Rhett inside The Alida Hotel on River Street has had to make some changes just like the rest of us have the last few months. After a few months of take out and casual bites on their rooftop, the restaurant re-opened recently with a new approach to Southern fare.
Jesse spoke with Chef Jason Starnes about what’s changed, what’s stayed the same, and what’s being planned for the future of this River Street restaurant.
Jesse: Tell me in a nutshell what the last few months have been like for you guys.
Jason: Well, it’s definitely been a learning curve. You know, just going from unprecedented times.
We closed the hotel under the [stay-in-place order]. Then once we, as a hotel, felt that we could consistently protect our staff and our guests, we decided to open, but with super limited hours and super limited menus.
Jesse: When was that?
Jason: Early May.
Jesse: Yeah, when everybody started opening back up, you went with sort of limited everything?
Jason: Yes, sir.
Jesse: What was your average occupancy at the hotel? I’m guessing no one was around.
Jason: It kind of varied. Obviously, we ran higher occupancy on the weekends than we did through the week, but I don’t know that you could peg a specific number to it because of the inconsistency.
What we decided, from a restaurant perspective, was we knew we wanted to offer breakfast for the guests we had or if anybody around town wanted to get out.
We basically did breakfast from 7 through 11 through the week and kept it open a little longer on the weekends just to be able to accommodate that later checkout.
And then we decided we wanted to do a pretty simple grill menu on the roof in The Lost Square. More because we wanted to keep the open-air dining concept. It’s safer for everybody. It feels better. So we just put a grill up there and a cook and just made some good, honest, simple food.
Jesse: That went well throughout the summer?
Jason: It went really well throughout the summer. It helped us be able to keep contact low but still keep product quality fresh and hot. It was a good move.
Jesse: So obviously, you guys have been keeping an eye on the Plant Riverside thing and waiting for them to open. Is that like a yearlong sigh of relief?
Jason: I think it’s really good for us because it’s bringing more attention to the area. Not only that, they’re putting a quality product out, so I love the ability to have our neighbors push us to be better. They’re a good group of guys. We’ve gotten to know a few of them.
Jesse: So tell me about this new menu. How much of it is a departure from what you were doing pre-pandemic?
Jason: We’re staying true to the concept of a classic American kitchen. What we’re trying to do is now that I’ve been in Savannah for a year, I’m starting to learn Savannah and the Low Country better. We’re kind of putting this Southern, regional, coastal Georgia focus to things. Still using Savannah River Farms for beef and pork. These relationships are becoming important.
I did get to meet a produce farmer a few months ago that I’m excited about starting a relationship with.
Jesse: Obviously you love all the dishes on the menu, but what are a couple of highlights?
Jason: Just kind of paying homage to the Low Country, we put a crab cake appetizer on the menu that I’m pretty excited about.
Crab cakes are a comfort food for a lot of people. I wanted to be able to put a nice, refined, strong Southern influence on it. What we’re doing is we’re doing it with these fresh red pepper coulis and then a charred corn salad.
My crab cakes are super delicate because they don’t really have a lot of filler in them. That is what it’s about. You get this beautiful crab and I want to showcase it.
We’re keeping some classic American things. We’re doing an airline chicken.
I’ve gotten back in with Choice Farms. You know I love their stuff. They’re out of North Carolina. We’re doing a focus on roasted mushrooms and fingerling potatoes. It’s almost a homey feel but nice and refined at the same time.
We’re pulling swordfish out of North Carolina. We’re pulling whole fish out of the Gulf. I kept it as a market fish just so we could keep our options open. If something cool came in, we could let our guests experience it.
I put a New Orleans barbeque shrimp on the menu. It’s this shareable peel-and-eat shrimp kind of thing.
I want to get back to this playfulness, like play with your food. When you could get your hands in there and get a little bit dirty. It takes the pretentiousness out of it.
Jesse: Head on or off?
Jason: On. I’m excited to see how Savannah reacts to that.
Jesse: Me too.
Jason: When I did a tasting for my team, we basically invited the majority of the hotel because I wanted true, honest feedback. Not one person freaked out about it., so I’m optimistic.
Jesse: I’ll be curious to see how that goes too.
Rhett 412 River Street Savannah Open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
