2 posts for Dr. P

After learning we actually have someone who reads this besides us and the dogs, we decided to reward our throng of fan with a double post.

Taca Sushi & Japanese Fusion

Cuisine: Japanese

Price: $4-22

Separate bar: yes

Takeout: yes

Coke or Pepsi Products: Coke

Address: 513 E Oglethorpe Ave, Savannah, GA‎

Phone: 912.232.8222‎

Website: http://www.tacasushi.com/

He says: Great atmosphere with the food to match!

Taca is definitely a bright spot in our quest to find good sushi in Savannah. This is by far the best out of all the places we've tried thus far. The best part about it? The owner was on hand. You'd be surprised how much better your service is when everyone's boss is on the floor. You're drink never hits the bottom of the glass and you're always well taken care of.

The atmosphere of the restaurant is amazing. Very modern with sleek lines and fantastic local art on the wall (they allow a new artist to hang whatever they want on their walls each month). I ordered the teriyaki chicken and an order of crunch rolls (spicy tempura fried shrimp and cucumber).

The chicken came out first in about 10 minutes. It came with a soup, salad, fried rice and vegetables for around $12. The chicken was lean and cooked just the way I like it. The soup was also a bright spot. It was a simple beef broth with some chopped scallions and about a tablespoon of beef with a slightly sweet flavor on the bottom.

The sushi took about 20 minutes, which is a little long in my opinion. But my entree was so good I had forgotten I had even ordered sushi until they put it in front of me. The sushi was fantastic. Tightly wrapped, very clean and simple. Another thing I was impressed with was what I'm going to call "spice control," which is the ability of the chef to give you a spicy dish (in this case my crunch roll), but not make it so spicy that I'm reaching for my drink after every bite. Some places seem to get carried away with the heat and you tend to lose the flavor of the dish itself. Another aspect I liked about my sushi was the fried shrimp was hot. I knew it was fresh out of the fryer rather than sitting at the sushi counter waiting on someone to order it.

My only complaint about our experience at Taca is one of my pet peeves - when I order a tea, PLEASE make sure there is ice in it! I'm sure you probably filled the glass with ice before you poured my drink, but when you pour a fresh batch of hot tea all that ice melts. I hate getting a glass of sweet tea with three halfway melted ice cubes left in it.

Other than that I was very pleased with the food and the wait staff. I give them extra kudos because they did all of this while handling a packed house of customers. This place definitely gets my vote for best sushi in Savannah so far! I'd definitely recommend it!

Taste: Five noms

Plating/Appearance of Food: Four noms

Service: Four noms

Cleanliness: Five nom

Atmosphere: Five noms

Overall Noms: 4.6 noms

She says: When Couple Meets Savannah Sushi

Located on the corner of Price and Oglethorpe is quite possibly the most perfect shopping center in Savannah. In one corner, is Screamin' Mimi's, a Jersey pizza parlor that packs a lot of flavor in every slice and a lot of Jersey charisma (minus the fist pumps) in every worker. In the other corner is Taca.

On a typical Friday night, you'll find Taca packed (but not so full that you feel getting a table would be like asking for health care reform). It's decor is warm and inviting, with local art on every brightly colored wall, modern chairs and bar stools, sleek white tables to match, and candles on every table.

When Will and I sat down, we were immediately greeted by our waitress and our drink orders were taken (I think anyone who orders a beer after a long, hard work week can mark this as a plus). The waitress even brought out the bottle of beer I ordered to make sure it was what I wanted. As someone who loves tasting beers at random, then can never remember what I drank at that burger joint in Atlanta, this made my night. I didn't even need to order food after that.

But I did, and I had trouble choosing what I wanted. Taca has an extensive sushi menu with traditional, just-the-fish-and-rice sushi and fusion sushi (the sauce lover's sushi). It's really the perfect place for all different types of sushi lovers to go and get exactly what they want. I ordered what I normally order at sushi places: a spicy tuna roll and red snapper nigiri. The sushi took a little longer than I'd like, but since I date Will - a non-salad eater - I spent the time it took for my sushi to get there to eat the fresh, house salad that came with his meal.

When the sushi did come, I was ecstatic. It looked fantastic: the red snapper was firm and the spicy tuna roll had a huge piece of whole, dark red tuna in the middle of it. While the taste didn't disappoint with the red snapper, I couldn't say the same for the tuna. The tuna itself was delicious, but there was so much spicy sauce in the roll, that I could only eat three pieces out of the six before my mouth was on fire. As someone who has had a difficult time finding a tuna roll that has a whole piece of tuna in it instead of left over, chopped up pieces, I would totally try this sushi roll again, because the fish was beautiful . . . I'll just be ordering the sauce on the side next time.

