When I first started planning my brief time in Savannah, after purchasing my plane ticket, I solicited things to do over on Fodor’s travel board. Among the suggestions for places to dine, The Olde Pink House and The Grey were each mentioned multiple times.
So, I booked at both.
My Olde Pink House experience was stellar, as I mentioned previously, and I was optimistic that my meal at The Grey would be on the same level. Sadly, it was not.
I arrived about 5 minutes late due to a delay in settling my bill next door at Repeal 33, where I had enjoyed a pre-dinner cocktail and conversation at the bar. I was immediately seated at the bar, which I had requested, at The Grey. Despite having received a text message earlier in the day from the restaurant about issues with their air conditioning, I found the temperature to be comfortable and I was promptly greeted and provided with the dinner menu.
I opted for a glass of wine and eventually decided upon oysters, including two Georgia varieties, the mac and cheese and the pea fritters. I was hungry, but I often prefer to have multiple small plates, rather than a main, in an attempt to garner as many tastes as possible. My order may have been a little light, but I knew I could always add something if I wasn’t satiated or have dessert if I wanted to finish with something sweet.
The oysters were very good. I encountered a small bit of shell or two, but the flavor was fresh and bright. The small bottle, with a dropper to dispense the mignonette that accompanied the oysters, seemed a bit gimmicky to me, but not in an offensive way.
That honor was reserved for what was to follow.
I was next served a shallow bowl of Mac and cheese. The elbow noodle pasta was topped with cheese crisps that added a nice touch of texture to the plate and I eagerly got busy. After my second or third forkful, though, I slowed down significantly. Instead of a distinctive buttery cheese taste from the tomme used in the dish or any smokiness from the bites of Benton country ham, what I was getting was salt – and lots of it.
I tried to determine the source of the saltiness. Was it the cheese crisp garnishing the plate or was it the sauce coating the noodles? As I tried to isolate the cause by tasting the two components individually, I found it impossible to figure out. The ultimate conclusion was that there was too much salt present for my taste. I did not finish the dish.
Next up were the fritters served with grilled vegetables and tahini. Both the portion and the presentation were appealing to me and I eagerly dug in. The fritters were perfectly crispy and the vegetables retained their firmness beautifully. Tahini, an ingredient that I often find to be a tad bland without seasoning, was a nice counterpoint to the fritters and veggies adding a comforting creaminess to each forkful. Again, however, the amount of salt used in the dish made it impossible for me to truly enjoy, much less finish, this plate.
My server didn’t check in on my progress and I was uncharacteristically reluctant to complain. I elected to pay my check and depart for somewhere I knew I would not be disappointed, pausing on the way out to mention to the hostess that my meal had been unrelentingly salty. She apologized and shared with me that this complaint had been recently noted by a number of other diners.
So, I left The Grey and, not allowing this poor experience to ruin my last night in town, returned to my Savannah happy place, the Olde Pink House. It was a lovely evening.
DelSo 