Bistro Savannah
Shellfish-Stuffed Black Sea Bass with Clam Sauce. One bite of this flamboyant sea-inspired dish and you may not want to venture back to shore. Bistro Savannah Chef Danny Kim uses fresh local seafood, infusing lumps of blue crab meat, shrimp, scallops with cream and saffron, wine and even a hint of fennel, all topped off with a rich clam sauce. “The dish became popular in Savannah because of [its] presentation and the flavor of fresh local seafood,” says Kim. “This dish, I believe, is what Savannah seafood is about.” Bistro Savannah, 309 West Congress Street, 912.233.6266

Il Pasticcio
Ahi Tuna Wrapped in Speck Ham with Carrot-Ginger Puree, Teardrop Tomatoes and Micro Greens. Il Pasticcio has a lot of bright surprises up its culinary sleeve this summer, not the least of which includes this highly flavorful dish. Executive Chef Mir Ali found inspiration from the classic Italian favorite, veal saltimbocca. Like traditional saltimbocca, the ahi tuna is wrapped in salty speck ham and seared to perfection, then topped with sage. The ham wakes up the flavor of the tuna, and the carrot-ginger puree adds illumination. Explains Ali, “I think this dish will be popular because it’s a way to present tuna in a playful way of Italian concepts and with a new twist, not to mention that it tastes as good as it looks.”
Il Pasticcio, 2 East Broughton Street, 912.231.8888,

The Express Cafe & Bakery
Whoopie Pie. Whoopie pie may be a staple of Northern diets, but as of late, it’s crossing into Dixie and has made a debut in downtown Savannah. The Express Café & Bakery bills itself as the only restaurant in town to offer this dreamy, creamy, chocolaty, traditionally New England treat. “It got its name from the sound Amish children made when they found out their mothers had packed it in their lunch pails,” explains Express Café owner Beth Meeks. Meeks wants to pay homage to the rich history of the whoopie pie, so Chef Des Woolford sticks to the original design: two soft cakelike cookies with a rich frosty filling of vanilla cream. It’s overstuffed, overindulgent and it’s flying off the shelf at Express Café. Go early: they sell out daily.
The Express Café and Bakery, 39 Barnard Street, 912.233.4683