Overall, Taca had the whole package, minus what I call "bad night flops": the atmosphere was sleek, the food was good, and the service was exceptional. Going to Taca was like going on a blind date that turned out well. We dated Taca, found out she wasn't a creeper and (more importantly) her outside matched her inside. Now that's something to toast to.

Taste: Four noms

Plating/Appearance of Food: Five noms

Service: Four noms

Cleanliness: Five noms

Atmosphere: Five noms

Overall Noms: 4.6 noms

Lulu's Chocolate Bar

Cuisine: dessert / bar

Price: $2-15

Separate bar: yes

Takeout: yes

Coke or Pepsi Products: Coke

Address: 42 Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard

Phone: (912) 238-2012

Website: www.luluschocolatebar.net

She Says: Mmmmm . . . mmmmm, good!

There's nothing better in this world than stuffing your face full of sweets after a long day. Oh wait, there is; it's called Lulu's Chocolate Bar, a small bar off of Martin Luther King Blvd. that has killer sweets and drinks to match.

Lulu's has a refined retro look to it. Exposed brick decorates the walls, while a swanky chandelier hangs from the ceiling. But it is the large cabinet on the back wall with Jetson-like designs painted on it that is really the focal point of the joint. I'm not one for bar hopping, but with the eclectic mix of Johnny Cash, Aretha Franklin and Modest Mouse booming in the background, I felt like I was the cool kid in high school sitting at the bar with Will (also known as the hunky football player boyfriend in this scenario).

Before we were greeted by a waitress, we were welcomed by a massive display case in front of the bar, showing off every goodie on the menu and then some. Once at the bar, I ordered two chocolate covered strawberries for Will and I. By the time we inhaled the perfectly ripe berries and the rich, crispy chocolate, my other order had arrived: a piece of chocolate strawberry suspension cake.

If you're not drooling by the name of the cake alone then you will be after I tell you it was a piece of chocolate cake, filled with mascarpone cheese and fresh strawberries that was about five inches tall. Each layer was complimented with a little bit of dark rum. Oh, and did I mention the chocolate ganache covering, raspberry puree, and the chocolate sauce that decorated the cake?

It tasted just as good as it looked. The light mascarpone cheese balanced out the chocolate cake and ganache, and the puree on the side added the perfect sour bite to the sweetness. I'm not one for rich desserts, so this was perfect for my palette.

As an amateur cake baker, I can appreciate everything that goes into the desserts at Lulu's. So I didn't mind paying $8 for a slice of cake that took hours to prepare. But if you have a problem paying more than $4 for cake, then Lulu's isn't the place for you. At least it isn't on days other than Sunday. Every Sunday, after 9 p.m., Lulu's has 1/2 off desserts. And they run lots of other deals too. For you drinkers out there, happy hour is everyday, from 5-8 p.m. . They are currently running a special called "Champagne Thursdays," where you can get mimosas, belinis, kar royals, and anything else you can mix with champagne for $5.

Even if you aren't a fat kid, you'll love Lulu's cake. I did, and I'm sure I'll love their panna cotta, cheesecake, and all the other goodies they offer in their shiny, glass case.

Taste: Five noms

Plating/Appearance of Food: Five noms

Service: Five noms

Cleanliness: Five noms

Atmosphere: Five noms

Overall Noms: 5 noms

He says: It's like the Playboy Mansion for fat kids.

Lulu's is one of my new favorite late night stops. I feel like there should be someone handing out smoking jackets, slippers and cuban cigars at the door. It is what I would expect a dessert bar to look like somewhere in the Playboy Mansion (unfortunately I don't think Hef, Bridgitte or Holly will be walking in there anytime soon). I can easily sum up this restaurant in two words - Art Deco. Funky geometric patterns on the walls with funky art and funky chandeliers add to the decor. I guess you could add "funky" as a third word to describe it.

When you first walk in you are greeted with the most glorious junk food counter you've ever seen, with delectable cheesecakes, brownies, truffles and tarts each more delicious looking than the last. It's really hard to choose, but fortunately there really is no wrong answer.

I got the Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart. It should have come with an insulin shot. It's basically a Reese's Cup in cake form. As soon as you put it in your mouth you go into Homer Simpson mode. Granted, they aren't the cheapest dessert option, at around $5-8 depending on what you pick, but they are on a totally different level than anything else you could find in the historic district.

This place would be a great place to go end date night or take someone from out of town for a very memorable experience at a place they'll find nowhere else.

Taste: Five noms

Plating/Appearance of Food: Five noms

Service: Five noms

Cleanliness: Five noms

Atmosphere: Five noms

Overall Noms: 5 noms