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:

• Savannah’s latest mobile soft serve sensation: The Cone Ranger 🚚

• Zunzibar’s must-try dining gems in Savannah 🥩

• Must try delicious homemade zucchini carbonara recipe 🍝

• Experience Pour Tabby at Jekyll Island 🍸🐈‍⬛

THE MAIN DISH

Father and son partners saddle up The Cone Ranger mobile soft serve 🍦🍧

For Austin Yocco, inspiration came during a family trip to Scotland last summer to visit some friends. On the beaches in and around historic St. Andrews, he saw the booming business being done by The Cheesy Toast Shack and Salt & Pine Creperie and had a sweet idea.

“We were sitting out there one summer day that looked like a South Georgia winter day,” Yocco recalled, “and they were selling heaps of ice cream from this cool little shack.”

When his family was back in Savannah, they wanted some soft serve but could not find any nearby.

Downtown, south of Broughton Street is a frozen dessert desert with the exceptional exception of Doki Doki, and other than a few DQs, only Jeremiah’s, way down on Eisenhower Drive, serves the soft stuff. Culver’s serves its incredible frozen custard, though even that is not quite the same confection.

“So we decided, ‘It looks like we’ve got to get to work,’” said Yocco.

The ‘we’ is Yocco and his father, Dean, and what they have created is The Cone Ranger, an immaculately custom-built horse trailer that is their mobile soft serve ice cream business.

And they are ready to ride your way to save the day.

CHEF’S CRAVINGS

Chris Smith & Larry Benton - Zunzibar 🍹🥪🥗

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?

A decade ago, Chris Smith swapped 5 Guys red-and-white check for rainbow beach umbrellas and South African-inspired fare when he bought the Zunzi’s franchise from founders Johnny and Gaby DeBeer. In a relatively short time frame, Smith has masterminded a massive expansion with an Atlanta outpost opening in 2018, the flagship location relocating to Drayton Street in 2021, taking over the longtime Gerald’s Pig & Shrimp property on Tybee in 2023, and hitting Hilton Head back on May 24, the same day the Drayton resto opened, which also happens to be his birthday. By the end of the first fiscal quarter of 2025, two more Zunzi’s will open in Florida. This week, the Shit Yeah! brand’s owner and roving training manager Larry Belton weigh in with their best bites in town.

CS: I’ve got a two-year-old and an eleven-and-a-half-month-old, so I don’t go out that much.

LB: (whispers to CS) If you’re cool with it…

CS: (whispers to LB) Yeah, I would say that, definitely for you. Sure.

LB: I do come back out-of-uniform and take advantage of our service discount.

CS: Amazing.

LB: We’ve got one of the best service industry discounts in the city: half off of all of our food all the time.

CS: Seven days a week. 

LB: For sure. Oh man, peel-and-eat shrimp is where I go. The cocktail sauce is homemade. The shrimp seasoning is second-to-none 🍤 It’s phenomenal. My favorite sauce with the shrimp is the Mustafa Curry sauce. It’s a curry flavor that you won’t find anywhere else. You can also get that on our wings. Outside of our restaurant locations, I go to Bandana Burger. It’s a guilty pleasure of mine. I get the Rock Star. It’s next level. Shout-out to William [LaFlower]. He’s doing a really great job over there.

CS: Here’s what we do. We have a rule: whenever there’s no line at Leopold’s, no matter what time of day, we stop 🍨

LB: That’s it!

CS: I went there yesterday with the family. I picked up the kids from school, and we went. I try to get one of my staples, which is pistachio or Chocolate Chewies and Cream, and then I usually try a different one. Rum raisin, can’t go wrong there. My daughter always wants pink ice cream, but she doesn’t like how it tastes. She gets the pink one and then eats mine. I’m going to create a pink ice cream that girls actually like, that’s not a plain strawberry. I’m just going to call it ‘pink ice cream’.

And for a special occasion?

CS: I don’t eat breakfast or lunch. I’m a one-meal-a-day guy. When I eat, I eat to enjoy it. I really love what Daniel Reed Hospitality does. Date night, Local 11ten is one of our favorites 🍷 I love a little bit, you know, not super-crazy-fancy Public for a great lunch or date night that’s not too expensive. They’re probably the best value there. They do a great job. Anthony [Debreceny], I love Collins Quarter. They take good care of you.

LB: I’m actually from Atlanta, so I’m only down here for a few weeks for work. I did live here seven years ago. No big blow-out nights this time.

CS: St. Bibiana 🍝 We had some really great experiences there. Where’s the best steakhouse? I feel like that’s what we’re missing. I’ve heard the Steakhouse on Whitemarsh is good. We need to go there. 

-Neil Gabbey

TRIED, TASTED, TRUE

Zucchini carbonara 🥒🍝

THE STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE

With our first day of teacher meetings cut short as Tropical Storm Debby whirled her way toward the Coastal Empire, what was a boy to do but come home and scratch-make some pappardelle?

We do not eat pasta often in our house, mostly because my wife counts and discreetly consumes carbs, but a few times a year, I go from flour to finish with a batch of gnocchi or rolled-and-cut noodle nests. I do not presume to possess pasta expertise, though a few years back, I did purchase a Marcato Atlas 180 for the occasional cucina experience.

Anyone who has handmade pasta knows that the basics are eggs and flour. From there, the iterations deviate into innumerable permutations based on the egg-to-flour ratio, the use of whole eggs, yolks, or both, and the addition of olive oil and water.

I prefer recipes that are easier to remember, and my go-to base proves that three is, indeed, the magic number, shoutouts to both Schoolhouse Rock and De La Soul: 300 grams of flour, three whole eggs, three teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil, and three tablespoons of iced water. You can use all-purpose flour. If I have some semolina in my cupboard, I sub out a hundred grams of the APF for the durum.

While I am sure that the pasta purists will reproach me for going mechanical, I pulse the flour in my food processor and then slowly pour in the lightly beaten eggs and oil. When the mass begins to ball up, I drizzle in the water until the ingredients are fully incorporated. A shade on the tacky side is fine.

To prep for the rolling step, I divide the pasta dough into four pieces, which I wrap in plastic for a brief rest in the fridge.

I never bought any attachments for my Marcato Atlas 180, so I just rough-cut the rolled-out sheets in pappardelle with a pizza wheel. With a floury hand, I lightly fluff the strips into nests and set them on a baking sheet dusted with semolina, which goes back in the fridge until the water begins to boil. 

If you want to skip the pasta process completely, just buy a box of noodles: done.

Loyal readers of Savannah Flavors are well-used to my references to Jamie Oliver, and in his 2008 cookbook Jamie at Home, the no-longer-Naked Chef has his recipe for zucchini carbonara, a less traditional but still fairly common iteration of the classic pasta dish. My main tweak is to use two whole eggs and two yolks in the sauce, instead of four yolks, and I use only half a cup of heavy cream, another no-no for pasta sticklers.

Whenever I have used dry penne, I cut the yellow squash and zucchini into penne-sized logs, slicing off and discarding what Oliver calls the “fluffy middle bits” that go mushy before the best parts are fork-tender. For other pasta shapes and noodles, the vegetable cut is in the eye of the knife holder.

Just before the bacon chunks have gone crispy in a large skillet, add two peeled and smashed whole cloves of garlic. A few minutes later, scoop out the bacon with a slotted spoon but leave the garlic and all of the grease to sautée the squash and zucchini. Most recipes recommend removing all but a tablespoon of the bacon fat, but come on.

What makes making carbonara a little formidable is its use of raw eggs. Coraggio, amici! If you whisk the Parmesan into the eggs thoroughly and then slowly stir that slurry into the pan after it is off the heat, followed by a ladle or two of reserved cooking water, the sauce will emulsify nicely every time.

I topped off our bowls with sprinkles of the crisped bacon bits and more grated Parmesan plus some gremolata breadcrumbs and basil oil leftover from last week’s pizza night.

-Neil Gabbey

THE RECIPE

HARD GOODS 

• 300 grams flour (all-purpose or a mixture of all-purpose and semolina) 

• 2 tablespoons kosher salt, used separately

• 80 to 100 grams Parmesan (or Romano or a mixture of both), plus more for service 🧀

• 12 ounces bacon, cut into chunks 🥓 

• 4 large yellow squash and/or zucchini, evenly sized

• 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and smashed 🧄

• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, used separately 🌿

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

WET GOODS

• 7 eggs, used separately 🥚

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, used separately 🫒

• 3 tablespoons iced water

• ¼ cup heavy cream 🥛

DO THIS

1. For the pasta: weigh out the flour and add a large pinch of salt

   • Pulse in a food processor

   • Whisk 3 whole eggs and 3 teaspoons of olive oil in a spouted measuring cup

   • With the food processor running, slowly pour the eggs-oil into the flour

   • Pulse in a teaspoon of iced water at a time until the pasta dough is fully incorporated

