Reality Bites?
Patsy Hood walks over to one of the tables in her new restaurant and offers me a bite from what appears to be her breakfast. A plastic wrap still attached lunchable. I think only the cookies were left in there, but I was stuffed so I passed. Across the way, a cook was flipping, frying and chopping. In the back a young lady was almost jogging around the kitchen. Apparently trying to make everything was in order for their grand opening this week. “We’ve been in here almost 14-16 hours a day for three weeks”, Patsy tells me. “We can’t believe it’s almost time”.
Almost ten years ago Patsy left her native Thomaston, Georgia to move to Savannah and open a Repcicci’s Italian Ice franchise in this market. “I swore I’d never own a restaurant again”, she says. “But I have to admit, I missed it”. What she missed was being able to make sandwiches, salads, and other creative things. I can only imagine almost a decade scooping Italian Ice will leave you wanting a little bit more. Don’t get me wrong, their ice concession has been very successful. They are a staple on River Street and the Civic Center. They even enjoyed a run during Jaguars games in Jacksonville. Eventually Patsy wanted back into a brick and mortar spot. “It’s a lot of work”, she says. “But I love it”. So Patsy and her husband, Jim, are rolling out Naked Dog and Reality Bites Bakery at 1514 Bull Street, a space formerly occupied by Kapa Café. Kapa never really caught on with the SCAD crowd. Eventually all restaurants that go away do so for one of two reasons…they burn out or their food just isn’t good enough. I’m going with a little of both at Kapa. The Hoods promise to bring a fresh approach to the neighborhood. “We’re gonna have 7-10 sandwiches”, she says. “To go along with some daily specials. But it’s the bakery that has me the most excited”.
The bakery portion of the menu will be executed by Jim’s daughter, Alicia. She has a degree from a culinary school in San Diego and decided to move here to Savannah with her husband to make a run at their own place. The cinnamon rolls were fresh and rising in the back. The Rice Krispy treats looked fantastic, as did the bread pudding I got to see. They’ve got big plans with this place. I was shown a photo of an oversized donut topped with coconut and drizzled with chocolate syrup. “This is the Mounds”, she says. Yes, like the chocolate bar. There will be some vegetarian options as well. “We are looking for the perfect veggie dog”, she says. They’ll be open beginning this week. 7am-3pm, Tuesday through Saturday. Sundays 8am-2pm.
Rockin’ the Lobstah?
Meanwhile, not a mile away from Naked Dog is another new spot that has a similar, yet different, approach in going after the neighborhood lunch crowd. Maine-ly Dawgs Café is a new spot going in on the corner of Abercorn and 37th. Yes, in the same space previously occupied by Café 37th. I loved that place. Almost cried when I heard it was closing. Believe it or not, that’s been a few years. Now Jolene Buchina believes her lobster rolls are going to re-energize that corner.
A New England native and obvious lobster roll aficionado, Jolene came to Savannah to work for Gulfstream. That was only two years ago. She says she’d known for about 20 years since she left her native Maine that she’d eventually open a lobster roll café, but ultimately decided to do it here. “I love Savannah”, she tells me “It’s beautiful, it’s warm, it’s friendly and it’s warm”.
Hard to argue with that.
I’m very much looking forward to trying her lobster rolls. Just listening to her talk about her approach gives me the impression she’s bringing a taste of New England to lil’ ol’ Savannah. “The bread is the most important thing and was the first thing I looked to source when I decided to do this”. She says traditional lobster rolls are offered with dressing (or drowning in mayo if you’ve been where I’ve been) or just warm butter. “The idea is to keep the fresh lobster meat cool with a touch of warm butter to contrast”. Sounds like a winner to me. Jolene says she will also be doing some special hot dogs that she is sourcing locally and even a few dessert items, like Oreo truffles, that she will make herself. The ¼ pound roll will set you back $15. She will offer a smaller version for $7. Obviously, we are talking lobster here. Don’t come in looking for a $3.99 brown bag special. They will be open Friday through Sunday 10am-3pm “We’re are going to start with that and see what sticks”, Jolene says
We’ve talked about “The Vault” being built at Bull and 38th in this space. There are a couple of new spots on Montgomery Street either rolling already or about to roll out. Including one I mentioned here last week at the corner of Victory and Drayton. That will be a big one. I’m really excited about that. Big doings for the area between the Southern end of Forsyth Park and Victory Drive.
See you on TV.
Jesse
