfully fresh cappuccinos made- made by a real person, and tasty freshly cooked meals. It makes stopping at a rest stop to eat worth the money and time! What a novel concept. Imagine the money a US company could make if we improved our rest stops? Oh and to boot you get a 50 cent rebate receipt that you can use on your purchase. Cha-ching!  

11. Autobahn and Left Lane Passers

Driving has been such a pleasure, especially at speeds of 130-140 kph, which loosely translates to 80-90 mph. Speed is just one of the pleasures of the autobahn. The actual conditions of the road are equally wonderful. They either pave them under the cover of night or just know how to pave the hell outta some roads. If you have ever driven in NYC you know that can loose a small child in the city's potholes. Germany doesn't have potholes really. Perhaps an occasional rough patch road, but by and large they are smooth, especially the ones in our neck of Germany. The A6 and the A62 are marvelous for opening up the Beamer and listening to her purr at 100mph. Aaaahhhh!

Now let's talk about the courtesies of driving. Apparently, in every country, the laws state you pass in the left lane and stay in the right for cruising. Who knew that this could actually work if enforced? People TRAVEL in the left lane and PASS in the right. They actually only use that right lane to pass! Again, German efficiency. I wonder how I will cage the my beast of a car with top speeds of 70 mph. *chortle*  

12. Health-centric culture

From an amazing amount of biking, hiking and walking trails, to a diet that centers on fresh food, Europeans have a different view on healthy habits. While my impression was that they smoke and drink more than we do, it seems they are healthier. Perhaps all walking and biking coupled with a different way of preparing foods, just adds up to a healthier lifestyle. Maybe it was the lack of fast food options? I don't know, it's just a healthier lifestyle. I do know I will have to work to maintain this healthy living. The question is how much work will it actually be?

13. Unapologetic Christmas

This is short and easy. In liberal Europe they are unapologetic about Christmas. You don't say Happy Holidays in fear of offending someone with a Merry Christmas. You don't Happy Hannukah people or happy whatever else they celebrate. It's Christmas and they celebrate it with Christmas markets, parades, lights, Saint Nick, food and wine. It's the most wonderful time of the year!

14. Pedestrian walkways and street cafés 

A delicious pastry. A fresh cup of coffee or better yet a cool beer. People passing by on their way to this store or that place. All of this happening before you as you sit and take it all in from a sidewalk café. I know many American cities are joining in on this awesomeness of summer, but the mild German summers make this extra special. You can sit for hours and watch the droves of people with their well groomed and well-healed pets, and just take it all in. It was one of the quintessentially European things to do, and if you have never had an opportunity to do this- it's a must! Many of these street cafés are located on these large pedestrian walkways lined with shops, bakeries, restaurants and many other enticing-to-the-senses locales. It was just so nice to sit and just soak it all up. 

I know I will probably be able to find street cafés stateside, I'm just not sure how many and of what caliber. I guess we will see. 

15. Lingering restaurant stays

Dining in any European restaurant is an hours-long experience. I remember sitting at a Thai restaurant for over 3 hours, and that was after dinner. There is no rush to get guests out of there, or to even get you served. When you enter the restaurant they will get you menus and drinks but there is no sense of urgency to your order. You never feel like there is a rush to get you in and out. It's an awesome experience! You can literally stay for hours after dinner, have as many drinks as you want, and just be with your family and friends, enjoying your time together.

I am sure there will be other things that I miss about Germany, but for right now these are tops in my head. I'll be sure to update this if other things pop up or become more apparent as the "You're back in the USA" game evolves.