Dave M.
Yelp
While one of the more expensive restaurants in Savannah, this French/new American restaurant has a number of things to recommend it. But first, I'd like to clear the air on some negative reviews about staff... that was not our experience at all. We found them charming. I believe that the restaurant is a bit more formal then is typical in the US, and that this slightly more "European styled formality" is at least part of what's being interpreted negatively... but I don't think this is a real thing... or perhaps there is a tough staff member we didn't interact with... That's possible.
Now, I'd d like to deal with the only thing on the menu we disliked... the tuna tartare appetizer. It's an anemic dish, lacking flavor, being priced on the expensive side, and unjustifiably so! Plainly put, it's just not a good dish. I would actually encourage the restaurant to pull it.
What I did like was everything else we ordered! The sheet crab bisque was lovely, the bone in veal chop was amazingly well executed, the venison was delicious (and over Swiss cheese scalloped potatoes...which frankly was one of my favorite things in the entire meal. If I were a Savannah local, I would try to get permission from the restaurant to come, sit at their bar, And eat a salad and scallop potatoes with some bread and a bottle of wine... Heaven.
From a spice profile, the duck (a local favorite, and very good) and the veal were actually Culinary cousins in that the kitchen used star anise in both dishes... And while the spice profile was more than I was expecting in both dishes, they were executed so well with such amazing sauces... I can't help but be nostalgic for them. My eight-year-old's pasta was the only thing I didn't get to try, because she was across the table from me and because she was defending it with sharp elbows. She loved it. My oldest son got the strip steak and that was also good, though I do think dry, aging and finishing in butter is my favorite approach ... the final dish was still nice... and my son enjoyed it.
The restaurant itself is the personification of what all Americans think a French restaurant should look like (no French restaurant actually looks like this of course). Pretty, very French, a touch bourgeois and over the top. I think this is a completely fine place for a business or a family meal, but the decor feels like the restaurant is celebrating...so I think it would lend itself well to "events" like date nights, anniversaries, etc.
We didn't order dessert there, because like so many tourists we were off to Leopold's for ice cream... (oh the painful line)...
While there were a number of restaurants I liked in Savannah, this was easily mine and my family's favorite. If you were spending a long weekend in Savannah, I would suggest one night at the olde pink house, and one night at Noble Fare...
When we're back in Savannah... We will be back to Noble fare.