Savannah Restaurant Guide, Spring 2019

SAVANNAH

RESTAURANT GUIDE CONNECT SAVANNAH | SPRING 2019 EDITION

Outdoor dining under moss-draped live oak trees with views of Chimney Creek Seating for over 700 guests 3 full service bars Seafood & slow cooked BBQ Feed the baby alligators in our interactive Gator Lagoon Free onsite parking and Pet Friendly

Located on Tybee Island, only 15 minutes from historic downtown Savannah

5 minutes drive from Fort Pulaski, the Tybee Lighthouse, the Tybee Pier, the historic Tybee Post Theater and Tybee’s many beaches

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120 Whitaker Street Savannah, GA 31401 (912) 349-7251 savannahspirits.com

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SAVANNAH RESTAURANT GUIDE

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Contents

Spring 2019

CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM 1464 East Victory Drive Savannah, GA 31404 912-238-2040 GENERAL MANAGER Chris Griffin EDITOR IN CHIEF Jim Morekis CONTRIBUTORS Lindy Moody ART DIRECTOR Brandon Blatcher

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GRAPHIC DESIGNER Loretta Calhoun ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Bucky Bryant Dean Moesch DISTRIBUTION Wayne Franklin CONTACT Sales: 912-721-4378

A Morris Multi Media Publication

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18 16 6 The Lost Square

16 Toasted Barrel

12 Mercanto Italino

20 La Scala Ristorante

8 BowTie Barbeque Co. 14 Petite Abeilles

18 Brewed Brews

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ON THE COVER La Scala Ristorante Photo courtesy of restaurant

ROOMS & SUITES | CULINARY MEETINGS & EVENTS

412 Williamson Street, Downtown Savannah | Located at the Alida Hotel www.thealidahotel.com | | 912.715.7000

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SAVANNAH RESTAURANT GUIDE

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THE LOST SQUARE ROOFTOP BAR RAISES THE STAKES Upscale southern bar bites are a welcome addition to Savannah STORY AND PHOTOS BY LINDY MOODY

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WRITING ABOUT food is often very exciting because I have the unique opportunity to spread the word of any hot spot that I discover and love. And, as fun as it is to share my experience with all of Savannah, there occasionally comes a time when I do not love sharing the news of a new place as much. I will admit it is for my own selfish reasons, but when you find a place that is undiscovered and unsurpassed, is it so bad to want to keep it all to yourself?

Begrudgingly I will tell you what I am talking about—The Lost Square Rooftop Bar at The Alida Hotel. If you have yet to find yourself there, you cannot understand the magic that is the rooftop. So let me tell you.

Our Hostess City’s newest rooftop bar encompasses everything that tourists and locals adore about our abundant town. The view, in my humble opinion, is the best in all of the historic district. It combines the Savannah river, the Talmadge Bridge, and a picturesque ghost city skyline all into one. Truly a sight for sore (or if you are a local or happily intoxicated, inebriated) eyes.

In the middle of the generous open space sits a winter-worthy fire pit perfect for lounging and drink hot toddies during the scant cool months of Savannah. Suspended above the roofless portion of the deck dangles strings of edison bulbs, ideal for invoking the emotion of a casual backyard gathering. Warm woods make up the lengthy bar, adding just the right amount of masculinity to the space. And finally and intentionally scattered about you will find a plethora of modern cushy seating ready to host a gathering with your friends or a date with your love interest.

The drink menu of hand crafted cocktails is seperate from that of sister restaurant at the bottom of The Alida—Rhett. It was invented by clever cocktail creator Cody Henson, and most locals know

WHERE SAVANNAH GETS SOCIAL. One-of-a-kind, open-air gastropub along historic Liberty Street featuring 130+ whiskeys, creative cocktails, craft brews, and delicious fare seven days a week.

15 EAST LIBERTY STREET SAVANNAH, GA 912.443.2000 PROOFSAVANNAH.COM

Live music every weekend + daily specials!

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A Southern-inspired culinary adventure in the heart of historic Savannah.

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SAVANNAH RESTAURANT GUIDE

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that his name is one that speaks for itself.

Although I have personally sampled the cocktail list more times than I care to admit, I wanted to get the scoop from the entity itself. The Alida’s Director of Restaurant and Bars, Arthur Sertorio sat down with me to chat cuisine and cocktails and told me that “Cody worked on very classic cocktails and remastered them, then added one element to them to make the cocktail more special.

In the Pirate Gimlet we use lemongrass. A gimlet is a very classic cocktail but we add a touch of lemongrass that changes the flavor profile of the cocktail.”

The Lost Square’s twist for a Gin Rickey adds maraschino and green chartreuse. The Rickey is still refreshing like it’s traditional counterpart, but the splash of

chartreuse adds floral and herbal notes.

The Gin and Tonic’s little add-in is a pour of anise flavored Absinthe. For the Brown Derby, traditionally made with just bourbon, grapefruit juice, and honey, cinnamon is thrown in to amp up the bite of the south’s favorite dark liquor.

Henson’s version of a Harvey Walbanger includes an orange and vanilla foam, which takes the drink from herbal to dreamsicle.

