What's on the Menu: Week of Feb. 18
My favorite gin martini, hot pot debuts on DeRenne, a pizza pop-up at Late Air, Municipal Grand hotel hires its first General Manager, and more.
Welcome to the third weekly installment of What’s on the Menu: a dining dispatch from Savannah, Georgia, sent directly to your inbox every Tuesday.
Since I started this Substack earlier this month, 600 of y’all have already tuned in to see what’s happening. Thank you! Let’s keep it growing! If Ned Schneebly can write “The White Lotus” and Parker Posey can be cast as a woman with a Southern accent, anything is possible.
With the return of HBO’s tourists-behaving-badly drama, my husband and I celebrated with a homemade attempt at pork larb lettuce wraps, plus a fail-proof takeout order from our favorite neighborhood Thai restaurant, The King & I. (Summer rolls with shrimp and peanut sauce, forever.)
The lush scenes of sunny Thailand on my TV screen are very welcomed right now, as I typically find February to be a somewhat dull month. It’s easy to slip into the doldrums this time of year, as I eagerly wait for spring’s arrival.
In the meantime, here are five ways I’m beating the late winter blues:
1. I found my favorite “martini” at The Grey: The Buffet made with Murrell’s Row Gin Mignonette. First of all, I admit that I’m not typically a martini girl. But this is not your average martini, which is partly why I like it so much.
Dubbed the “Buffet,” The Grey’s menu states this delicious take on a vesper is made from some of their favorite vermouth, gin, and/or vodka. The version I tried, and immediately fell in love with, was made with Murrell’s Row Spirits Tulsi Gin and Gin Mignonette and Cocchi Americano.
I have been trying to track down a bottle of the Gin Mignonette from this Decatur-based distillery since its launch last fall and was elated to finally find one behind the Diner Bar at The Grey (109 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd).
What makes this Gin Mignonette so special—beyond its botanical build of juniper, toasted coriander, angelica root, and lemon peel— is the addition of olive oil, bay leaf, and Georgia Vidalia onions to the still. When tasted on its own, the gin has a hint of sweetness and a funky minerality that is reminiscent of slurping a raw oyster on the half shell. Best of all, a portion of the sale of every bottle goes to support Oyster South, a non-profit supporting Southern Oyster Farmers and the community that surrounds them. And don’t you love the label art?
The combination of the Tusli Gin—which boasts locally grown Holy Basil, juniper, lemon, and green cardamon—and the floral, citrusy Italian aperitif wine—further amplifies the Gin Mignonette experience.
An ice-cold Buffet cocktail at The Grey will set you back $24, but considering it comes with a sidecar served on ice, it hits more like two drinks. Shoutout to my new friend, Sam, for the recommendation.
2. Even in humid Savannah, we aren’t quite out of the woods on winter days. When the next chilly, wet day hits, I’ll be warming up at the new Shu Hot Pot and Korean Barbecue. This vibrant addition to Midtown (20 E. DeRenne Avenue) is located across from the Enson Market shopping center on Abercorn Street, where a sign heralds a new pho spot is coming soon, too.
Stepping inside Shu is a balm for the soul before even eating a bite. Neon signs (“A life with hot pot is the happiest life”), hanging pendants that look like floating UFOs, and semi-translucent partitions form a maze of sorts. Quickly, I realized this restaurant was much larger than it appeared from the road. Inside are dozens of booths, some designed for couples and some for larger parties. At the center of every table is at least one embedded, round grill, and at every seat is a smaller, round hot plate.
Thirty dollars per person gets you two hours of all-you-can-eat hot pot or BBQ. Can’t decide? $35 per person gets you both. I opted for the hot pot with a spicy and sweet Tom Yum base—a clear, red hue broth filled with herbs and sliced tomato—while my husband chose the dark-brown mushroom broth. Next, we chose from dozens of sliced meats, seafood, noodles, veggies and other delicacies. Orders can be placed in person or via QR code, and the raw ingredients arrive at the table within minutes.
Each seat also has a temperature control for its hot plate. I cranked mine up to 6—the highest setting—eager to safely cook my proteins but then burned my tongue on the boiling broth. Because the meats are sliced so paper-thin, it doesn’t very take long or very high heat for grey shrimp to turn pink and for pink beef to turn brown.
My favorite bites were the ribeye, ramen, bok choy, gyoza, and shumai. We didn’t need the full two hours to fill up our stomachs, or for my mouth to go numb from heat and spice. Thankfully, a table of flavored pudding and a freezer full of ice cream make for a sweet salve at the end of the meal.
