Welcome back to Savannah Flavors, our weekly newsletter bringing you the latest delicious details from Savannah’s culinary scene every Thursday.

Here is what’s on the menu today:

• Celebrate National Dog Day at Shuk Mediterranean Cafe + Bar 🐕

• The Public Kitchen & Bar shares their top dining recommendations 🌃

• Homemade Corn Chowder: A Perfect Base for Any Add-Ins 🦐 🥓

• The Perfect Dinner Getaway on St. Simon’s Island ⚓️

THE MAIN DISH

Mediterranean mecca hosts pup-centric community celebration this Sunday 🐾 🐶

On one of our first visits to Savannah way back when, we were delighted to see the city’s dog-friendliness, especially outside and even in so many local eateries. 

Though our dearly beloved Alvie passed away a year after we came to town and we became cat people, my wife and I will ride our bikes up Habersham Street on Sunday afternoon to mingle with the wagging tails and lolling tongues at Shuk’s National Dog Day Celebration 🐕‍🦺

Bipeds and quadruped canines alike are invited to four hours of barks, bevvies, and bites, the food kind, at the Eastern Mediterranean resto opened by Alexis Levin two years ago this October.

Never has ‘going to the dogs’ been so great. Bone appétit.

CHEF’S CRAVINGS

The Public - Brian Gonet, Ismael Gomez, and Coleb Poppell 🍸🥘🌿

Each week, I ask the folks behind the phenomenal food at our favorite places around Savannah these same simple questions:

When you are not in your restaurant kitchen, where do you go out to eat and what do you order?

On our first-ever visit to Savannah, my wife and I fell in love with The Public Kitchen & Bar, and it has remained a favorite for more than a decade. Every aspect of the Liberty Street eatery is the charm composite of the American Deep South and the south of France. This week’s Chefs’ Cravings offer the off-work appetites of Brian Gonet, culinary director of The Public and Franklin’s, The Public sous chef Ismael Gomez, and Daniel Reed Hospitality operations director and Local 11ten sommelier Caleb Poppell.

IG: For me, it’s a little mom-and-son shop over in Richmond Hill called La Casita, which is a Peruvian spot. It used to be a bakery before, but they turned it into a little restaurant. It’s simple Peruvian food done right. The thing I eat the most is stir-fry lomo, which is basically noodles, filet mignon, and roasted red peppers with a little sauce. The weird part about it is it’s topped with french fries. That’s the garnish.

BG: Given my wife has celiac, it makes it a little difficult to go out, but when we do, we normally go to scratch kitchens and fine-dining. We’ve found a few places in town really amenable to that. Anyone in the FARM Group does a great job. Local 11ten does a great job. Since they are scratch kitchens, they can pretty much cater to anyone’s needs and all clientele 🍲 I go to Public sometimes because I know the hands that prepared it. I also really enjoy Husk, and now that [executive chef] Jacob Hammer’s back, I look forward to visiting him soon. He’s a great chef. I’ve known him a long time.

CP: My girlfriend and I are creatures of habit, so there’s a lot of places that are in our normal rotation. One of them that we constantly find ourselves at and suggest to people visiting Savannah is The Wyld Dock Bar. It’s a quintessential Savannah setting against the marsh with good Southern food. We always have to get the crispy okra, every single time we go there, and also the crispy shrimp and Caesar salad are always common items, along with a glass of Muscadet.

BG: I have to second that. When we bring family into town, that’s where we want to go. You go there for the environment. You’re on a dock. Boats pull up. Even if you don’t plan on eating there, it’s a great place to have a drink and just enjoy the setting, as long as the flies aren’t bothering you 🐟

CP: Yeah.

BG: Like Desposito’s. It’s a great location for that type of fare ⚓️ They did a great job on the interior as well with the rebuild. That place could be in contention with some of the best waterfront. It’s easy to get to. It’s got ample parking. That’s been a Savannah place forever. This article would have been amazing fifteen years ago when you had Wall’s BBQ and Angel’s!

IG: I used to eat next door at [The] 1540 [Room]. That’s really farm-to-table food. I like to get the roasted cauliflower, and they have a coulotte steak with aged Worcestershire that is really good. Mostly, I eat quick food. There’s this one little food truck outside of Starland [Yard] called Crispi that does smashburgers 🍟 That’s always good to go to. It’s nice and affordable. 

BG: That’s Two Tides, right?

IG: Yeah, but on Sundays, they do random pop-ups, too.

And for a special occasion…perhaps just staying on-brand with Daniel Reed restaurants?

BG: That’s the easy answer. I don’t eat very heavy anymore. The older I get the lighter fare I enjoy. Late Air has great potential of being that 🍷 They have good wine, they have lighter fare, and they have talented chefs that can do the job. It’s a nice neighborhood little spot.

