The Grey!! We made it!! It was incredible! The food, the cocktails, the atmosphere, the ambience, all spot on wonderful!! And if that wasn't enough, there was Chef Mashama Bailey. Casually standing near the back of the dining room. Genuinely enjoying the crowd of patrons having a great time on a Thursday night. Happily chatting with guests who approached her.
The Grey, in Savannah, Georgia, has been on our "Must" list since we saw a Chef's Table episode featuring Chef Bailey in 2019. Chef Bailey's journey from a young girl living in Savannah, to young woman living in New York City as a social worker, then eventually back to Savannah to open The Grey, is heart warming.
The Grey is housed in a converted Jim Crow era Greyhound Bus Station on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. near downtown Savannah. This was once a place where riders were segregated. Black bus riders were not permitted in certain areas with White bus riders.
Today it is a bustling restaurant that's open to all. The food is a menu of amazing dishes created by Chef Bailey. She acknowledges in the Chef's Table episode that some of her relatives previously weren't allowed in certain parts of the bus station. The significance of what she has now created in this space is not lost on her.
The Art Deco interior has been meticulously restored to its previous glory. All of the fixtures redone. Design features on the wall harken back to the peak of the Deco era.
The original lunch counter now serves as a bar. The main dining area is large and welcoming. Tables are not too crowded together and the atmosphere had a buzz. The exterior curve of the building is complimented by an interior curve featuring a window allowing you to see right into the kitchen.
To the right of the front entrance sits the main bar. The bars entrance features wood doors with large glass panes. They gleam as you pass through them into a bustling bar full of happy revelers. The polished chrome fixtures on the booths look as if they could be well cared for originals. As do the lights overhead.
The bar was long, wood, and inviting. Specials written on a chalkboard behind the bar. A board with what look like coffee cups for "regulars" hanging on it. And a row of beautifully maintained booths on the opposite side.
After moseying around the River St. area of Savannah much of the day we made our way to The Grey in hopes of cocktails and dinner. In hindsight, I can't believe we didn't make reservations nor can I believe that we were seated right away. Although, our willingness to take any table has always helped us.
We walked in around 7pm on a Thursday night of a holiday weekend. We were warmly greeted and offered a booth in the bar which we gladly took. We had already had a great day and the energy and atmosphere we found at The Grey was the perfect way to round it out.
Promptly approached by our delightful server we our ordered cocktails. I chose The Miss Katherine in honor of our oldest daughter. Made with gin, basil, and peach lime, I'm not much of a gin drinker but this cocktail was delightful. My wife had their house Old Fashioned. Made with Four Roses Bourbon, according to our server. It was the best Old Fashioned I'd ever tasted. My wife, who is much more well versed in Old Fashioned's also thought very highly of it.
These days we typically split meals. I know, a servers worst nightmare. However, we tend to make up some of the lost sales in cocktail consumption. Plus, both having spent decades in the business, we tip very generously. We know that our leisurely dining pace and split meals can cost a server anticipated income so we try to account for that. We encourage generous tipping at sit down bars and restaurants.
For our appetizer we chose the Rabbit Mortadella. Served with pickled daikon and spicy mayo, we wondered to each other about the leanness of rabbit versus the typically fat content in mortadella. We were not disappointed. The house made mortadella was delicious and the pistachios, thought barely visible, added a nice little crunchy texture.
For our entree' we went with the Smothered Grouper. Served with Summer Squash, Saffron, and Georgia Mussels, the Grouper was perfectly cooked. Light and flaky. The Saffron sauce was an excellent compliment to the seafood and squash. While we both enjoy all types of seafood, this may have been our first time ordering Grouper. Any Grouper we order in the future will have a high bar to meet to what we enjoyed at The Grey.
After we finished our meal, and a few more cocktails, our server offered us dessert. I'm sure she listed everything they had to offer that evening. But, frankly, I think we both stopped listening when she said "Chess Pie".
Chess Pie, for the uninitiated, is a Southern Cuisine staple. Similar to English lemon curd pie, variations are made with lemon, chocolate, buttermilk, or nuts.
We are both northerners. Chess pie is not typically found here In our restaurants. So we jumped at the chance when our server mentioned it. We were not disappointed. The slice was deeper (taller?) than expected. Delicious curd was enveloped in a light, flaky crust, and topped with a quenelle of vanilla ice cream. A perfect end to a delightful meal.
In many well known restaurants with renowned chef's the chef is typically long gone by dinner service. Their staff is usually carrying out the service and delivering on the Chef's ideas and concepts.
So you can imagine my surprise, as I was walking to the bathroom, to see Chef Bailey, basically standing in the middle of the dining room, casually chatting with passersby. Obviously I'd never met her. Or seen her in person. But I new it was her as I walked through the dining room.
I approached her like I approached major leaguers when I was a kid. Excited, not sure what to say. Sure I'd sound foolish but wanting to sound cooler than everyone else.
I introduced myself. This blog was too new at the time for me to blather on about having a food blog. And I'm still not sure how my culinary brothers and sisters view food writers in the first place.
I asked if I could take a picture. She said sure. I think she was expecting a selfie with the two of us. Which would have made more sense. Instead, I snapped a photo of just her. I think her comment was, "Dont you want to be in it?" To which I said something like, Oh yeah. Duh. LOL
Anyhow, I managed to pull myself together enough to pose for a selfie. Chef Bailey actually had to reach out and press the photo button on my phone though. LOL
When I got back to our table I told my wife I had met Chef Bailey. She had a good laugh at how red faced and excited I was. Later, as she was leaving for the night, Chef Bailey stopped by our table and said hello to my wife as well.
The Grey is a must if you're going to Savannah. Considering that the city has lots of excellent restaurants to vie for your dollar I think that means something.
Chef Bailey's star continues to rise. She has a restaurant in Paris, France already in the planning stages. Her food is an expression of herself and the menu tells a story of southern cuisine and Savannah. I feel she is an important chef. And I feel that, The Grey, matters.
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