Walking back to the restrooms, I had a flashback to nights at the former Atlanta nightlife favorite, Little Trouble. The hallway is lined with colorful lights and doorways, which will soon host karaoke rooms once an alcohol license is secured.
I can’t promise I’ll be doing any singing, but I do know I’ll soon be back to Shu—and next time, I’ll bring a bigger appetite, more friends, and the BBQ combo so we can try even more of the massive menu.
3. A pizza party with Slug Wine and Decades at Late Air (2805 Bull St.). I’m always down for pizza. (Confession: I regret not serving wood-fired pizzas at my wedding reception.) So, when Colin Breland and Madeline Ott—the cool couple behind Late Air—reached out to tell me they were hosting a one-night-only pizza party on Feb. 20 from 5-10 pm, I was immediately pumped.
The guests of honor will be Slug Wine, a natural wine shop in Upstate New York owned by Dan and Sara Nelson, and their friend Zach Hughes, from Decades Pizza in Queens’ Ridgewood neighborhood, who is taking over the kitchen in collaboration with Late Ait’s chef Daniel Harthausen.
The idea of the pop-up came from the Nelsons, who have been coming into Late Air since the natural wine bar opened in 2022 and always talked about hosting something in Savannah, Colin and Madeline tell me via email. “They have a shared interest and appreciation for the small winemakers we work with, they are also an absolute pleasure to share bottles of wine with so it was a no-brainer,” they wrote. “At the end of the day, we only do pop-ups when it feels right and there’s a true sense of collaboration present in the product that we are delivering. These are great people who enjoy good food and good wine—no better reason to get together for an evening of fun.”
And as someone who doesn’t get up to New York nearly as often as I would like, I appreciate Late Air bringing a taste of it down to Savannah.
In addition to a few different slices of pizza available, expect a "Decades Caesar Salad", arancini, and Philly-style hoagies with a one-off, special wine list.
4. The second annual Camellia Festival is back at Cohen’s Retreat this Saturday (Feb. 22). If you missed last year’s inaugural event, here’s an explainer I wrote for Savannah magazine about why the flower is deeply rooted in the city’s history.
This year’s free festivities include talks from local camellia enthusiasts Charles Daniel and
, plus a bloom show, a plant sale, and a hands-on floral arranging workshop led by McKenzie Lynah of Sweetfield Flowers. And if you’ve ever been to Cohen Retreat’s Pop-Up Party in November, you know the charming grounds of this 1930s-era property turned into a restaurant/cottage rentals/artisan gallery has a knack for hosting lively events. (I’m still impressed by their past partnerships with whiskey brands I adore, like Kentucky’s Blade & Bow and Ireland’s Roe & Co.)Saturday’s event will have light refreshments and a cash bar … A camellia-inspired cocktail, perhaps?
5. Speaking of cocktails … I’m dreaming of pool days and glowy golden-hour sips atop Municipal Grand. Lately, it seems like I can’t have a conversation in public without bringing up the new boutique hotel taking up residence in the former mid-century municipal building at the corner of Abercorn and Broughton streets. I’m just that excited. Even those who are unfamiliar with the project get a light in their eyes once they realize Death & Co., one of the world’s buzziest cocktail bars, is involved.
The hotel, which will include 44 rooms, a lobby bar and restaurant, a rooftop pool and bar, and a third subterranean bar, is targeting this spring for its opening. And while we all know openings often take longer than anticipated, the news that Midnight Autuer (the firm behind Municipal Grand) has hired Franck Savoy as the hotel’s General Manager is certainly making the whole thing seem more real—and more likely will live up to the hype.
Son of the acclaimed French chef Guy Savoy, Franck is bringing his unique perspective and lifetime of experience in hospitality to Savannah. His resume includes leadership roles with sought-after destinations like Shutters on the Beach, Hotel Casa del Mar, Caesars Palace, Auberge Resorts’ The Bishop’s Lodge, Clear Creek Tahoe, and Park House Houston, and most recently, Berg Hospitality Group, where he served as COO for 17 restaurant concepts and multiple openings.
“It’s an honor to bring Municipal Grand to life and to do so in the heart of Savannah, the Hostess City. This hotel is more than a place to stay—it’s a revival of history through thoughtful hospitality,” Franck wrote via email. “What I’m most looking forward to is building a team that delivers warm, intuitive service and crafting a food and beverage program that feels both inviting and inspired. We want Municipal Grand to be a place where guests and locals gather, linger, and savor something special.”
I’m counting down the days!
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