Guests should expect to see a refined cocktail list with the change of the seasons (if you consider Savannah to be a town with seasons.) “We are aware that people want to drink something different when it is sunny, when it is dry, when it is humid, when it is hot. What we have right now is our fall and winter menu, and we

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will be changing it by the end of next month,” Sertorio elaborated as I quizzed them on the bar’s offerings.

As for the wine list, Sertorio hand picks every item on the list tailoring it to the desires of guest and locals while adding in his extensive knowledge of quality wines. He tells me that they “changed the wine list, we reduced it, and we lowered the price of the wines.”

When when I say that Sertorio takes time and care in his selections, I mean it! He told me, “When I sit down with vendors I make sure they do not have the wines anywhere else. I try to offer something where guests will be surprised.”

After spending a entire breezy weekend day or cool summer night under the glowing edisons of the rooftop destination, it is likely that you will desire a bite of food. Of course this is considering that you have not filled up with

SAVANNAH RESTAURANT GUIDE

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Alida. It pays homage to our southern town’s love of fried food, yet elevates it through the use of classical French cooking techniques. Truely a rabbit-outof-a-hat trick, I am flabbergasted at how Rhett achieved a fat fried dish that tastes and feels light as air.

The Housemade Ricotta is so delicious, it needs an entire article dedicated to it to truly embody the flavors of the fresh creamy

multiple courses dining downstairs at Rhett.

Currently, the food menu of The Lost Square Rooftop Bar is a condensed version of Rhett’s full menu, offering upscale southern bar bites. My favorites include the Fried Cauliflower, the Housemade Ricotta, the Handcut Fries, and the Charcuterie Board.

The Fried Cauliflower embodies the approach and influence behind the food available at The

HOURS

Mon — Fri: 11am - 3pm & 4:30pm - 9:00pm Sat: 12pm-3pm & 4:30pm-9:00pm

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cheese and bountiful country bread. (They also make the bread in-house because, well, why not?)

Like any reputable bar, you will find happy hour prices available during the week. Sunday afternoon is reserved for the service industry, with thirty percent off of the drinks and special prices on a few food items.

The Alida has partnered with iHeart Radio for a special event offered certain Wednesday, called Wine Crush Wednesday.

Sertorio explained that there is good music and on “Wednesdays all of the wines are six dollars, and we have a ricotta and charcuterie platter.”

The Alida’s social media pages, on Facebook and Instagram, are the best places to check for upcoming happenings.

The Lost Square Rooftop Bar 912.544,4595 412 Williamson St. www.thelostsquare.com

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SAVANNAH RESTAURANT GUIDE

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BowTie Barbeque Co.

Get's It Right

Hostess city ingredients hit the spot

STORY AND PHOTOS BY LINDY MOODY

HAVE YOU ever found yourself wiggling in your seat as you eat something delicious? You don’t have to admit it, but I know the truth. That bite when you chow down on something sinfully palpable sometimes makes you a bit squirmy—that’s how you know it’s good.

Wiggling in you dinner chair when your mouth hits something delectable is a true sign of enjoyable food. I call it the happy dance.

Each bite, more delectable than the last, causes your shoulders to shimmy without control.

The first time I tried BowTie Barbeque Co., I danced the samba, the salsa, and the polka by the time I finished my plate of ribs.

BowTie Barbeque combines everything I love about the South under one roof; whiskey, cold local craft beer, smoked meat, home cooked sides, sweet sticky sauces, and family.

Most of our low country locals know the story, but it is one worth repeating. The Barbeque Company has a deep history with Savannah, starting its food family line with Johnny Harris BBQ—a barbeque legend by the standards of many locals.

Corbin Parker’s, the Owner and Operator of BowTie Barbeque Company, grandfather worked at Johnny Harris around 1920 or 1930. “He was in the restaurant

The Ballroom with hand cut fries

Ribs

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business, and since then our family has been in the restaurant business,” Parker elaborated as he explained his history to me.

Parker’s own barbeque ballad began by working at the family restaurant bottling sauce. From there he hopped around various restaurants, eventually managing a Wendy’s which required a specific type of uniform. Wearing a traditional tie to work everyday was not Parker’s thing.

Telling me his story he said, “That is where I got BowTie for BowTie Barbeque from, managers had to wear ties and I was tired of my tie always getting all messy. I asked to wear a bow tie and became known as the ‘Bow Tie Manager’.”

Parker lived in Asheville, North Carolina for some time, working at various breweries. “Its was such a collaborative spirit, being involved in the community and with different ingredients, and I wanted to bring that back to Savannah.” So when he returned to his hometown, the first step for Parker was to start a barbeque sauce company. From there he eventually branched out to smoking meats in his very own restaurant in a natural progression.

All of BowTie’s barbeque sauces, except the original, incorporate a Hostess City ingredient.

The Hopin Hickory sauce uses a Southbound IPA, the Sweet

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n’ Roasty has PERC coffee, and Habanero Honey Mustard has Savannah Bee Company honey.

“We have a new sauce that will be coming out this summer with Ghost Coast Distillery ginger whiskey, it is our Brown Sugar & Bourbon,” I was excited to hear from Parker.

