There has been a lot said about what is going on down on the Western end of River Street over the last two months. The Kessler owned Plant Riverside District officially snipped their red ribbon on July 29th to rave reviews. It is massive and most of us believe it is beautiful. It offers a ton of things to do.
A while back we discussed dining options at Plant Riverside. We were promised 13 or so brand new food and beverage outlets. To be fair, that includes ice cream windows and coffee shops.
On the other end of that spectrum are full service restaurants. The only one open to this point is Graffito Pizzeria, which we have very much enjoyed a couple of times. The 2nd restaurant goes on line today, October 1st. Stone and Webster Chophouse is open for business and hoping to eventually fill a huge void in this town and become Savannah’s signature steakhouse.
“You hear rumblings. You hear things.” Plant Riverside Executive Chef Kyle Lipetzky says when asked if he knows Savannah is desperate for a legit steakhouse. No pressure, right?
“I think we will absolutely deliver.”
For a city whose food scene has evolved as much as it has in the last 6 years, it’s surprising we haven’t seen a ‘big city’ steakhouse yet. Yes, we have had Ruth Chris Steakhouse for roughly a decade now and it continues to be a popular destination in Savannah, but it is not a “Savannah” spot. I’ve had meals I’ve enjoyed at Ruth’s, I’ve had meals I’ve not enjoyed at Ruth’s. It is what it is. I would choose Charleston’s Hall’s Chophouse or Oak Steakhouse every single time given the choice.
Enter Stone and Webster, named for two of the original builders of the Riverfront power plant once upon a time.
Steak. The Final Frontier.
For starters, the space is beautiful and not very big at all. There are two dining rooms each with a capacity for about 60 guests. The main room has a bar and a cocktail seating area for either waiting or happy hour. It will certainly operate as both at the beginning.
The menu? Well, lets just say there was a ton of input.
“We did a full tasting. A meat tasting with Mr. Kessler and the team as well as Mr. Halpern (Of Atlanta’s Halpern’s Steak and Seafood) himself.” Lipetzky says.
“But it was more than a tasting of alcohol or drinks or meat. It was a full concept. It was a look at what this was going to look like. What is the music going to be?” he says “It was in depth. A two or three day process. The whole Kessler family was involved.”
The vision, chef says was a “Steakhouse for the locals. Something Savannah hadn’t seen before.”
The result of all of that tinkering and discussion is a pretty straight forward Steakhouse menu. This is meat and potatoes and of course some seafood options as well. There are roughly 5 cuts give or take. Pure middle of the road. And why not?
“Steak is steak, right?” says Gonzague Muchery Director of Food and Beverage at Plant Riverside. “It’s really the quality of it and if you cook it right.”
“I’m a big ribeye fan. That ribeye needs to be broiled at a high temperature right away.” he says “Like chef said, we don’t have to do a lot to it. Cook it right, season it right and let the product speak for itself.”
Running the ‘day to day ops’ at Stone and Webster is Jacob Hammer, former Executive Sous Chef at Husk Savannah. When I saw Jacob there this week, I immediately felt better about what we could expect. “All in house butchering and all from scratch cooking.” Chef says. See full dinner menu here.
On the beverage side, this is very much a work in progress. “We didn’t want a 50 page wine list to start.” Muchery says “We want to start very very slow. Our list is probably more New World if I may say so. Something that more people will identify. Probably 100-120 items. That includes sparkling. That includes wines by the glass.”
“We need to start somewhere. Instead of 15 cocktails, we are doing 5 or 6. Consistency and quality is key.”
That sentiment is really how they are coming out of the blocks across the board. The Plant Riverside District is a work in progress. From the construction still going on to how their restaurants will evolve. The complex is a tourist hub, yes, but you cannot discount the amount of business travel and groups that they will eventually see once the world gets back to normal.
For now, I believe it is fair to say the prices are in order, if not a little lower than what you will find at many other American Steakhouses. Will they offer the value? Let’s hope so. Any steakhouse fan will tell you they will gladly pay a premium for that cut of beef, but you can’t lose sight or cut corners on the rest of the experience. It all matters.
“We want people to come and be comfortable here. This is not set up to empty your savings account on a special occassion.” Muchery says.
Stone and Webster is open for dinner only. Reservations are highly recommended. Capacity will be strictly controlled as all operations get up to full speed.
