Cook Like a Savannah Native, Eat Like An Honored Guest

Damon Lee Fowler is so enamored of Southern food and its heritage that he left a career in architecture to pursue the grits trail that meanders through the kitchens and dining rooms of the region.

The journey resulted in five critically acclaimed cookbooks, travelogues, if you will, that have chronicled the ingredients, methods and people that give Southern cuisine its legendary mantle.

In his newest book, “The Savannah Cookbook,” the journey continues.  But this volume reads more like a passionate love letter than a guidebook or historical reminiscence.

His preface, introduction and even the acknowledgments were such compelling and heartfelt pieces of writing that, once I began to read, I was lured into this cookbook like a hungry boy is reeled home by the smell of his mother’s baking pies.

The recipes, according to Fowler, transcend what magazines refer to as Savannah cooking and instead explore the real foods of a city more known for moss-draped live oaks and grand mansions than its cuisine.  Fowler contends that the genuine Savannah cuisine is the food served behind the doors of those mansions and even humble homes; that our city’s cuisine is the food served for guests when hosts put their best dish forward.

The recipes do, in fact, read like a Who’s Who of Savannah dinner menus: Shrimp Pilau, St. John’s Golden Apple Chutney, Deviled Crab and Syllabub.

He instructs readers on the assembly and creation of an oyster roast and a Lowcountry boil and the finer points of brewing up your own Chatham Artillery Punch and homemade vanilla.  Graceful touches are also covered, such as recipes for the ubiquitous cheese straw or tomato sandwiches all the way to cocktail sauces and dressings that add an authentic Savannah touch to a meal.

Along the way, he gives deserved respect to the ethnic influences of Europe, Asia and West Africa that permeate the city’s recipes.

The book’s 222 pages offer plenty of recipes ranging from breakfast to dinner with categories on appetizers, meat, fish and poultry, beverages, desserts, salads and a variety of side dishes. 

Stunning color photos accompany most recipes and are the work of Savannah Morning News photographer John Carrington.

Fowler writes a food column for the Savannah Morning News and teaches cooking at Kitchenware Outfitters, where he was recently named culinary arts director.  A new edition of his first cookbook, “Classical Southern Cooking,” will be released in October — it has been out of print for a decade.

In addition to being available at local booksellers, “The Savannah Cookbook” ($29.95) is available at Kitchenware Outfitters.

 
There’s More Bull on Bull Street

Pioneering downtown restaurateur Pino Venetico opened his new Bull Street Chophouse in late April.  In addition to USDA prime beef, the restaurant serves lobster, chops and other bone-in meats.  A uniquely all-American wine list explores the nation’s wine regions with zeal.  The classic New York-style décor is warm and inviting.

44 Bull St. above Il Pasticcio, 232-2728
savannah-steak-house.com.
 
Small Plates, Big Dreams

Shelley Smith and Brian Torres have teamed up to open Eos at 1801 Habersham St.  The small restaurant features a menu of small-plate dishes that merge the partners’ Southern and Latin American food influences.  From light cold dishes to savory and satisfying dishes such as slow-roasted pork, the restaurant’s 45 indoor seats have been packed since opening in early May.

Seven seats are cozily tucked inside the building’s former bank vault.  An impressive wine list carries some wines that are not available in other Savannah locations.

238-2400, eosrestaurant.com.
 
Café 37

Chef Blake Elsinghorst and Andrea Mongelli have opened Café 37 in a two-story carriage house behind 37th@Abercorn Antiques & Design at the southeast corner of Abercorn and 37th streets.

A small and unpretentious menu emphasizes quality and cuisine that Elsinghorst has termed “French with a twist.”  It’s what you might expect from a Savannah College of Art and Design graduate who worked in Savannah restaurants and studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.

Café 37 is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.  236-8533.

 
We Knew They Were Special

Congrats to chefs Matt Cohen and Scott Gordon on their New South Café being named the 2008 New & Emerging Business of the Year by the Small Business Chamber.  The award recognizes the innovative restaurant for its growth and devotion to community involvement.

 
Food Scene is compiled by Tim Rutherford, who also writes about restaurants for Savannah Magazine. He operates a Web site, www.savannahfoodie.com, which features local and regional dining reviews and breaking food news.  You can e-mail Tim at savannahfoodie@comcast.net.