Savannah Husk is the First to Boast a Raw Bar

The Neighborhood Dining Group and James Beard Award-winning chef Sean Brock opened the newest Husk outpost in Savannah on January 3, 2018. The largest of the four Husks can be found in Savannah’s Landmark Historic District in a revamped building that was severely damaged by a fire in the fall of 2009.

Brock and chef de cuisine Tyler Williams, who previously honed his skills in Atlanta at Woodfire Grill, have created a menu that highlights ingredients from coastal Georgia — like Savannah green rice and Georgia citrus. The daily menu features several Husk classics with added Savannah flair, like chestnut cornbread with Georgia cane butter, and a few new options. Reimagined first courses include griddled scrapple with a crispy black pepper biscuit and Anson Mills hoppin’ john with duck confit, cracklings, and a creamy scrambled egg that coats the dish. The oyster menu is more expansive, as this is the first Husk to feature a raw bar. A sherry mist, which comes in a small perfume bottle, and a crunchy peanut horseradish serve as thrilling accompaniments to the offerings. Main courses are executed in the Husk way, with the previously mentioned Savannah green rice making its way onto the bone-in Carolina Chicken.

A paranormal twist exists at this location, as the historic building is rumored to be one of the most haunted in a city filled with alleged ghost activity. Originally built in 1897, the structure spent much of its existence as an Elk’s Lodge, before later shifting to a Montessori and then a performing arts school. Step inside and find the bright kitchen straight ahead, with the main downstairs dining area to the right. Walk up the large staircase on the left to a vast, upscale bar area that offers a different aesthetic than the tighter Husk Bar that sits next to the restaurant in Charleston. Find tables and the fourteen-foot raw bar in this large, open room with the circular bar sitting in the center. Patrons are offered the full menu in this more casual portion of the restaurant. A window-filled third floor could be the home for a private dining area in the future.

The nooks and crannies in the old building allow for certain tables and private rooms to feel intimate while maintaining a lively environment throughout. The overall service at Husk Savannah is everything that diners have come to expect from this group —refined, local and ingredient focused — with the added twist of providing a meal that is representative of the foodways found in Savannah and Coastal Georgia.

Stop in for dinner Sunday through Thursday, from 5 to 10 p.m. and Friday through Saturday, from 5 to 11 p.m. Lunch and Brunch service is reported to start at this location in February.

• Chef Sean Brock’s Fourth Outpost of Husk Opens in Savannah [EATL]