As the end of 2017 draws near, we find it only fitting to close the year with a feast for the eyes and the belly. It’s been a wholesome year at TGL, abundant with travel to cities at home and countries abroad, memorable meal after memorable meal, and a healthy dose of Vitamin Sea thanks to repose-on-repeat in our City-by-the-Sea.
During our last #gildedgetaway of 2017, (a pre-holiday escape to Savannah), we marched our hungry selves straight to The Grey, a hub, not only for bustling waitstaff serving plates of Southern hospitality, but also a symbol for an era reincarnate. The Grey is brain-child of Savannah-ite by way of New York John Morisano, whose vision for a 1938 Greyhound Bus Terminal broke all boundaries when it transcended expectations of experiential modern day dining. Gastronomically paired with the talent of Chef Mashama Bailey, Morisano unequivocally describes the concept for The Grey as, “Delicious“.
The partners looked to NYC-based Parts and Labor Design to assume the monumental task of breathing new life into the old terminal on one of the Port City’s main arteries, a project which earned them James Beard accolades for Restaurant Design in 2015. Preserving as many original details from the terminal as possible, Parts and Labor seamlessly transport diners back to 1938 via a contemporary lens – the once ticket window now a voyeuristic view into Bailey’s open kitchen, the second-floor shower room a private dining retreat, the street front diner a casual bar with a daytime-esque menu. The shining star still twinkling in our eyes? Lighting. You read that right, lighting, every way you turn. Custom lighting so fitting to the era when we asked Morisano during our evening meal which pieces were original, we learned only several industrial pendants suspended high into the skylight, and our hands-down favorite, a petite brass and glass flush-mount en route to the first floor loo, were once seen by riders destined to other locations.
Last, but certainly not least, what restaurant in today’s world of discerning diners doesn’t deserve a top-notch identity, menu suite and collectible matches at the host stand? Cue LMNOP Creative, marrying Art Deco inspiration with sophisticated signage, illustration and typography to create ephemera worthy of more time in the limelight. Credit worthy paper goods are some of our favorite souvenirs, this visit replete with postcards, coasters, and naturally, one or two of the aforementioned matchbooks.
In the spirit of holiday giving, there’s more; we went back to The Grey less than 24 hours after our first meal, drawn to the small-but-mighty diner bar with windows as wide as they are tall (think Hopper in Savannah), yielding a one-way ticket to a different menu with classics like Pastrami on Rye or the Schnitzel Sandwich. Hence, if frequency to an establishment elicits further coaxing, we reckon you buy yourself a seat at this new/old Savannah landmark and partake of said ‘Deliciousness‘.
Images courtesy of Parts and Labor Design and LMNOP Creative.
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