Green Fire Pizza: Kinda Confusing Name, But The Dogs Didn’t Even Notice

May 17, 2017 / guzzlesandmuzzles / Leave a comment

Green Fire Pizza

912-298-0880

Time for some pizza!

Hefner and Charlie demanded it, and so here we are, eating pizza again (I always blame my excessive pizza consumption on the dogs). This time, we visited Green Fire Pizza, a recently-opened restaurant on Drayton Street in the downtown historic district of Savannah.

Green Fire Pizza and Woofgang Bakery (and some of the construction nearby)

What is green fire? I didn’t know either, so I asked the guy behind the counter, who turned out to be the owner’s son, as I was ordering:

Green = organic, fresh ingredients
Fire = they cook the pizza in a wood-fire oven

Seems simple enough.

Green Fire Pizza is located in a bit of a difficult area, right next to a large construction zone. When I visited on a Friday afternoon, I didn’t hear any noise coming from the skeletal structures nearby, but I also noticed some construction workers leaving as we were walking up, so we might have arrived after quitting time.

Hotel construction going on next door, but it wasn’t noisy when we visited

Also, be aware that there is very limited parking in the immediate area of Green Fire. The dogs and I don’t mind a bit of a walk (mostly to take care of that awkward pooping situation Hefner has going on before we get there), so we parked several blocks away and ambled on in. It’s getting hot in Savannah, so as long as we were in the shade, it was fine.

Hey, you got any pizza up here?

At Green Fire, customers have to go inside and order at a counter, while all the seating is outside on the patio (there is no place to dine indoors). This might be a little difficult to handle on the hot summer days that have already arrived in Savannah, but the dining area is mostly either under the ceiling fan-equipped roof of the patio or furnished with shady umbrellas.

Hefner wasn’t so sure about the dog statues next to the door

Green Fire Pizza shares a building with one branch of the Woofgang Bakery, and both establishments are very dog-friendly. I was worried about taking the dogs into the actual restaurant to order, but Green Fire was very welcoming and even gave me some Woofgang treats to give the dogs while we waited on our pizza.

Customers order inside at the counter

Green Fire has a large menu of interesting specialty pizza options ($15.95-$17.95 for a 12″, $19.95-21.95 for a 16″), including one with a tequila cream sauce that I’m not sure if I’m scared of or not. The menu also includes salads, build-your-own frittatas, and a breakfast pizza and a dessert pizza. They sell cheese pizza by the slice ($3), which you can add toppings to for an additional cost. Green Fire also offers gluten-free pizza options and vegan cheese.

The Quattro Stagioni

The pizza I ordered on this trip was the Quattro Stagioni, which has fresh mozzarella and their fresh plum tomato sauce, mushrooms, baby artichokes, Kalamata olives, and prosciutto. It took a while to get out to me, which I discovered was because they were short-staffed at the time and my first pizza had hung out with the fire for a little too long. They quickly made me another one, though. It was quite tasty and worth the wait.

Charlie had his eyes on a slice

Green Fire doesn’t have any liquor on their alcohol menu, but they do offer some wines and beers. Drinks are bought at the counter with the pizza, so an additional drink requires another trip inside. But hey, that’s where the air conditioning is.

Where’s our pizza crusts?

The dogs loved coming to Green Fire Pizza, and it wasn’t just because of the crusts I shared. Everyone was very welcoming to the dogs, including the customers that were there (most had never seen a puggle before). As I said, the people from Green Fire gave them some treats, and then a Woofgang employee walked through and gave them a couple more, along with some rubs. After we finished eating, we decided to go into Woofgang, where they received a few more free treats (and I bought a bunch to take home for later, too).

Picking out treats at Woofgang Bakery next door

Green Fire Pizza is a great addition to the gourmet pizza selections around Savannah. The dogs and I will definitely be returning soon…maybe for the Tequila Pie? I just have to make sure my liver is ready.

Tubby’s Tankhouse Thunderbolt: Fishing for a Waitress

May 3, 2017May 2, 2017 / guzzlesandmuzzles / Leave a comment

Tubby’s Tankhouse Thunderbolt

2909 River Dr, Thunderbolt, Georgia

(912) 354-9040

When you live close to both a large river and the ocean, fresh seafood becomes a staple in your diet. I have had good fresh seafood before, mostly when I visit the beach, but this is the first time I feel like I can trust the quality seafood local to my home.

Tubby’s Tankhouse has two locations in the Savannah area, one on River Street and one in Thunderbolt, a town on the river at the eastern edge of Savannah. We decided to visit the Thunderbolt location, mainly to stay away from all the touristy spots on River Street. The location in Thunderbolt has an outdoor patio for dog-friendly dining, and offers live music on some nights.

Hefner and Charlie enjoyed the breeze on the patio by the river

Once the dogs and I arrived in Thunderbolt, we discovered the patio area at Tubby’s Tankhouse is first-come, first-serve. In other words, there was no list on which to put your name. The dogs and I were relegated to sitting on a bench to the side, waiting to swoop in like vultures on the first abandoned table. In the meantime, I procured a beer from the outside bar.

The view from the patio

After only about five minutes of waiting, a group of diners exited, leaving us with a high-top table. While I enjoy sitting at taller tables, it creates issues when dining with canines. Hefner and Charlie kept wanting to run around and sniff everyone’s food, as they felt they were just sitting out in the open in the middle of the patio anyway.

Hefner under the high table

Charlie under the high table

The patio at Tubby’s Tankhouse is wooden, surrounding a large tree planted in the center and sprouting through the deck and roof. Though we were sitting as such a tall table, the waitresses seemed to have no problem ignoring our presence. Finally, we were able to flag someone down for some menus.

The cocktail menu

After we ordered drinks, a low-top table with rocking chairs for seating opened up next to the rail, and the dogs and I were able to relocate to more agreeable accommodations. There is a wooden bench all the way around the patio, which provides a good place to tie the leashes. However, you should still be watchful of sudden dog movement, as the tables aren’t too sturdy and rogue dog could tip over drinks (party foul).

Fresh seafood can be found right across the street

There were several signature drinks on the menu, though I was warned by the bartender that “nothing frozen” would be an option, as the machine was broken. Tubby’s Tankhouse also has a decent list of beers (both on tap and in a bottle/can) and wines, and Happy Hour prices are in effect from 4-7 every day.

Tankhouse Cooler

Tubby’s Tankhouse seems to be sponsored by Dixie Southern vodka from Charleston, as many of their drinks featured the spirit. I was most intrigued by the “Tankhouse Cooler” ($7), which included Dixie vodka and different fruit juices. It was refreshing, but there was nothing particularly special about it.

The bacon-wrapped scallops

The menu mentioned that the bacon-wrapped scallops ($11.99) are a “Tubby’s Original,” and I’m pretty sure I’ve never met a strip of bacon I haven’t liked, so I ordered them. They came with a spicy Thai peanut sauce that they didn’t really need. However, they were pretty tasty, and the dogs enjoyed the bits of bacon I offered.

The menu

The Tubby’s Tankhouse menu has a large selection of appetizers, salads, soups (including “Thunderbolt’s best chili bowl” and “award-winning crab stew”), sandwiches, and seafood and steak entrees. Be aware that some items are “market price,” so it isn’t always easy to stay on a budget here.

The salad bowl with a generous portion of salmon on top

On our visit, the fish specials included red snapper, yellowfin tuna, and salmon (all market price). I decided to order the grilled fresh fish salad bowl with salmon (market price, which turned out to be $14.99). It comes in a tortilla bowl with a creamy horseradish dressing. The salad was good, but I’m not sure there was any of the dressing on there. By the time I saw the waitress again to ask for some, I was almost done with my food.

Begging for some bacon, probably

The dogs seemed to enjoy Tubby’s Tankhouse, because there were plenty of people to pet them and show them attention. We noticed one other dog on the patio, but he wasn’t in our same area. Be aware, the tables on the patio are pretty close together, so it can be hard to keep dogs contained in your own table area. If you don’t mind the slow service, the patio is a good dog-friendly option for enjoying that fresh catch.

Vinnie Van Go-Go’s: Giant Pizza on a Little Table

April 19, 2017April 19, 2017 / guzzlesandmuzzles / Leave a comment

Vinnie Van Go-Go’s

317 West Bryan Street, Savannah

912-233-6394

The dogs and I decided to go to Vinnie Van Go-Go’s for a very important reason. If you ever need to get Hefner and Charlie’s attention, maybe to get them to come to you or to perk up their ears for a photo (my most common usage), there are several effective words you can use:

“Cheese”
“Treat”
“Bedtime”
“Go outside”

The most powerful attention-grabber, however, has to be “pizza.” I just have to mention the food to get the dogs salivating for the crusts, which I give them in a misguided attempt to save carbs. I had sampled Vinnie Van Go-Go’s pizza before and was quite impressed, and I was pretty sure the dogs would be, too.

