We've been going to Savannah for 17 years or so, and as southerners who now live in California, we can't get enough of the beautiful architecture or the southern cooking!

The Masada Cafe is located in a church -- the United House of Prayer for All People at 2301 W. Bay Street, in the industrial part of Savannah (about a 5 minute drive from downtown Bay Street). They're open from 11 am to 7 pm, Mon - Sat, and 11 am to 6 pm on Sunday.

Inside this pristine church, you'll find an immaculate cafeteria with all the southern food you could ever want... We went twice during our visit, and they were featuring ribs (which we learned are only available on Saturday) from a huge smoker out front (both beef and pork), fried chicken, ox tail, meatballs, pork, creamed corn, green beans, corn bread, lima beans, black eyed peas, you name it. Red rice and white rice, everything in abundance. The desserts were amazing -- my favorite was the sweet potato pie, which had the perfect consistency, sweetness and a crust like you're grandmother would make. Nothing out of the can or the box here. OH and I almost forgot, the macaroni and cheese -- usually I'm not a big fan as I find it goopy -- this place has the formula down -- it was really good -- cheesy without being overly rich. All this for about $10 including all the iced tea or lemonade you can drink.

From what we gleaned, the pastor's wife runs the restaurant side of the church and he runs the praying side. We're not religious people and had some worries about going... they were dispelled the second we walked in the door. It was a very welcoming environment, with everyone there checking on us and offering us a taste of this or that, and wanting to know where we were from and how we'd heard about them. No one tried to "save us" as they might at other churches. It was all about genuine human warmth and great food.

After all that raving -- this isn't for everyone. I wouldn't take my parents there...they'd be more comfortable at a Red Lobster. The neighborhood is a little run down and this definitely isn't the sanitized Savannah you see in the tour books. However, once you enter the immaculate gated parking lot and walk through the doors, you're family and you're going to have a good meal.

I'm guessing next time we go to Savannah this place will have been "discovered" as Mrs. Wilkes was and we'll be in long lines. Already they have been featured in Southern Living and a couple of internet articles. If you're in the mood for a little adventure and a lot of great food, stop by, pull up a chair, and have some sweet potato pie for me.