The Savory Grille exudes charm, class and style. But eclipsing everything is flavor.
Consider Light Tempura Soft Shell Crabs with jasmine rice, Roasted Lamb Rack with black barley pilaf, or Rib Cap Steak with cheddar pierogies and chanterelles. Chef Shawn Doyle could well be renamed King of Flavor: he knows, lives and breathes flavor, displaying an impeccable, unwavering dedication to creating outstanding menus that are impossibly delicious. The name Savory Grille, therefore, has a double meaning: savory mouthfuls of food, and memories worth savoring long after you’ve dined.
The goal, then, is to completely enjoy yourself from start to finish: the subtleties, textures and sheer care taken with ingredients practically forces diners into a wonderful surrender — a new, welcome mindfulness of the pleasure of good food.
Making Dinner Special Beyond Special
Open only for dinner (with Sunday dinners starting at 1pm), this rustic-chic restaurant focuses solely on a foie gras to crème brulee experience, which naturally brings in couples, family, and folks celebrating birthdays and good times with close friends. Discerning brides and grooms can promise their loved ones that their engagement party, rehearsal dinner, or wedding dinner will be every bit as joyous as the day itself.
That’s not to say the Savory Grille doesn’t have their foodie regulars who visit year-round. Located in the vintage Seisholtzville Hotel, far from the madding crowd, with a varied, seasonally-sensitive menu (the mark of a stellar chef), Savory Grille highly suggests making reservations, which is no surprise.
Unwind with a signature drink. Just while you’re still debating the appetizer and entrée, an unexpected treat arrives. It’s a small plateful of toasty, rich-bodied Marcona almonds bathed in buttery, herbaceous (thyme, parsley, and rosemary) scrumptiousness with fresh pea tendrils as garnish.
A Taste of Good Things to Come…
The house-special Manhattan stuns with its Maker’s Mark bourbon, Dubonnet Rouge, and “killer” drunken cherries. The Savory Grille Martini is equally satisfying, but so are the exceptional wines.
For starters, go for exotic and fun Bison Lollipops. This appetizer has an East-West flair, the tender meat prepared in dumpling-like (even gyoza-like) pastry, delicately seasoned, then counterpunched with salty, tangy kimchee and a sweet ponzu gel. It’s a fabulous app.
Tender and rich are Braised Pork Cheeks enhanced by Chef’s homemade pappardelle noodles, all long and flat and thick, saucily draped across the meat, nudged by broiled bits of Brussels sprouts and small mouthfuls of butternut squash — all of this in sage brown butter for a butterscotch tone.
Also enticing: Celery Root and Apple Soup, enlivened by bacon lardons and pickled apples. Or splurge with Foie Gras, brioche and red currant gastrique.
Well worth noting is the amazing bread basket, delivered with in-house, baked-fresh French bread that has all the features of bread you’d get in Europe. The crust is hard-delicate, tasty with a touch of saltiness on the bottom; the texture is just-dense yet tender.
Piquant lime cilantro, creamy in texture, dresses a simple but oh-so-fresh and bright-tasting green salad just before the entrees arrive. Chef has placed a layer of super-healthy, meaty, split mung beans at the base for heartiness. This course makes the stomach happy, as the conversations and drinks roll along. Meanwhile, out in the kitchen, that entrée is getting close to total plating.
Great Entrée Expectations
Naturally, the menu features entrees that vary according to what’s available, what’s freshest, and what’s most dynamically appealing. One remarkable dish is the Breaded Veal Tenderloin Medallions which combine with speck ham, manchego (a creamy Spanish cheese), and Madeira sauce. It’s ingenious --— like a dance between tastes that meld and move in harmony. That delicate breading on the tender veal remains a sensual memory.
The Free Range Chicken Breast entree, gently breaded and cooked to a tender tan color, is paired with fat, juicy shrimp curled around julienned carrots, a tight whirl of new green beans, and a moist hill of spaghetti squash alongside roasted Brussels sprouts and radishes. Each element is distinctively prepared, so you can easily envision those thin strands of buttery spaghetti squash enjoying just as much time and attention to seasoning and appearance as the poultry and seafood aspects of the dish.
One server confirmed the high level of culinary care, summing up with a smile, “It’s just like a dance in the kitchen.”
Make a mental note to try the Duck Breast with fingerling potatoes and dried blueberry gastrique, as well as steak, lobster, scallops, and grilled pork tenderloin.
All Homemade Desserts
Savory Grille’s famed Crème Brulee with berries features a warm crème interior topped by a chewy, melty topping reminiscent of hot toasted marshmallows. A Black Cherry Cardamom ice cream is gorgeous in a lace cookie dish, delicious in its fruity subtleties.
Do linger a bit longer in the warm glow with a French press coffee and ponder those enticing sweet endings you didn’t get to try yet: Hazelnut Chocolate Torte, Watermelon Sorbet, and Apple-Raisin Turnover with cinnamon ice cream…Next time.
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By Marian Frances Wolbers | Photos by Heidi Reuter