To pay homage to Johnny Harris, and keep some of the locals happy, Parker added a few of the restaurants staples to his menu.

The infamous Batterless Fried Chicken made the cut, along with the 1924 Salad, the Garlic Cheese Spread, and the Coconut Cream Pie. “Everything else is us. We developed our own rub for everything. Our original is inspired by the John Harris original but we created our own spice blend,” Parker said.

If your ribs do not need sauce, you are doing something right. It would almost be sin to smother BowTie’s low-and-slow, melt-inyour-mouth, tender Pork Spare Ribs with any of their original sauces (almost). You do have the option to keep them dry or glaze them in sin, I mean sauce.

For the sides to wash down your smokey meat main, I recommend the most southern of all of the sides BowTie’s Macaroni and Cheese and their Collard Greens.

The greens are textbook, cooked down until almost delicate yet briney with a kick of vinegar. Bow tie pasta, or farfalle, is used as the base for the mac and cheese before being smothered in a monsterous, yet appropriate, amount of ooey gooey cheese.

And although their barbeque checks all of the boxes for quality slow smoked meat, BowTie’s signature sandwiches are far from traditional. I cannot think of another barbeque joint or even another restaurant in town that offers a brisket or pork sandwich with crazy toppings.

The perfect example is their spin on a Cuban. Parker explained it well when he said, “We just

SAVANNAH RESTAURANT GUIDE

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added the Havana Cubana to the most recent menu. It’s name is inspired by Harry Potter but it is a Cuban sandwich. We have a whole Savannah’s Quintessential Corner Café Since 1986 grain beer mustard that we use, then house-made dill pickles, and some pepper jack cheese, then it is pressed not the flat top.”

The Ballroom twists the classic burger and turns it onto its head.

A thick angus beef patty is served Savannah’s Quintessential Corner Café Since 1986 smothered in pimento cheese and bacon jelly then topped with a deep fried green tomato. Don’t expect a normal old sesame seed burger bun, instead you will get a sweet and chewy brioche bread bun to encase the thick and juicy American sandwich. Savannah’s Quintessential Corner Café Since 1986 Just like the ribs, no sauce is required—only two hands and a hungry stomach. The bacon jelly is deeply caramelized and smokey sweet, which makes the burger SERVING BREAKFAST & LUNCH DAILY UNTIL 3PM very difficult to stop eating after 39 BARNARD STREET • HISTORIC SAVANNAH • GOOSEFEATHERSCAFE.COM • 912.233.4683 you fill up.

The store also hosts a few very unique event nights. When I stopped by to chat with Parker and gorge myself on food, their Board Game Night was in full tilt.

Every Wednesday, BowTie partners with Morningstar Games so patrons can stop in, play their choice in board games, and eat some “Q”.

39 BARNARD STREET • HISTORIC SAVANNAH • GOOSEFEATHERSCAFE.COM • 912.233.4683 SERVING BREAKFAST & LUNCH DAILY UNTIL 3PM Friday nights are for live music and Tuesday is Taco Tuesday 39 BARNARD STREET • HISTORIC SAVANNAH • GOOSEFEATHERSCAFE.COM • 912.233.4683 which features tacos paired with a special tap of beer. No matter the night you stop by, the classic Savannah dishes such as the batterless fried chicken coupled with the new age barbeque innovations such as The Ballroom should 39 BARNARD STREET • HISTORIC SAVANNAH • GOOSEFEATHERSCAFE.COM • 912.233.4683 make any stop in worth your time.

And just remember, if you find yourself wondering what kind of restaurant you may want to visit, this food is a Savannah tradition like no other (with a few very tasty twists).

Savannah’s Savannah’s Quintessential Corner Café Since 1986 Quintessential Corner Cafe Since 1986

A True Savannah Original

It all starts with fresh™

A True Savannah Original A True Savannah Original

It all starts with fres

IT ALL STARTS A True Savannah Original WITH FRESH It all starts with fres

A True Savannah Original

It all SERVING starts with fresh™ BREAKFAST & LUNCH DAILY UNTIL 3PM

SERVING BREAKFAST & LUNCH DAILY UNTIL 3PM

SERVING BREAKFAST & LUNCH DAILY UNTIL 3PM

39 BARNARD STREET HISTORIC SAVANNAH GOOSEFEATHERSCAFE.COM • 912.233.4683

BowTie Barbecue Co 912.354-7810 6724 Waters Ave. bowtiebarbecueco.com

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SAVANNAH RESTAURANT GUIDE

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The Margherita.

The salmon pasta.

and everywhere in between, Chef Leoci decided to come back to Savannah and open up a new restaurant—Leoci’s Mercato Italiano.

My very first question to Chef Leoci is—why come back? I should have been able to guess his response: Family is a huge part of Italian culture.

As he held his son he smiled and said, “I came back to Savannah for my son Nico. It is my first child, and I was very excited and wanted to be part of his life.”

Be not confused, Leoci’s may have a new name and a new location, but much of the same food you knew and loved at Leoci’s Trattoria is reflected in some way on the new menu at Leoci’s Mercato Italiano.

