Just as you would seek out a noodle shop in Tokyo, Japan, or enjoy a mole in Oaxaca, Mexico, a trip to Savannah, Georgia has to include at least one meal of classic Southern cooking. And although Lady and Son, Paula Dean’s tourist Mecca, gets most of the press, a more authentic experience is down Jones Street.
Mrs. Wilkes has passed away, but her family and staff on Jones Street are carrying on her tradition. You still sit at big round, oak tables with strangers. You still take your own dirty plate, silverware, and glass to the kitchen door, bussing your place at the table. And you still will be treated to the bounty of good, simple, flavorful, southern style food. Although Mrs. Wilkes Boarding House has been renamed Wilkes Dining Room, all the food is still served boarding house style in bowls and platters on the tables. There is no menu. And no one leaves the table hungry.