The Narrowed Lens: Hey Y'all...it's Paula time: Our Visit to the Definition of the South

Todd and I love vacation. I love vacation. I talk Todd into taking vacations.

For two years running we have returned to our honeymoon destination of Hilton Head Island, SC., and I am absolutely in love with the place. For both our first and second anniversaries we stayed in the same condo, right on the beach for (brace yourself) $50 a night! Can you say off season?! It's incredible. We really enjoy it there this time of year. It's not too crowded and not too hot, a consideration I make for Todd's sake. Poor thing can't handle the upper 80s or 90s. Actually, he'd probably prefer a year-round 71 degrees. Brr.

The highlight of this year's anniversary extravaganza took place at none other than the Lady & Sons restaurant in Savannah, GA., a mere 38 miles from our condo in HHI. Since I changed careers this spring (ahem...since I became a housewife) I have discovered Paula Deen's shows on Food Network. I'm a big fan, y'all. And when I discovered that she has an actual restaurant mere miles from where I vacation...well, I couldn't resist.

I made reservations a few weeks in advance and while I'm glad I did, I don't know that it was absolutely necessary for a Wednesday 5 o'clock dinner, but better safe than sorry. I'd never been to Savannah before and found it to be a charming old city located right on the river, but excessively cramped. It feels even more cramped, I imagine, when you find yourself stuck behind one of those nice little horse-drawn buggy rides moving at about 7 miles an hour and headed in the exact direction you want to go for blocks. Anyway. That happened.

Parking was atrocious. It seemed every time we thought we'd found a spot there was s sign telling us we couldn't park there, or that it was a private lot. We did finally manage to find a public parking garage several blocks from the restaurant and y'all...it was tight! Let's just say it's a good thing Todd and I are of modest builds or there's no way we could have slid out of our car without dinging the ones beside us. I think the way I actually put it was, "it's a good thing we're not big fat guys or this would be really difficult," (one of our favorite quotes from the 2000 Disney sensation, The Emperor's New Grove...classic). But I digress.

I spent lotsa time on my hair before we left for our date and figured I'd probably pay for my vanity. I did. Most of the curl was gone by the time we got to the restaurant, taking my pride with it. Serves me right. Before we went to the restaurant, though, we stopped off at Paula's store right next door. They ought to call it Paula Deen World or something; the place was insanely...Paula! Everywhere you looked there were aprons, t-shirts, cooking utensils, dish towels and even some kind of iron trivet, many dedicated to Paula's two famous obsessions: butter and southern dialect. I mean the trivet was soldered into "HEY Y'ALL," and there was a Christmas ornament designed as a stick of butter. I rest whatever unnecessary case I was making. Y'all know Paula. 'Nuf said.

If you're a fan of Ms. Deen, as I am, you could have spent a lot more time and money in this store...but if you have a dinner reservation, I recommend scootin' on over to the dining room. That's where the real magic happens.

Here I am right outside of the restaurant, and yes, the top part of the sign does in fact say "Hey Y'all!"

Todd and I rode the elevator up to the third floor of the restaurant and were seated by one o f the windows. The building is old and I think that adds to its charm. As soon as we were seated, we were given this:

That, y'all, is a garlic butter biscuit and pan-fried cornbread (Todd discovered maple syrup on our table and we ate that on the cornbread). We were each given one of these plates of paradise, and I'll go ahead and tell you that I polished off my own and part of Todd's. Fatty, I know. But if you've ever tasted either of these celestial carbohydrates of delicious doom, you would understand. You'd understand.

Next came the task of selecting from the menu. It isn't terribly extensive, though, so that helps. Todd settled on the buffet:

In case you can't tell, that's fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and yams. He liked it all, but my favorite part of his plate: yams. Hands down. Could they even qualify as a vegetable in the state they were in?!

I love seafood, so I chose the Savannah Style Crab Cakes:

They came with an absolute mess of beans and rice. I like beans and rice as much as the next person, but it was, truly, a ridiculous portion size. To be honest, I didn't eat much of the side so as to devote more stomach real estate to the crabs.

Again, me, post-garlic biscuit, sporting what's left of my flat iron curls:

As if we weren't stuffed to the max as it was after our entrees, the waiter mentioned that Todd's buffet came with a free dessert. His recommendation? None other than Paula's famous peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream:

Oh lands, y'all....it was just as good as it looks. Irresistible, really. I mean, Todd and ate it in gluttonous agony, so it must be irresistible.

After dinner we walked along River Street which is located, of course, on the river. We stopped at the River Street Candy Kitchen where we purchased some Oreo bark and praline pecans (for later, of course...like we could have put one more thing in our mouths at that point). Here's my handsome anniversary buddy: