News and Notes – January 27th

Running off at the keyboard…..waiting. Waiting for the world to change.

It’s around this time of the year that we start to hear a flurry of news about openings and closings of restaurants. The ones that are opening want to make their splash before St. Patrick’s Day. The ones that are closing (in most cases) have been struggling and fold under the weight of a liquor license renewal.

The good news for now is the only closing we can confirm is one we told you about last week. Bayou Cafe on River Street is closing their doors after 30 years. That will happen when your rent is nearly tripled. Ouch.

Much better news on the openings front. Pandemic be damned. Restaurants are popping up everywhere.

Ardsley Station is the new name of the concept going in to the old Atlantic building at Drayton and Victory Drive. Work on the minor renovations continue as we speak. Interviews for a chef are also underway. They are shooting for a March opening. We’ll be chatting with them once more pieces are in place.

Now open down the street from there is Common Thread. A 5,000 plus square foot renovated home at Abercorn and 37th. It is brought to you by the same folks behind FARM Bluffton and it is outstanding. See their menu here. A great addition to Savannah’s food scene.

Speaking of Common Thread… 8 Things you should know about it here.

More openings planned for March…208 Wine Bar is a build out currently underway at 208 East Bay Street. (See what they did there?) It will be a beautiful space with huge windows looking out on to the Savannah River.

Finally, brand new downtown is Franklin’s. A breakfast/brunch/coffee spot on Liberty near Bull. Beautiful, if not tiny, space. Designed for grab and go. Sandwiches are delicious.

Congratulations to Chef Mashama Bailey and John Morisano on the publishing of their new book “Black, White and The Grey.” It’s their story of an unexpected friendship and a beloved restaurant. If Amazon is your thing….find it here.

We’ve gotten a number of emails about our annual Fried Chicken and Champagne event. More about that here.

New chefs on the scene with new menus. Brett Cavanna just rolled out his menu at Local 11ten. Meanwhile, at 700 Drayton inside of The Mansion on Forsyth Park, Executive Chef Daniel Herget has a new menu. See it here. I will be talking to both of them next week as well.

On Hilton Head Island, RJ Dye is the new Executive Chef at The Links American Grill inside of Sea Pines Plantation. RJ is a veteran of the Charleston food scene and already making waves on the island. His new menu is just about to drop, but early reviews are outstanding.

You can try Chef RJ’s new menu for yourself during the month of February. Sea Pines will be hosting a month long set of culinary events all over their property. Chefs from across the South will be participating. Both indoor and outdoor events. Savor Sea Pines will be a great time. Full schedule here.

If you love soup during the winter, Coligny Plaza will be hosting a Souper Bowl event on February 6th. The day before the Super Bowl. It’s a largely outdoor event. Tickets are required. Full information here.

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In the meantime, got a tip? Share it with us. tips@eatitandlikeit.com All valuable information will remain anonymous. I’m currently on a fried shrimp tour. What’s your favorite? Let me know. And yes, I already know about Gerald’s, The Wyld and AJ’s. Photo above is Vic’s on the River