CP: One of the things that centers our decision on where we want to eat is the wine list, of course. Over at Husk, Jamie Crotts, the sommelier, has done an absolutely amazing job with their wine list, and it’s definitely one of my favorites in Savannah. Their food is great as well. And again, not to be that guy that does this, but Local 11ten. Even before I was employed by this company, anytime there was a special occasion or special night out, Local 11ten was always the place we went to because the setting is beautiful and elegant and the food is always top-notch 🏙

BG: Superb quality. I used to go there for special occasions all the time as well because you always got the rarest bottles of bourbon, higher allocations than we would ever get.

CP: Yeah, that’s really cool.

BG: I was like, “Oh, they have the 125th anniversary of Four Roses. Alright!”

-Neil Gabbey

TRIED, TASTED, TRUE

Corn Chowder 🥓🍲

THE STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE

I know, I know: soup is not meant for scorching summer heat.

That being true, the unrelenting temps and afternoon thunderstorms and our unusually brimming freezer were mutually exclusive phenomena. I had to peer into the mysterious Rubbermaid tubs and figure out what my wife and I could eat as what we call ‘one-offs’.

As is always the case in my freezer, taking up a good chunk of space was a batch of chicken stock. No matter the time of year, I make and save stock. For decades now, I have saved the carcasses and picked bones from spatchcocked roasted birds and my wife has bagged up shrimp shells so that I can turn would-be dross into beautiful broths.  

A six-cup batch was idling in the freezer, the most voluminous space culprit, crying out to be used. Even though a hot soup course could have been a seasonal food faux pas, I figured that I could use summer’s bounty to make something bright and mostly meat-free.

I really have to be in the mood for gazpacho or chilled cucumber soup 🥒 and I usually like to use a vegetable broth in those recipes. Instead, cob corn cried out to me.

From the first, my Triple T admission has been that cookery compendiums and the worldwidewebternet are rife with recipes for the dishes I write about, and the same holds true for corn chowder. Honestly, I am hard-pressed to think of a way to mess up this soup: aromatics, corn, stock, and dairy. Done.

Over the years, I am sure that I have made variations of the same basic end product, but Real Simple’s Smoky Corn Chowder (February 2008) is a superb springboard. My main alterations are to up the antes of some ingredients and to whisk in an EatingWell trick to thicken the soup into a proper chowder.

The reference recipe calls for two 10-ounce packages of frozen corn, but between 20 ounces and two pounds of fresh kernels cut from the cob means that you can find another use for the half-dozen ears you just bought at Davis Produce, Polks, or one of the area farmers’ markets.

I had half a bag of frozen corn languishing in the freezer, so I was able to use that up, too 🌽 

Once all the veggies are in the pot and have had a chance to soften, the soup is going to be blended, and I do this before I add any dairy. The amount of corn and volume of liquids are ratioed, and the latter can be adjusted to your consistency preference, even after the EatingWell thickening hack.

The September/October 2008 issue of EatingWell Magazine contained a fantastic rendition of New England clam chowder, one that instructed whisking flour into the milk and cream before adding the slurry to the sautéed potatoes and veg. This gravy-making basic brilliantly bolsters all kinds of chowders without any added fuss. For six cups of total liquid, I use a quarter cup of flour, but even that can be pared down to just a couple tablespoons if you want something soupier. 

I like a chowder to stick to my spoon without being gloop. With the blended corn kernels and the flour, the gorgeous golden goodness will thicken up in a matter of minutes, enough time for me to go out to the grill and check on the Roger Wood Lumber Jacks.

Obviously, the bacon bits can be bypassed to make the meal truly vegetarian. Each bowl is topped with a few leftover fresh kernels for crunch, some scallion slivers, and dashes of Texas Pete.

A soup that tastes like summer and that freed up some freezer space, at least until I make cornmeal-battered shrimp 🍤

-Neil Gabbey

THE RECIPE

HARD GOODS 

• 8 ounces bacon, chopped into ¼-inch pieces (optional) 🥓

• 1 large sweet (Vidalia) onion, chopped 🧅

• 2 cloves garlic, minced 🧄

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 20 to 32 ounces corn, frozen kernels or fresh-cut from cobs or mixed

• 4 scallions, sliced into slivers on the bias

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

• ½ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste

WET GOODS

• 4 to 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth

• 1 cup heavy cream 🥛

• ½ cup milk 🐄

• Dashes of Texas Pete or other hot sauce (optional)

DO THIS

1. In a large stock pot or dutch oven, crisp up the bacon, stirring occasionally over 10-15 minutes 

2. With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to a paper-towel-lined bowl or plate

3. Use a wad of paper towels to sop up most of the bacon grease from the pot, leaving roughly 2 tablespoons

4. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and stir the pieces around to coat, sautéeing until golden-brown (about 10 minutes)