Vinnie Van Go-Go’s is at the corner of City Market

Vinnie Van Go-Go’s is located at the corner of City Market in downtown Savannah, a two-block stretch of restaurants, bars, and shops that is usually full of tourists. Often, there is live music or some other event going on in the area to keep customers occupied while they wait for a table. Also, for the dogs, there’s a branch of Woofgang Bakery, the perfect place to find unique treats and accessories.

The pups enjoyed the cool brick on a hot day!

I have to say, though, after this visit, Vinnie Van Go-Go’s can only really be considered dog-friendly because they have an outside area for eating, and they allow dogs to stay there. However, actually eating with the dogs is a little difficult.

Hefner really perks up when the pizza shows up

Charlie tries to look adorable when he’s begging for food

The tables and chairs are very lightweight plastic or metal, and they are crammed together on the sidewalk patio outside the small inside dining area. Therefore, there is no good place to tie the leashes and keep my pizza-hungry canines out of other customer’s laps. We had to resort to holding the leashes with one hand and eating with the other. Since the tables are small, and the pizzas quite large, it was a bit of a balancing act.

Sometimes Hefner takes up way more space than is necessary

Though we tried our best to keep our tails out of the way of restaurant traffic, the hostess came to us shortly after we were seated and asked us to move the dogs out of the way, though that meant placing them out of the shade. Though it was conveyed in a fairly unfriendly way, she seemed to just be having trouble with people in her way that day; a few minutes later, I saw a customer unwittingly walk in front of her, and she rolled her eyes and then closed them for a few seconds, as if praying for the strength not to kill someone.

Pizzas in picture may be larger than they appear

The pizza at Vinnie Van Go-Go’s is made on a Neapolitan crust, which is fairly thin in the middle with thick, fluffy edges around the perimeter of the pie. Build-your-own pizzas can be bought whole or by the slice, where customers choose their base and then add toppings by the up-charge. The pieces, either as part of a whole pizza or individually, are huge, so you won’t leave hungry. The menu also has spinach salads and calzones, the latter of which can be built by-the-topping like the pizzas.

Even one piece fills up the whole plate

We chose one of the “white” pizzas on our visit, which has no sauce but is covered with ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheeses. We added spinach and roasted red peppers to the whole pie, and I accented my half with feta cheese and mushrooms. The pizza was very cheesy (a positive, in this case), and the crust around the edges was just as chewy as I wanted it to be. Hefner and Charlie thought it was pretty tasty, too.

We chose a pitcher of Bud Light (for the record, there were two of us drinking this)

Vinnie Van Go-Go’s doesn’t have an extensive drink menu, but they offer a couple of wines and some bottled beers. They also have a couple of beers on draft that you can get by the glass or pitcher. Those unable or unwilling to consume alcohol can choose from bottled water and a few other non-alcoholic choices.

Customers should know that Vinnie Van Go-Go’s is cash only, so a trip to the ATM beforehand is a must. Also, the restaurant doesn’t take reservations, so a long wait for a table in the cramped dining area is always a possibility. Vinnie Van Go-Go’s offers pizza to go, though, for customers who are in a hurry to continue their tour of downtown Savannah. There are also some other “rules” on their website that customers should heed.

Pizza is always a good choice for a hot day, right?

For unique and custom pizza, Vinnie Van Go-Go’s is a must go-go to. However, it might be easier to leave the dogs at home for this one and just bring home some leftover crusts for them.

Congress Street Social Club: I’m Gonna Drunk You “Gently”

April 17, 2017April 17, 2017 / guzzlesandmuzzles / 1 Comment

Congress Street Social Club

411 W Congress Street, Savannah

912-238-1985

The sign out front

Live music/DJ stage

I’ve visited the Congress Street Social Club several times before, usually during a weekend tour of bars downtown, but I had never brought the dogs with me before. The establishment allows dogs on their patio until 9:00 p.m., but Hefner, Charlie, and I visited Social Club in the early afternoon, giving us plenty of time to enjoy the dog-friendly atmosphere.

One of the bars inside

Social Club offers a variety of activities on its two levels, including billiards, darts, live music, DJs, and trivia nights, with three different bars at which to procure your alcohol.

