No, the headline doesn’t deceive you. There are no typos. A few weeks back in this space we spent some time remembering the top 5 stories in food for 2017. At the time, it had been my plan to begin talking about what is coming up in 2018 a week later. Ultimately we decided to wait a week and roll this list out last week. Then we got blasted with snow amidst the opening of Husk Savannah.
In the spirit of all of the college football polls that have already come out predicting next season (sorry Dawgs fans, that’s a tough pill to swallow, I know), it is never too early to start looking at some of the stories in food that will be making our headlines over the next 12 months. The aforementioned Husk will get a lot of buzz going forward I am sure, as will the other spots that have opened, but there are some pretty big happenings on the way. I could definitely list ten, but here are my top 5. In no particular order.
*Perry Lane Hotel –Yes, of course, there are seemingly 50 hotels opening in Savannah at any given time these days, but this one is around the corner. She sits on Drayton Street downtown across the street from McDonough’s. The heart of town, really. The visuals coming out of there are amazing. I’m told ownership is sparing no expense on detail. The Emporium Kitchen and Wine Market could be another major addition to our food scene. Their rooftop bar will likely be a player with locals as well.
*El Coyote – We first told you about the plans for the space formerly occupied by The Florence on Victory Drive back in August. The lease was sold to a group that includes Wyld Dock Bar Owner Tony Seichrist. The plan for that space is to make it 3 different concepts. The largest of which is El Coyote -a Mexican influenced concept headed by Landon Thompson, formerly at Cooks and Soldiers in Atlanta. The plans, although very loose as the year wound down, were for a “Wyld on land” offering upstairs and a coffee/sandwich shop in back. I’m calling it now, we will Eat It and Like It.
*The Grove –If you spend any time in and around downtown, you’ve probably seen it already. Signage in the form of banners are already up. The Grove sits at the corner of Congress and Jefferson right behind City Market and a couple of doors down from Molly McPhearson’s and Garibaldi’s. The former law office has gotten a complete makeover. It’s actually a good looking building complete with a rooftop bar/restaurant area. I had dinner with the one of the owners in Atlanta last year when the concept was still very much up for debate. The name changed since then, but if the food is as good as the space looks, we could be in for a treat there. I will be featuring a conversation with The Grove on an upcoming episode of my podcast, Shuck it!
*Nine Drayton – This space located near Drayton and Bay Streets doesn’t get a name because that also has been a bit of a moving target. Brought to you by the ownership behind The Collins Quarter and Tybee Island’s The Deck Kitchen and Bar, this space is slated to be a 3 story gastropub. The rooftop will feature a bar area that will face the gold dome of Savannah City Hall. Initial plans for the menu were similar to New York City’s The Spotted Pig (just as a point of reference). If I know the guys behind the place, then it’s not going to happen until it happens very well. That said, I would expect to see them open their doors calendar 2018.
*The Eat It and Like It Foodie Awards – In something of a restructuring year, we took a half step back in 2017 and chose to pull back our very popular awards for Savannah/Hilton Head’s Best. We are very proud of our awards because they are never ever tied to advertising. Not everyone can say that. A foodie award goes to who and what we think is best and that’s the bottom line. Look for our winners and “After Party” celebration to return this Spring.
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