5. Add the garlic and stir to coat (about 2 minutes)

6. Add the corn, the paprika, and another pinch of salt and stir to coat (about 2 minutes)

7. Add the broth and bring to a boil

8. Reduce the heat and simmer for at least 15 minutes

9. Remove the pot from the stovetop

10. Working in batches, transfer the soup to a blender and purée until smooth

11. Return the puréed soup to the pot and reheat over medium until just bubbling

12. In a medium bowl, combine the cream and the milk

13. Whisk the flour into the dairy until it is totally dissolved

14. While slowly pouring the slurry into the soup, whisk constantly

15. Continue to simmer the chowder over low heat until it thickens (about five minutes)

16. Season with salt and pepper

17. Top bowls with the reserved bacon bits, scallions, and hot sauce (optional)

BEEN THERE. ATE THAT.

Georgia Sea Grill - St. Simon's

As we drove over the Torres Causeway, neither my wife nor I could remember when we had last touched down on St. Simons. It had to have been at least four years, maybe five.

Not long after we moved to Savannah a decade ago, visiting the northernmost Golden Isle became a biannual getaway, replacing and almost replicating the jaunts to Maryland’s Eastern Shore towns of Easton and St. Michael’s that we enjoyed throughout our years in Baltimore.

With its charming architecture, grounds, rooms, and courtyard pool, the Village Inn & Pub could not be matched for either a one or two-night stay. After a kickoff lunch at Southern Soul Barbecue, we would cruise into Pier Village, park our car at the VIP, and only hop back in it if we went up to Coast Guard Beach for a morning seaside stroll. 

More often than not, thanks to the VIP’s ideal situation, my wife and I walked everywhere, window shopping up and down Mallery Street, heading out onto the pier to watch crabbers bait their baskets with chicken thighs, and wandering through the cute neighborhood nestled north of Ocean Avenue.  

After a round of minigolf at Neptune Park, we would head back to the VIP and while away the afternoon in the pool. Perfectly shaded by the canopy of live oaks and palms, we stood in the shallow end and played Travel Scrabble.

This month, we will celebrate our 30th anniversary. Earlier this year, my wife suggested that we not go on an all-out big trip this summer, like we did five years ago with a three-week trip to France. Instead, we could do an overnight or two for concerts, go out to eat more often here in Savannah, and enjoy our own backyard.

The return to St. Simons was to treat ourselves to another day’s getaway on our way home from seeing Two Door Cinema Club in Jacksonville the previous night. Driving down Kings Way that morning, just as enchanting as ever, the two of us finally figured out that it had been five years. Far too long.

Food has also always fueled our fondness for St. Simons, and within a block of the VIP are dozens of restaurants, some family-friendly beach town basics but some special, indeed.

We ‘discovered’ Georgia Sea Grill only after Palmer’s stopped its superb dinner service, but the former deftly and deliciously filled the void and became a must-eat on our brief itinerary.

That Thursday evening, the restaurant was nearly full at 5:30, most folks evidently enjoying their vacation week’s nice dinner out, and people kept pouring in the front door minutes after the afternoon rain stopped pouring down. In the snug bar area, no seats remained along the raised banquette, so we took two stools and sat side-by-side. 

To accompany our shared must-have, the corn-battered Georgia fried shrimp, we ordered the smoked fish dip ($10) and Knife & Fork Caesar ($13). Were I the eater I used to be, I would have talked my wife into adding on the crabbed-stuffed hush puppies, too.

The dip was served in a scorching baby skillet. A sizable creamy and dense dollop featured tripletail and ate almost like a loose crab cake, though it deserved a better edible conveyance than perfunctory pita wedges, perhaps house-made chips. 

The Caesar more than met its moniker, a somewhat deconstructed salad with long, whole romaine heart leaves, herby homemade croutons, white anchovies, and two big Parmesan crisps. A knife was necessary. We eat in a world of largely lame Caesar salads. This one is superb

Every time we have eaten at Georgia Sea Grill, we have devoured the fried shrimp entrée, and we giddily continued our streak. The wet cornmeal batter matches the seafood’s sweetness, and the key lime remoulade makes for an ideal sauce. The sneaky star is the horseradish slaw side, thick-sliced white cabbage slathered in sharpish dressing. At $28, it is a pricey platter for seven shrimp. One or two more would be appreciated. 

Better still, they should recreate that shrimpfest the Arrested Development characters lost their minds over. If those fictitious shrimp were these real shrimp, I would join in the delirium.

More than making up for it were my wife’s mammoth Côtes du Rhône pour and the amazing and attentive service, another constant that makes Georgia Sea Grill St. Simons’ best beachtown fine dining.

I am certain that we will be back before another five years passes.

-Neil Gabbey