So many posts about food lately but what can I say…I love to eat!
My husband, being the resourceful forager, recently found several large wild bear’s tooth mushrooms. These mushrooms are rare as they take a while to grow, but are so delicious and have a very rich flavor similar to crab or lobster if sauteed in butter or olive oil. Monday night we were feeling super indulgent and pan fried up some bear’s tooth, and layered it with spinach and brie making mushroom spinach grilled cheeses…..oh yea.
For those of you that know Ryan can attest to this; he is the male version of a chatty kathy. After our luxurious grilled cheese creation, he got to talking about the bear’s tooth with a chef with from nearby Jefferson, Georgia who owns a farm to table restaurant called The Savory Spoon. The chef and owner Josh was intrigued by these rare mushrooms so Ryan gave him a sample to see how he liked it. Shortly after their meet and greet, I noticed on facebook that the chef had featured the bear’s tooth on his menu. So we jumped in the car and headed over to Jefferson.
It was a quiet night at The Savory Spoon but it was 7 o’clock on a Tuesday night in a very small town. We hunkered down in a booth and prepared to order a feast…I hadn’t eaten lunch so I was ready to gorge.
We started off with a cup of the corn chowder and some guacamole (not actually an appetizer but I had to try it).
The chowder was so yummy- so warm and comforting with a hint of spice. The guacamole was tasty too- loved the burst of flavor from halved cherry tomatoes in the mix.
For the main event…Ryan ordered one of the specials. Beef tenderloin medallions tossed in a homemade hot sauce with mac n cheese and sauteed cabbage. I went for the wild caught blackened grouper sandwich topped with dill aoli and slaw on a toasted french roll and served with braised brussel sprout greens.
There were so many tempting dishes but it is hard for me to turn down wild caught grouper. It was perfect. The large filet was so fresh and flakey topped off with blackening seasoning that packed a punch (in a good way). The slaw and dill aoli were excellent accompaniments- helping cut the spice and salt of the seasoning and the buttery, crusty bread made the perfect vessel for cradling all the goodness of this po boy.
Although I barely looked up from my sandwich, I managed to take a break and try the other dish. It was equally delectable. The beef tenderloin cooked perfectly and the sauce was more zesty than hot which was nice and had a hint of smoke. The mac n cheese was the bomb- almost as good as your grandmother’s. The cabbage was my favorite side dish of them all- Tender but still had a little crunch to it and it must have been sauteed with some sort of vinegar that enhanced the natural flavor of the cabbage really well.
Never able to turn down chocolate, I insisted on ordering dessert. In my defense- I didn’t go as nuts as I could have. We ordered some coffee and the cookie dough truffle pops.
The cookie dough truffles very charming and the perfect size. These bite size morsels were so decadent and got us sugar buzzed enough for our drive back to Athens.
I really enjoyed our visit to The Savory Spoon. Located just outside the downtown area, the restaurant has a great neighborhood vibe. It was fun to talk with the chefs about their process and hearing how passionate they are about local and sustainable food. The food was excellent; all the dishes had a wonderful homestyle quality to them which I thought was a little different from some farm to table establishments. The flavors were complex yet simple; and all of the dishes were reminded me of southern favorites your mother or grandmother would prepare- just kicked up a notch.
Keep an eye out on facebook for their daily changing menus and they should be up and running with their liquor license in the near future. The chef told us they’ll be rotating two taps of craft beer and serving a variety of wines as well. They are also expanding the restaurant in the coming months to include a bar/lounge with a tapas menu…lots of new things on the horizon for The Savory Spoon. I look forward to going back soon!
Em's on the road 