Social Club’s outdoor patio and bar

We were able to secure a table near the fence (a perfect place to tie the leashes). Social Club’s patio is mostly shaded by a large tree rooted in the center, which was only a problem when leaves would occasionally blow into our drinks/food. There are other covered areas, including the outdoor bar, to escape the hot Savannah sun. The staff allowed us to set ourselves up and then brought us food and drink menus. Though our waitress was aware of the dogs, we had to ask for a bowl of water for them.

Hefner and Charlie enjoyed the people-watching by the fence.

Since Social Club is more of a drinking environment (there were other dogs on the patio, but no children present), the alcohol menu was my main focus. The drink menu is extensive, with a large selection of beer, bourbon, ryes, and whiskeys, but we decided to sample the four signature mixed drinks.

Social Club has quite an extensive drink and food menu

Social Club also has a couple of signature shots, including a house-made lemon-infused vodka they keep on tap ($5). The other shot, called the “Wild Chipmunk” ($6), is a blend of Rumpleminze and Jägermeister the menu deems “gentle” (gentle as a chainsaw lobotomy, I’m sure). I decided not to try either of these, as I was afraid I would lose not only my dogs, but also my faculties and bladder control.

The Social Tea (left) and the frozen Jack and Coke

I’m always game for an ICEE, so the signature frozen alcohol drinks drew my liver’s attention first. Social Club has a frozen Jack and Coke and a frozen Red Bull and vodka (both $7.50). Both promise a brain freeze when you drink them and a brain pain when you wake up the next morning. If you’ve ever had either of these mixed classics, the frozen versions taste much as you would expect. Just don’t drink them too quickly.

The Red Mule (left) and the frozen Red Bull and vodka

The other two signature drinks on the menu are the Social Tea (sweet tea vodka, peach, lemon and mint – $6) and the Red Mule (Deep Eddy Ruby Red vodka, ginger beer, and lime – $8). Too many of the Social Teas will probably cause trouble, because it’s hard to taste the alcohol in that one. It reminds me of the peach iced tea from your grandmother’s house. The Red Mule was pretty good, similar to most any other Moscow mule from any bar, minus the copper mug.

The Famous Failure Bowl

Social Club offers food in an attempt to soak up some of that alcohol, including my favorite food groups, mac and cheese and nachos. Social Club gives you the option to build your own mac and cheese bowl, but I decided to order something called the “Famous Failure Bowl” ($9.50), which is homemade mac and cheese topped with fried chicken fingers, bacon, barbecue and buffalo sauce, and fresh scallions (which I don’t enjoy, so I asked they leave off). I didn’t notice a lot of sauce in there, but there was plenty of the meat to compliment the cheese and pasta. I’m not sure whether I would prefer it more to prevent or heal a hangover, but it was good.

Brisket nachos

We also tried the brisket nachos ($9.95), chips topped with smoked brisket, queso, pico, guacamole, sour cream, jalapenos, and cilantro. The chips were a little too saturated with cheese dip, which made it a somewhat hard to eat, but nachos are good even if you have to use a fork.

More people-watching

Social Club’s food menu also offers chicken fingers, grilled steak, sandwiches, salads, barbecue, tacos, quesadilla, wings, and various sides.

Dogs on the patio

This guy’s name was Chubby (I didn’t bother getting the human’s)

Social Club’s patio is definitely dog-friendly, and there were several other dogs that came and went while we were enjoying ourselves. As I mentioned earlier, there is a sign by the entrance that states the patio is dog-friendly until 9:00 p.m. I’ve heard from a witness that rule is enforced, and they will ask you and your dog to vacate the premises at that time.

Hefner and Charlie relaxing on the patio

On our visit, there were no canine evictions, as we were there well before the curfew. I doubt exposing your dogs to the drunken late-night atmosphere would be a good idea anyway. My dogs already give me judgmental looks when I come home from the bar in the early-morning hours; they don’t need to witness how I got into that state.

Blowin’ Smoke Southern Cantina: Two People, Two Dogs, and a Big Pile of Meat

April 12, 2017April 12, 2017 / guzzlesandmuzzles / Leave a comment

Blowin’ Smoke Southern Cantina

1611 Habersham Street, Savannah, GA

912-231-2385

Blowin’ Smoke Southern Cantina

When you’re looking for establishments where you can dine with canines, a restaurant that serves huge platters of meat sounds like a good place to start, right?

