This installment of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s monthly coastal dining roundup covers a new brewery in a restored 19th-century building in downtown Darien and the first brick-and-mortar location for a popular culinary team in Savannah.
Tabby House Brewing Co. now open in downtown Darien
“Every single aspect of this building faced a challenge,” general manager Peter Savic said recently as he pointed out the curving side wall and other details of the new Tabby House Brewing Company in Darien, Georgia.
Perched on the bluff along the Altamaha River, the brewery makes its home in the Adam Strain building. The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation calls the structure, built circa 1815, a “rare example of historic tabby construction” and included it on its list of “Places in Peril” in 2008.
The building continued to deteriorate for a dozen more years before being purchased by Georgia Trust trustee Milan Savic and his wife Marion Savic (Peter’s parents) in early 2020. Marion said that their initial efforts to stabilize the Adam Strain revealed conditions that were even “more ominous than everyone thought.”
The arduous yearslong restoration is detailed on the Revitalization of the Adam Strain page on Facebook. The thick tabby walls have been left exposed in a couple of spots, and patrons can also see a variety of other original details of the building, which has been home to myriad commercial uses through the decades. In 2025, the Coastal Darien History Museum will open on the brewery’s second floor, which is also available for events.
“It was a team effort,” said chef Megan Savic, Peter’s wife, who is also chef at the Canopy Restaurant, the family’s sister business a couple block east of the the brewery.
Credit: Bill Dawers for The AJC
Credit: Bill Dawers for The AJC
Savic, who trained at the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts in Boulder, Colorado, said that the Tabby House menu was conceived with the building’s history in mind: “If you were in this pub in 1815, what would you have been eating and drinking?”
The sandwiches, flatbreads and grazing boards are modern interpretations of traditional recipes, she said. The caramelized onion flatbread, for example, is her take on an Old World onion pie.
Savic said that the menu might be expanded, but that she is not planning seasonal updates like at the Canopy. She wants regular customers to be able to rely on predictable comfort food, including dishes that have already proved popular like the pastrami sandwich and the beer cheese on the pretzel board.
Savid added that she is in the midst of a “pickling fury” and might soon add a pickle board.
The beers crafted by Jack Persinger III, whom Savic describes as an “up and comer” in the brewing world, will also lean heavily on tradition.
The Double Darien IPA has been in high demand. Other options include an Irish stout called the Celtic Cross and an ale named for Altie, the cryptid that allegedly lives in the waters near the mouth of the Altamaha River that flows through Darien.
Tabby House Brewing Co., 111 Broad St., Darien. 912-437-6939, tabbyhousebrewingco.com.
Credit: Bill Dawers for The AJC
Credit: Bill Dawers for The AJC
Eden Supper Club finds a permanent home in Savannah
Eden Supper Club has cultivated a devoted following over the past five years with various pop-ups, special events and catering gigs in the Savannah area.
Owners Jared Jackson and Nicole Priore have now found a brick-and-mortar home for the business. In September, Eden Supper Club opened in a cozy storefront in the Starland neighborhood. The space is adjacent to the music and event venue Victory North and was most recently occupied by the Garage restaurant.
The current menu includes entrees fit for the season, including lasagna, butternut gnocchi and mushroom ragu with risotto. The sticky toffy pudding dessert is enough for two and includes a scoop of ice cream from Sixby, a cafe that was featured in this coastal dining news roundup in August.
Reservations are recommended, but the restaurant often has room for walk-ins. Patrons can also opt to sit at the bar.
Eden Supper Club, 2605 Whitaker St., Savannah. 912-298-6967, edensupperclub.com.
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About the author: Bill Dawers is a freelancer based in Savannah. A native of Frankfort, Kentucky, he lived in St. Louis and Philadelphia before moving nearly 30 years ago to Savannah to enjoy the city’s quirks, charms and beauty. He also teaches at Georgia Southern University.
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