Leoci told me that “the menu is very similar. Every Chef evolves

STORY AND PHOTOS BY LINDY MOODY

THERE’S SOMETHING about Savannah that keeps people coming back. Whether a multi-visit tourist, a student that comes back here to live after being away at college, or a soldier looking forward to their station at Hunter Army Airfield, the charm of Savannah seems to get a grip on folks from all walks of life.

Luckily for Savannah, there’s a name among those come-backers that you may recognize, and he’s

brought back with him his incredible and locally famous Italian cuisine—Roberto Leoci.

If you’ve lived in Savannah for any length of time, the likelihood of you having eaten Chef Leoci’s food or seeing his sauces in the local Whole Foods on Victory Drive is pretty high.

Upon closing up Leoci’s Trattoria in 2016, Leoci wanted to do a bit of traveling. After going from New York to the Carribean

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and gets better and better. If you do it year after year, you get better and better. There are classic dishes I have been doing and they are more refined.”

Although the new menu is similar, yet refined, the new name Leoci’s Mercato Italiano is not. As you probably guessed, the Italian translation of mercato is market, and the new restaurant features just that.

In the dining room you will find an entire wall filled with Leoci’s handmade and unique items to take home. Strawberry rhubarb jam and peach jalapeño jam are just a few of the unique creations stacked for sale.

Keeping with the theme of the neighborhood Italian market, Chef Leoci told me that the ingredients are sourced from the areas surrounding where we live,

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“Hunter Cattle, Vincent Baker Farms, Southern Swiss Dairy, and some stuff I go to the market and get.”

The dinner menu features almost any type of pasta you can imagine, yet every pasta dish is created with a bit of flare. You cannot go into Leoci’s Mercato Italiano and expect to simply see spaghetti and meatballs and lasagna. (But if that’s your thing, Leoci has you covered too.)

Almost every single pasta available is created by hand. Leoci explained the process: “We have an extruder from Italy, and we extrude all of our pastas. The only pasta we do not do is the angel hair pasta. It is fun because you get to do any flavor you want.”

To me, this is what makes Italian food legitimate—if they make their own pasta, and the pasta is good, the dishes are going to be much more authentic, and “authentic” is a great word to describe these pasta dishes.

Keeping with tradition, the recipe for the Italian restaurant’s pasta uses semolina flour unlike many versions which use all purpose flour. The final result is a pasta that is slightly chewier, which is ideal to stand up to a coating of hearty sauce.

“It is more al dente than people expect because semolina is a harder grain,” Chef Leoci told me.

If you cannot find something new on the menu or have already tried it all, I suggest going for a daily special. “My specials that I do are dishes that I work with my peers [to create] or [other] Chefs that I look up to. Some of the dishes are my take on what I learned from them.”

There were two pastas on the specials menu when I stopped in for lunch. A salmon orecchiette paired with a cream sauce and spinach, and pasta tossed in a red sauce and jammed with green beans and Hunter Cattle sausage.

I also asked Chef Leoci how he

SAVANNAH RESTAURANT GUIDE

uses the beautiful giant red woodfire oven sitting in view from the dining room, his response was “there are only three pizzas on the menu because I use the woodfire oven for everything else.”

The Brick Oven Olives and the beets in the Burrata Salad are just some of the items you will find on the menu that are charred in the woodfire oven.

During my visit, I tried the Margherita Pizza, a traditional Italian pizza made simply with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. The crust was chewy on the outside yet tender inside, with a heavy char from its bake in the woodfire oven.

A huge amount of sweetness was lended to the dish from the tomatoes. As you bite into a slice the fresh torn basil cut through the richness of the cheese.

The Quattro Formaggi is a white pizza that is served with creamy mozzarella, nutty parmesan, tangy Gorgonzola, and delicate ricotta cheese over the top.

Finally, the last pizza on the menu is the Arugula e Prosciutto.

Leoci’s version is created using a tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, arugula, and sweet and salty prosciutto di parma.

Much like the rest of the menu, the dessert menu features traditional Italian desserts like cannoli and tiramisu but you can also find something like Leoci’s sinfully delicious chocolate layered cake.

So, if you’re in the Southside area and wanting some traditional, authentic Italian food, don’t forget about Leoci’s new spot in Twelve Oaks Shopping Center. The address may be on Abercorn Street, but when you walk in the doors, be prepared to be transported by the love and aroma to a quaint Italian kitchen in Sicily. CS Leoci’s Mercato Italiano 912.777-4911 5500 Abercorn St. leocismarket.com

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HOSPITALITY is one of the major qualities that defines being Southern. For many of us, anytime we host a guest we immediately offer them a glass of iced tea or some warm food. The same applies when we are guests in our another Southerner’s abode.

When I heard about the concept of a new tea house in Savannah, La Petite Abeilles, I thought the restaurant would be nothing short of a perfect fit in our town.

Chef and Owner Mia Guerin opened the doors to her home and La Petite Abeilles only a few short weeks ago. The Teahouse and restaurant sits within the walls of a classic and beautiful historic Victorian home on Barnard Street.

