Daniel B.
Yelp
The $0.75 oyster deal that we got at Common Restaurant is five stars alone. The quality of the oysters (James River, Virginia) was outstanding, making the deal at that price point incredible. The rest of our dinner experience - mainly, the food - was more along the lines of four stars, hence my four-star rating for this place as a whole.
Common calls their happy hour "Aperitif Hour." It's daily, 2-7pm. We were able to take advantage of the "Aperitif & Raw Bar" menu before dinner. The five-hour time frame is generous. The menu featured the aforementioned oyster deal (your price and oyster types may vary), various raw oysters on the half shell prepared in different ways, other seafood, "Late Lunch" items, "Conserva" (tinned seafood, preserved in "high-quality" olive oil; unique), and special drinks.
The dinner menu was mostly the above plus more appetizers and entrees, such as charcuterie boards and meat and vegetarian mains, and more drinks. The cocktail list was decently extensive. Below is a list of what four of us shared. For the list, I used Common's menu headings and descriptions. It should give you a good idea about what the restaurant serves (New American cuisine, lots of seafood) and how much it costs.
High Balls
* Whiskey Ginger ($14) - Mellow Corn 100, housemade ginger ale, lemon, honey, bitters
Old Fashioned Cocktails
* Oaxaca ($16) - Lunazul Anejo, Del Maguey Vida, agave nectar, Angostura Bitters, orange bitters
* Classic Mule ($10) - not on menu (requested)
Raw Bar - Oysters
* James River, VA (regularly $1.50 each, $0.75 during happy hour) - mild and sweet, meaty, mild finish -- two dozen
* Moonlight Bay, MA (market price = $4.50 each) - daily oysters -- one dozen
Start Here
* Rose Butter Mussels ($23) - sauteed mussels, tomato and olive ragout, garlic, shallots, sweet peppers, and fresh herbs
Plant
* Autumn Harvest Salad ($25) - baby kale, spiced pecans, apple, balsamic berries, roasted squash, pickled red onions, shaved Parmesan, lemon-thyme vin
Land
* Short Rib Hot Plate ($33) - braised short rib, coffee whiskey glaze, sesame seeds, creamed collards, cornbread, red wine jam
Sea
* Scallop Risotto ($39) - seared scallops, farro risotto, corn nage, truffled microgreens
* Market Fish (market price = $45) - chef's choice fish (we got cobia), seasonal starch, farmers market vegetables, seasonal sauce
* Shrimp & Grits ($34) - sauteed shrimp, langostino "chorizo," stone-ground pimento cheese grits, guajillo BBQ aioli
I tried everything except for the Shrimp & Grits (allergy). In general, I thought everything was enjoyable. Some dishes were better than others. All were presented beautifully.
The James River oysters really stood out to us. They were phenomenal. Fresh and plump with a clean flavor profile. The smaller Moonlight Bay oysters, on the other hand, were too briny. In hindsight, we should've ordered another dozen of the James River instead of the Moonlight Bays.
We enjoyed the drinks. The Whiskey Ginger was made with Kentucky straight corn whiskey which gave the cocktail a distinct nutty flavor. I liked the Oaxaca, which was one of the more unusual old fashioneds I've tried. It had a strong mix of Lunazul tequila and Del Maguey mezcal. I was feeling it.
The Rose Butter Mussels were tasty, but not the best I've had. They were one or two rungs lower than our favorites at the old JCT. Kitchen in Atlanta and recently, Southie in Oakland. Common's mussels weren't the freshest. Several of the mussels tasted fishy. That took away from the terrific sauce. We got more bread to eat with the sauce.
The Autumn Harvest Salad and Short Rib Hot Plate had one thing in common: they were both overly sweet. In the salad, particularly sweet were the roasted squash and spiced pecans. And at $25, the salad was overpriced. The short ribs themselves were yummy. It was just overall, the dish was too sweet. The short ribs were soft and fatty.
The Scallop Risotto was good, but not great. The scallops could've been bigger and the dish was unbalanced/too heavy. My wife said the same thing about the Shrimp & Grits (heavy). She said they were "OK" and that she's "had better shrimp and grits."
I thought the best dish was the Market Fish. The cobia was well cooked, tender, and nicely seasoned. It was a light, satisfying dish. The seasonal starch was a curled pasta with a tomato sauce, I think. Kind of a weird pairing. I don't remember what the veggies were except for the microgreens on top.
Justin B was our server and he was fantastic.
Common opened in October 2019 in a building that's over 100 years old. Before the restaurant opened, the owners had to bring the building up to code. Common came about when its older sister restaurant, The Ordinary Pub, just four blocks west up Broughton Street, needed more kitchen space.
The restaurant is easy to find. It's in a popular area of Savannah. The dining room and bar have a cool-looking buildout with an indoor balcony.
Book your reservation using OpenTable.
