[embed-1] Bill Addison, Eater’s roving restaurant critic, released his latest Eater’s America’s 38 Essential Restaurants list of the best restaurants in nation today and come to find out, he’s named Savannah’s The Grey as the very best.
Addison describes the restaurant helmed by Chef Mashama Bailey as referencing African flavors with dishes that bring him closer to South Georgia. “The fare — with its nuanced wielding of spices, its adoration of vegetables, and its telltale bacon smokiness that rattles through so many dishes like a train whistling in the distance — all hearken not only to a place, but also to a person. This is reclamation cuisine. Bailey has found her home, and the Grey’s enthralling story has actualized into a triumphant reality.”
Needless to say, after reading much of the praise over the past two years of The Grey’s run, but never getting my ass down there to try it, I just made a reservation for this weekend.
In Charleston news, two local restaurants also made Addison’s list: Bertha’s and The Grocery. Bertha’s is on a much-deserved victory lap following its James Beard American Classic award earlier this year. But The Grocery was a surprise. Addison explained the choice perfectly, writing that The Grocery “doesn’t pull in the same national press as big-name darlings like FIG and Husk, but over the last six years, The Grocery has steadily bloomed into one of the city’s most remarkable and welcoming restaurants.”
We couldn’t agree more. Chef Kevin Johnson has been quietly killing it since 2011 and now it appears his restaurant is getting the national attention it deserves.
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