Guerin is doing the Southern thing and offering her guests the opportunity to sit on her wraparound porch and drink some tea.

She relocated to Savannah from San Diego because her daughter began studying at SCAD. Before her short-lived move to San Diego, Guerin operated Miss Guerin’s Tea House and a full size bakery in Mesa, Arizona.

As for the name, Guerin explains why coming up with that was the easy part:“My dad is French. Growing up there were three daughters, and my dad used to sing that to us, La Petite Abeilles — the little bees. It is actually spelled incorrectly...but my dad used to sing the La, so it is personal.”

The menu of La Petite Abeilles pays homage to parts of Guerin’s menu at Miss Guerin’s Tea House while incorporating new creations as well.

Guerin explains how she approached creating her new menu as college English major: “Jane Austen is one of my favorite authors, so you will see there is Jane Austen characters within the menu. Everybody who is not from Jane Austen is either one of my kids or one of my nieces or nephews.”

Living large at La Petite Abeilles Tea and breakfast service in the Old World tradition STORY AND PHOTOS BY LINDY MOODY 14

As Guerin puts it, almost every single item available is made in house. She says “there are very few cans, tomatoes and beans I think we have in cans.”

To properly execute each dish, Guerin hired two Chefs that just graduated from The Virginia College, Tyler and Maddie.

Every single baked good used by the restaurant is baked in their kitchen, even the sliced bread.

I ask Guerin where she sourced some of her local ingredients and her response doesn’t disappoint: “We use all fresh herbs, and I grow those here. From the rosemary, thyme, sage, mint, and pretty much everything. Tyler will walkout with a pair of sissies to clip the rosemary for his rosemary bread”.

My husband and I went to try the brunch menu. He spotted the Grand Mariner Stuffed French Toast and could not resist.

The menu offers more than just brunch or tea—lunch is available as well.

Four thick-cut triangles of toast are dunked in an egg wash before being seared to a golden brown, artfully arranged on a delicate plate, and finished with strawberries and a citrusy Grand Marnier infused cream.

The finished flavor is that of a classic French toast with grown-up kick of orange liqueur.

On the side comes crispy fried bacon, the ideal kick of savory, salty seasoning to balance the overall sweetness of the dish.

I ordered the Emma’s Breakfast, a plate of vegetable-jammed crustless quiche, rosemary roasted potatoes, and a warm scone. The vegetable to egg ratio in the quiche was mind-boggling, as it takes a skilled chef to be able to fill a quiche with so many items yet be able to keep the eggs from falling apart once baked. And although brimming with fresh vegetables, the eggs remained perfectly cooked and delicate.

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As for what patrons have ordered the most, “quiche has been the number one thing, and it was the number one thing from before. It has three different types of cheese in it and it is veggie,” Guerin tells me.

Sarah’s Belgian Waffle was my husband’s second choice breakfast, and we decided to go for it too. For this creation you get a plate-sized airy waffle topped with your pick of candied pecans and maple syrup or a berry sauce and whipped cream.

He opted for the candied pecan version, due partially because of the Southern in him, and it did not disappoint. The sprinkling of crunchy roasted pecans added the right amount to texture to the weightless waffle.

To partake in one of La Petite’s Afternoon Tea Luncheons, you must make a reservation in advance. There are seven available options in meals to devour with your tea. The tricky part is

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got to go to Africa and all these places to got to tea farms and see how it is rolled, how it is made, how it smoked, how it is dried,” she explains as we sit in the ornate dining room of her Victorian.

deciding the tea to drink, because La Petite offers over fifty different varieties of tea.

Guerin hand-selected the various tea options through her worldly travels.

“I really was fortunate that I

High Tea Service is available from 4-6 p.m., by reservation only. The service is enough for two people and comes with a choice of two teas and various delectables; including scones, puff pastries, bruschetta, and a crostino.

The final trick up Guerin’s sleeve is her catering skills. La Petite has not limited itself to breakfast, lunch, and tea service, but also offer locals catering options.

And even if you are not catering a big party, this holiday season the store is opening up its baking services to fill any holiday baking goods.

In fact while I was there, I took home a mini pumpkin loaf painted with chocolate, an ideal treat for any holiday table. CS La Petite Abeilles 912.921-4509 25 Barnard St. lapetiteabeilles.com

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SAVANNAH RESTAURANT GUIDE

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Part of the breakfast melt.

featuring fresh, [and] delicious ingredients.”

The location is perfect for locals and visitors alike. The artfully decorated restaurant sits on the corner of Oglethorpe and Montgomery, within the SpringHill Suites and just a short stroll from the new Cultural Arts Center.

If you have not figured it out by now, “Toasted” refers to the long list of toasted sandwiches and dishes available on the menu, and “Barrel” represents the over forty available high-end bourbons.

The stand out cocktail for me was the Smoky Deal—a bacon-infused bourbon-based mixture. Head bartender Jordan Sox explained how the insanely unique infused dark liquor is created: “We take bacon fat and we take Four Roses bourbon, we put them together and we freeze it.”

The mixture is, of course, strained before it is used, and the final flavor tastes like the most concentrated (and delicious) maple bacon essence you’ve ever tasted. Overall the finished

The Smoky Deal.

