Sisters of the New South

There now are four Sisters of the New South in Georgia, and I suspect there will be more. It’s a winning formula, although dining at the original location on Skidaway Road in Savannah is anything but formulaic. With its painted signs and folksy mural on the wall, along with a hand-inscribed billboard menu of soul-food classics, Sisters has the heart-warming feel of an original and genuine people’s eatery.

I love the morning’s smothered shrimp, spilled out across a field of cheese grits (or regular grits if you prefer), accompanied by eggs and a biscuit. All the usual pig meats are available, as are corned beef hash, pancakes, and salmon patties; but Sisters’ well-respected fried chicken is not ready until at least mid-morning. Other meals served later in the day include oxtails, pork chops, and vegetable plates. For dessert: banana pudding, peach cobbler, and triple-layer red, white, and chocolate velvet cake.