   • Divide the pasta dough into at least four pieces, wrap, and set in the fridge

2. Fill a stock pot at least halfway with water, add a tablespoon of salt, and put over high heat

3. Set a large skillet over low heat and add a tablespoon of olive oil

4. Fry the bacon chunks until almost fully browned and crisp, stirring frequently

5. Prepare the squash and zucchini by slicing off the ends

   • Whatever cut you choose, slice off and remove the seedy middles

6. Prepare the sauce by whisking 2 whole eggs with 2 yolks, the Parmesan, and the heavy cream

7. Just before the bacon is crisp, add the garlic cloves to the skillet

8. Remove the bacon bits with a slotted spoon, leaving the garlic and bacon fat

9. Put the squash and zucchini into the skillet and stir to coat in the bacon fat

10. Add a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper

11. Raise the heat to medium-low and sautée for about 10 minutes

12. Add about two teaspoons of the thyme, stir to coat, and continue to sautée for another 5 minutes

13. Test a few pieces of the vegetables with a fork, making sure they are tender

14. Remove the skillet from the heat

15. With the water in the stock pot at a roaring boil, add the pasta nests

16. Cook the pasta for 2 to 3 minutes and pour into a colander, reserving the pasta water

17. Pour the pasta into the skillet

18. Quickly and carefully pour the egg-cheese sauce base into the skillet, coating all of the vegetables and noodles

19. One ladle at a time, add reserved pasta water to the skillet and stir as the sauce becomes silky

20. Top individual servings with the reserved bacon bits and more Parmesan

BEEN THERE. ATE THAT.

Pour Tabby - The Westin Jekyll Island 🌿🍸🐈‍⬛

Though we celebrated our 30th anniversary in August, my wife and I decided not to go all-out with a far-flung trip this summer. On the actual day, I would be back in the classroom, and ever since I built a Euro plunge pool in our tiny backyard, we have prudently pruned June and July travel to day trips for concerts.

In our decade of living in Savannah, biannual stays in St. Simons have been beloved getaways, but only once had we ever driven a little further south and checked out Jekyll Island. To be honest, what I recalled of that half day’s detour did not stack up to its due-northern Golden Isle neighbor, but to be fair, such comparison is apples and oranges. 

Before teacher meetings kicked off, we decided to skip town one more time and took advantage of a gifted Sunday night’s accommodations at The Westin Jekyll Island, whose dining outlets underwent major rebrandings in July.

Pardon the Caribbean segue, but when we lived on St. Thomas, our favorite restaurant was Alexander’s Bar and Grill, sadly no more says the worldwidewebternet. This Frenchtown favorite was just big enough for its bar and a run of two-tops along the opposing wall. Dimly lit and always full, it was always cozy and special.

Ever since, that kind of brasserie atmosphere has been our restaurant preference, which meant we chose to have dinner at Pour Tabby, The Westin’s reimagined anterior bar that leads into its main redone dining room, now called Willet’s Lowcountry. A handsome agate bar seats ten in front of a wall of drinkable wares and two TVs, and three high-tops seat quarters in cushy raised booths. 

We took a table against the wide windows looking out on the gorgeous courtyard, a very nice vantage point except that guests headed into Willet’s had to walk past, going through Pour Tabby en route to the main dining outlet’s host station. 

The server in this bar area was also the main bartender, so with conference attendees coming in for sips and bites before dinner, she more than earned her keep that evening and was unwaveringly and admirably cheery. 

Pour Tabby is neither fancier nor more casual than Willet’s in terms of ambience, and though the former has its own ‘small bites’ menu, all of those items appear on the latter’s larger carte. Our server informed us that, in addition, everything on Willet’s copious menu could be ordered and eaten in Pour Tabby, which appeared to confuse her as it did us. 

Oh well: we knew what we wanted to share, and all three were shareable plates picked to be on the abridged Pour Tabby list: a ‘Side’ of cacio e pepe Brussels sprouts ($9), fried green heirloom tomatoes with burrata from the ‘Warm & Soulful’ section of the menu ($18), and the ‘For the Table’ fried chicken with vegetable slaw ($15). 

The sprouts were very good, blistered brown and cooked through without being mushy and uplifted by Pecorino. Neither of us really picked up on the ‘pepe’, and a few of the halved cabbagettes were stalky, which tasted fine but took up much of the bowl’s volume. 

Accompanied by watercress and dressed with plenty of pepper jelly, the crusted and fried tomatoes were delicious, though all told, the serving had two two slices, cut in half and set on end. The salad’s star was the generous portion of what must have been a full burrata ball. We only wanted more tomatoes to alternate mouthfuls.

Loyal readers of BTAT know that I eat fried chicken with wild abandon. I do not claim connoisseur status, but you can trust my tastebuds: these boneless thighs, brined in sweet tea, were bona fide. Wonderfully crisp and not too salty, the three pieces were what KFC would be if it were made in a four-star hotel restaurant kitchen. The bread-and-butter pickles were sweet and tasty, and the slaw was fine if also a little watery.

After a walk around Beach Village, we returned and sat at the bar for dessert: a peach hand pie for me and a slice of chocolate cake for my wife, both of us sticking to our sweet biases.

As we always do, my wife and I ordered well and reveled in our shared choices at Pour Tabby, each priced fairly especially for a beachfront vacation venue. Based on what we ate, I am sure that any of the eight Willet’s Lowcountry ‘Mains’, all $28 and up, would also have been delicious.

For us, our southbound draw may always be St. Simon’s because my wife and I are set in our vacation ways, but the next time we are on Jekyll Island, we will be back at Pour Tabby.

-Neil Gabbey