Two Words:

Toasted Barrel Savory sandwiches and artisan cocktails are never wrong STORY AND PHOTOS BY LINDY MOODY I CAN’T think of two more delicious items than cheese and bourbon. Everyone (save a few picky eaters) loves rich, decadent flavors that deliver the paradigm of what Southerners have been taught that good food is supposed to be.

Luckily for Savannah, Michelin Star-trained Chef Thomas Ciszak felt the same. Last weekend

marked the beginning of his ideal whiskey/cheese mash-up with the opening of the low country’s newest casual dining bar and restaurant—Toasted Barrel. Toasted Barrel is the creation of delectable food maestro Chef Ciszak.

As Chef Ciszak put it, “Toasted Barrel is an ideal place to enjoy a cocktail or a light meal,

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cocktail tastes like a smokey sweet bourbon dessert.

The recommended sandwich pairing is the Bacon Schmelz— because one can never have too much bacon in their life.

One Hot Cucumber is the ideal cocktail to balance the richness of each gooey cheese sandwich.

Citrus forward and piney Hendrick’s gin is combined with fresh lime and light coconut water for a smooth and easy-to-drink companion that pairs well with a lot of Toasted Barrel’s rich, savory sammies.

The Monkey Barrel was created

by Sox for the grand opening of Toasted Barrel. “It is a variation on a daiquiri, but with overproof Jamaican rum, Four Roses bourbon, creme de banana, and fresh lemon juice,” Sox explained as I sat at the bustling and beautifully adorned bar.

The reason for the addition of bourbon into a rum drink is due to Toasted Barrel’s focus on bourbon, but the additive is not anything but complementary to the base drink.

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As the name would suggest, the grilled cheese selection is robust.

I am confident in saying there is a toasted masterpiece perfect for any toasty dairy connoisseur.

Chef Ciszak selected Auspicious Bakery bread to adorn each one of his cheese filled artworks, and as anyone who knows grilled cheeses knows, the bread is extremely important.

Starting at the very top of the list, the Classic Cheese grilled cheese sandwich is just as bold as any of the unique combinations listed on the menu. Often times the simplest dishes are the most difficult to execute well, but The Toasted Barrel has simplicity figured out.

A river of melted cheddar cheese flows between slices of buttery grilled Auspicious toasts, and the robust serving of cheese inside is created by the use of double the amount of cheese of one of their other sandwiches. Simple yet well seasoned, this rendition

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root vegetable that held up well to the sweetness of the fig jam.

Chef Ciszak’s use of balsamic vinegar rounded out all of the sugary notes, while the smooth chèvre cheese brought the entire dish home.

If you do not end up trying multiple sandwiches, a side item or two accompanies any main dish properly.

I grabbed multiple servings of Toasted Barrel’s Hand Cut Fries, and I do not know which tasted better, the fries themselves or the sriracha mayonnaise accompanying them. The Belgian style fries, cut thicker than most, are pillowy on the inside, crisp on the outside, and speckled with just the right amount of salt. The mayonnaise was not too spicy, instead working to coat the mouth with silky savory taste of sweet vinegary pepper.

When you find the Tater Tots listed on the menu of sides, do not be fooled into thinking you will

is the quintessential toasted sandwich.

Fluffy scrambled eggs, sweet sausage, and sharp cheddar cheese make up the Breakfast Melt. Any good cook or chef knows just how difficult a good scrambled egg is to perfect, yet Chef Ciszak has done so. The succulent eggs add moisture to the spiced sausage and salty cheese.

My favorite was the Toast “Monsieur,” a grilled cheese upgraded with salty sweet maple glazed ham, ultra savory gruyere cheese, and tangy grain mustard. The grain mustard serves to add texture and cut through the richness of the ham and cheese combination.

I saved the Crispy Goat for last because it could almost be dessert. Fork tender roasted beets come layered with sticky fig jam, tart balsamic, and velvety chèvre cheese. Any earthy flavor of the beets were cooked away with the roasting leaving behind a delicate

be served modest rounds of white potato. Chef Ciszak created his own version using sweet potatoes and parmesan cheese. Tender, tiny pillows of silky sweet potato are fried until they have an outer shell of crunchy goodness. The petite crunchy clouds are then served with salty and nutty parmesan cheese to balance it all out.

Finally, because what is a grilled cheese without tomato soup to dunk it in, the restaurant offers their San Mariano Tomato Soup accompanied with five spice croutons as a side item.

Like any succulent homemade tomato soup, their version is thick with seasoning and spices visibly floating about the savory soul warming concoction. The five spices on the crouton only deepen taste of the vivacious dish. CS Toasted Barrell 912.721-6020 150 Montgomery St. toastedsavannah.com

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?????

The Hard Working Lunch.

Brewed Brews From coffee to kombucha, beer to gin offerings of Brewed Brews so I will let her explain what is available from their taps.

“We have 16 craft regional taps, but started our launch with all Georgia craft beer. Georgia was the last state to change brewery laws to allow breweries to sell directly out of their tap room,” she says.

