Dining out: Savannah’s fresh takes on Southern cooking
Savannah’s dining scene is “just as stunning as its famed architecture and Spanish moss–lined roads,” said Matt Kirouac in Tasting Table. There’s a wealth of talent in the city’s kitchens, with Mashama Bailey the flagbearer since she was awarded the 2022 James Beard Award for the nation’s outstanding chef of the year. All over town, chefs are making the most of the year-round bounty provided by northeastern Georgia’s fertile soil and Savannah’s proximity to the coast.
The Grey Bailey expresses her culinary artistry in an art deco former Greyhound bus terminal now outfitted with an oyster and cocktail bar that gives way to a soaring dining room. Bailey does unexpected things with Lowcountry staples—serving black bass in a bouillabaisse broth, sunchokes with oxtail pot roast, or sweet potatoes with Swiss chard and coconut milk. 109 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Fleeting Rob Newton’s restaurant at the new Eastern Wharf development “feels like an instant classic.” The Arkansas-born, New York City–seasoned chef commands a stunning space at the Thompson Savannah hotel and oversees a seasonal menu that “honors the city’s soulful roots” while looking forward. Start, perhaps, with a shaved collard green salad with anchovy dressing, followed by pan-roasted market fish or spiced duck breast. 201 Port St. Brochu’s Family Tradition At this “rusticchic” newcomer in the Starland District, acclaimed Chicago transplant Andrew Brochu is putting his own twists on Southern comfort foods. An extensive oyster menu gives way to such options as barbecued swordfish and dirty rice with grilled chicken. Desserts include banana pudding with bourbon bananas. 2400 Bull St.