Blowin’ Smoke Southern Cantina

Blowin’ Smoke Southern Cantina is on the edge of Savannah’s historic district on a fairly quiet street, surrounded by mostly apartments and houses. The dining area feels like it is entirely outdoors, though the bar and part of the dining area are covered under a metal façade and open garage doors. There is a good bit of foot traffic past the patio, which makes for good people- (and dog-) watching.

Hefner and Charlie, secure on the umbrella base and enjoying their ice water

I called ahead to make sure that dogs were welcome on the patio, and the people on the phone were very nice. That pleasant attitude continued once the dogs , my human companion, and I arrived at the restaurant. The patio at Blowin’ Smoke is not particularly shady, but there are some trees near the corners and movable cement-based patio umbrellas, good for securing the dogs’ leashes (fact: sturdy leash security is vital to human restaurant enjoyment). Our waitress quickly brought Hefner and Charlie a bowl of ice water (and a couple of glasses for the humans as well).

We weren’t the only dogs on the patio!

The menu at Blowin’ Smoke offers a wide variety of drinks and meat-centric food options, including tacos, soups, salads, dips, barbecue platters, and an assortment of side dishes. The drink menu includes both bottled/canned domestic and craft beers, along with a couple of draft selections, and a decent selection of signature mixed drinks and wine, sangria, and margaritas. On my visit, I tried a few of the signature cocktails (I included their menu descriptions).

Hibiscus Mule

1611 Bloody Mary

Don Draper Old Fashioned

Hibiscus Mule: Tito’s vodka, hibiscus spirits, freshly squeezed lime juice, topped with ginger beer ($8). It was served in the typical copper mug, and it was very refreshing. This was definitely my favorite of the drinks I tried.
1611 Bloody Mary: Referent Horseradish infused vodka, celery bitters, Blowin’ Smoke’s signature BBQ sauce, and garlic-infused Worcestershire sauce ($8). You can also add a pork belly skewer for an extra dollar, but after the huge amount of meat I consumed, I didn’t want any more pig in my face. They did a good job of not making my Bloody Mary too spicy, though there was a lot of pepper and sediment in the bottom of the glass that wasn’t pleasant to drink.
Don Draper Old Fashioned: Bulleit bourbon, blood orange liquor, cherry bark bitters, freshly muddled orange, and maraschino cherries ($8). The menu also mentions that it doesn’t come with a cigarette, but since it tasted kind of like melted bubblegum, I wasn’t really feeling the Mad Men vibe anyway.

Blowin’ Smoke has several appetizers to choose from, including something called the “$5 Holla,” a dish that apparently changes day-to-day. On this visit, it was a plate of fries covered in barbecue brisket and blue cheese crumbles. While I’m always a fan of strong cheese, the dish really needed some sort of sauce to make the toppings stick to the potatoes.

$5 Holla (for that day)

Since Blowin’ Smoke is a barbecue restaurant, we decided to go all-in and order the Holy Smoke Platter ($28, with a $5 up-charge for splitting, which we did). The platter includes a single (huge) beef rib, 4 ounces of pulled pork, 4 ounces of chopped brisket, and 2 sides (we chose the southwest mac and cheese and the Parmesan-crusted pickle spears).

Holy Smoke Platter

Even though there were two humans eating, with dogs tagging in pretty regularly, we were only able to finish about half of it. The meat was cooked perfectly, charred on the outside and falling apart easily when I poked it with a fork. In fact, I wanted to hold up the gigantic rib bone, beef intact, to take a picture, but the meat dropped right off (which is a good thing, for those of you who don’t know).

The meat made me smile (and pose with a huge bone)

As expected, Hefner and Charlie were fans of this place. They were able to eat most everything we ordered, and they had a shady place to lie down. There were several other dogs on the patio enjoying table scraps and the occasional rib bone. I gave the bone to Hefner and Charlie to see what they would do with it, but as my understanding is that cooked bones are bad for dogs, I retrieved it from them before they were able to splinter it.

Hefner didn’t want to give the rib bone back…

At the end of the afternoon, the dogs and I left Blowin’ Smoke with smiles on our muzzles (and some leftover meat in our teeth).

It’s all starting…

April 9, 2017April 9, 2017 / guzzlesandmuzzles / Leave a comment

We’ve begun our adventure. We’re out there exploring. Where have we been? Where are we going? You won’t have to wait long to find out. In the meantime, check out our newly-updated “Meet Us” and “About Guzzles and Muzzles” pages to learn more about us and our project. To be continued…

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