That development is a game changer in that it allows breweries the revenue in house to experiment and grow.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY LINDY MOODY THERE IS now a one stop shop for all things brewed: coffee, tea, kombucha, cider, and more importantly beer and wine.

In the thick of an up and coming part of town, the new restaurant and beer garden Brewed Brews sits right off Habersham near 34th.

The casual destination for locals is the creation of Douglas

Galloway and Amy Livingood.

The two came together through a mutual love of craft beer after meeting at the Savannah Climbing CoOp. If you stop by the brick building on a breezy March Saturday afternoon, like I did last week, an ice cold frothy beer straight from the tap is a must.

Livingood is the expert on the

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“Georgia’s beer scene is a new frontier after the law changes, and we expect a lot of awesome new ones to open in the near future!” she says.

I am a fan of darker, more robust beers so I went for the Arches Brick & Maple, a nutty caramel brown ale. The list has something for everyone—IPAs, sours, stouts, lagers, and more.

The house cocktail list features all of the classics, a Pimm’s Cup,

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SAVANNAH RESTAURANT GUIDE

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Arches Brick & Maple brown ale.

Gin and Tonic, Cuba Libre, Brown Derby, El Diablo, a Rickey, a Wallbanger, and a Spritz. So if you find yourself sitting at one of their wood tables playing games with friends but don’t like beer, they have you covered.

For true Southerners, good iced cold tea is just as important on a hot afternoon as is having a cold one. Keeping with the brewed theme, and paying homage to our Southern town, Brewed Brews recognized that including the leafy steeped drink was a must.

Just as much thought was put into the selection of teas, the same care was taken in selecting the keg behind each tap.

Livingood explained the selection to me.

MONDAY - SATURDAY 7:00am - 5:00pm

“We met John Arnold from Hale Tea Company through James Spano after picking out our coffee roast. I wasn’t into tea until I moved to Savannah where I realized why everyone craves an ice cold tea on a hot afternoon,” she says.

“I trust James Spano’s taste and immediately found perfect loose leaf teas to create long process toddy teas, and it’s become one of the more surprising and creative parts of Brewed that we hope to continue to build on as summer approaches.”

Finally, the drink menu has a wide selection of coffee concoctions: The most important drink of the morning, especially when you have had too many libations.

Breakfast

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Lunch

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Catering

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Desserts

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The Hot Toddy is unique to Brewed Brews, and as told by Livingood, “I discovered concentrated iced toddy coffee in college when I was trying to maximize my ability to study and work at the same time.”

As for the coffee itself, the menu uses locally roasted Cup to Cup coffee, and the blend of coffee used by the store is dubbed Camp Coffee.

“When we started looking for a local roaster to partner with,” Livingood told me, “we fell in love with Cup to Cup’s earthy and chocolate note small batch roasts and I perfected our ‘camp coffee’ on one of our many 6+ hour road trips to climb in Chattanooga where I would wake everyone up the next day to a kick in the pants cold brew coffee to help us all hike as fast as possible and send all the routes and still have energy for a beer around the campfire after.”

If you sit too long throwing back drinks and watching soccer

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"We have 16 craft regional taps, but started our launch with all Georgia craft beer. Georgia was the last state to change brewery laws to allow breweries to sell directly out of their tap room." line with German beer hall offerings. We have cheese spreads, cheese and meat boards, and are getting our pretzel crackers, country loafs, and focaccia from Auspicious Baking Company. A crowd favorite this first week has been our pimento cheese spread that we offer with pretzel crackers from Auspicious or as our ‘Hard Working Lunch’ special as a no crust sandwich paired with a Coors Banquet. The pimento recipe is a family recipe from the Matthews that Smith was kind enough to share with us.”

on their big screens, you will definitely want to order some snacks.

Go for the Obatzda Spread which is served with Auspicious Bakery pretzel crackers.

Obatzda is a Bavarian dish made by combining multiple cheeses and spices. Brewed Brews makes theirs with brie and paprika (because paprika makes anything taste amazing). You will be tempted to shovel this dip into your mouth by the spoonful.

Do not expect to find just a few simple bar snacks. According to Livingood, “Our menu falls in

The Hard Working Lunch is a hand-cut, round white bread sandwich jammed with Southern pimento cheese and a vine ripe slice of red tomato. To wash it down, the tray of food is served with a tallboy Coors Banquet Beer.

Every baked item within the four walls is baked by Auspicious, which means you will find a large assortment of expertly baked pastries at all times in the pastry case.

I couldn’t resist taking home a Nutella filled Poptart home to have a treat for later.

Even if you don’t need an excuse to go sit at Savannah’s newest casual local beer house, at any time you can find a fun event or great game being hosted by the team at Brewed Brews. cs Brewed Brews 912.777.7507 1722 Habersham St. www.brewedbrews.com

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Chefs McLain and Landrigan.

when the two located this particular empty home, the restoration of the historic space began.

What would prove to be quite a challenge was stalwartly conquered by the two who have now ran Circa 1875 for many years.

“Our love is food and libations.

We were getting phone calls from people asking to take parties of 50, and we had no room there for that [at Circa 1875]. Right then and there, we outgrew the place.

At that point we started looking for places around town and, three and a half years ago, this came on the market. We purchased it and the rest is history,” Lubowicki’s remembered on La Scala’s beginnings.

During my visit, I was given a tour of the immaculate three story Victorian, which emanates that Savannah feel from the very foundation. Lubowicki proudly guided me through each room, narrating the work that it years of research and preparation to accomplish.

I could have stayed for hours learning about all of the zeal that was placed in picking every single adornment by Lubowicki and Downey. Nothing was forgotten—even the powder rooms are orante.

When you walk in, the towering staircase, reminiscent of the old home’s vertebrae, strikes

The Fettucini Fruitti di Mare.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY LINDY MOODY

IF YOU’RE a local, you have probably noticed the magnificent pink Victorian that sits on East 36th Street by now. What looks like a grandiose home of Savannah’s elite is not that at all, instead housing Savannah’s

newest upscale authentic Italian restaurant, La Scala Ristorante.

The bold duo behind the massive undertaking, Donald Lubowicki and Jeffrey Downey, have been a part of the food scene of Savannah for over a decade. So

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you. Each room has a speckling of dressed tables, antiques, imported European fixtures, and almost all have mantles. As you pass under each archway, you are transported to a different region in Europe. Even the downstairs bar, which I would consider the most important part of any restaurant, was made just for La Scala.

Besides the cool, cave-like wine cellar that sits below the grand space, the most breathtaking room of all is the chapel on the second floor—a vestige from the Catholic Diocese that once inhabited the home. The space is rentable and would make for an intimate wedding venue.

Executive Chef David Landrigan is from New York and has been working in kitchens since the age of thirteen. After gaining experience from various northern kitchens, Chef Landrigan completed culinary school at The Culinary Insitute of America. After moving to Savannah, Chef Landrigan worked with The Olde Pink House before joining the Circa 1875 family.

When the team behind Circa decided to open its second endeavor, Chef Landrigan’s right hand man and now La Scala’s Chef de Cuisine, Chef Stephen McLain, joined the team.

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Chef McLain worked as the Executive Chef at Alligator Soul, a Sous Chef at Leoci’s, and many other local well-known Savannah kitchens. He was quick to inform me that he owes all of his culinary education to his grandmother, who owned several restaurants south of Nashville.

“We always try to do a seasonal menu. With the seasonal menu approach of this restaurant, we are trying to focus on regions of Italy. On the autumn, winter menu we have been focusing on the northern regions, coming into the spring we are going to focusing more on the central regions like Tuscany and Emelia-Romagna. Summertime will be a lot more Calabrian, Sicilian, Southern Italian.”

The ingredients are procured from local sources including Russo’s, Vertu Farms, Savannah River Farms, Joseph Field Farms, Ed Fields Coffee, Kachina Farms, and Canewater Farms. Lubowicki

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charred broccolini, and lemon.

Just as popular with loyal patrons is the Osso Bucco, a true Italian classic of roasted veal shank. The Chefs serve their version featuring roasted squash and cippolinis, a type of onions, risotto milanese, and gremolata.

Lubowicki was quick to tell me about the Pollo Mattone, saying “the roasted chicken will blow your mind.” Not only is the chicken extremely juicy but it is well balanced through all of its accompaniments. Sweet figs, briny olives, peppery arugula, and creamy polenta are paired with this superstar.

As for the preparation, Chef McLain explained that they “beer brine it overnight. The beer brine has oranges, coriander, bay leaf, and some cinnamon sticks. You get a lot of those spices’ notes inside of the chicken as well as all of the maltyness of the beer. The cooking technique is really simple—it is an old Tuscan cooking

elaborated that their “pasta is also sourced locally, from Frali.

We are really trying to tie into the community.”

A quick glance at the menu and you can see that every single locally procured ingredient was calculated in its application and expertly used.

Fettuccine Fruitti di Mare includes a beautiful, night-skyblack squid ink fettuccine pasta layered diver scallop, Georgia shrimps, Little Neck clams, and octopus. Each piece of seafood your fork finds is more tender than the last. The scallop is hard seared to create a crunchy shell, yet the inside is sweet and delicate. My favorite shrimp are our coastal shrimp because their meat is sweeter than most, and these did not disappoint.

The Branzino Arrostito is one of La Scala’s more popular dishes. A hearty roasted sea bass is served with artichoke, risotto peppered with fresh herbs,

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technique. We put it on the grill and put a brick on top of it. It flattens it out as it is grilling and gets the skin really crisp.”

The Chefs are even making their own desserts. Chef McLain gave me the rundown on the dessert menu.

He said, “Right now we are making all of our desserts in-house except for our sorbets.

We make tiramisu, panacaot, a really nice Meyer lemon cheesecake, chocolate torts, and biscotti.”

The building may be the gorgeous Victorian architecture that you probably pass every day, but inside of La Scala, you are transported to a villa in the hills of the Italian countryside with a dish in front of you that would make any Nonna exclaim, “Bellisimo!” CS La Scala Ristorante 912.238.3100 119 E 37th St. www.lascalasavannah.com