Residence Inn, Historic District in Savannah, GA - a Half-Mile away from The Grey Restaurant

[reedm]

Location and Rates for Tonight - Website

On 5/26/2016 at 1:14 PM, goodeats said:

Friends own the Chromatic Dragon, a gamer-pub there, and apparently rents out rooms. But I haven't had a chance to visit them and find out how to rent a room with them or the cost. But if you are interested in something other than a hotel, and more along the lines of a themed b&b experience, then you might want to contact them...

 somehow missed your post, but thanks for your kind offer.

I ended up staying at the Residence Inn Historic District, which was is conveniently located to SCAD. The property seemed to be very new, so the condition was quite good. I stayed in a "cottage", which is more of a quadplex than a cottage. Overall, the room was was fine. Very large and comfortable, but the TV channels were terrible. (Yes, first world problems)

The front desk service was lukewarm, but that's not unexpected for Savannah. I'd asked about the advertised mixing hour, or whatever it is called, and was simply told that it is Monday-Wednesday. I experienced some door issues, and despite the fact I had trudged back and forth in the pouring rain, the same desk clerk expressed the emotions of a klingon. 

Breakfast is included, but it's the same mediocre fare offered by most places. I'd recommend Foxy Loxy for great coffee and delicious house made pastries (including some fantastic kolaches). http://foxyloxycafe.com/ In fact, because it was my daughter's hangout, we stopped there for dinner the night before. It has Texas roots, and in the evenings they offer some outstanding tacos. The shrimp tacos were simply perfect. 

There is no bar, but there are snacks available for purchase in a small area next to the front desk. Valet parking is recommended, even at the outrageous price of $12 per day. (sarcasm).  I didn't have time to explore the area, but there is a cuban restaurant a very short distance away that looked interesting. http://ranchoalegrecuban.com/

[DonRocks]

This hotel is less than 1/2-mile away from The Grey restaurant, a 2018 James Beard finalist for Best Chef - Southeast.

The Chef at The Grey is Mashama Bailey, who is the first African-American woman *ever* to be a finalist for a James Beard regional Best Chef award.

[Steve R.]

There’s a Hampton Inn on the corner, less than a block from The Grey, and we stayed one night last week on our trip down to Florida.  It’s the only Hampton we stayed at that charged for parking ($30/night) but, since it was a free stay with Hilton points, I didnt care.  We like Hampton (see my separate “ode to Hamptons” elsewhere on the board).  The stay was just about perfect.

The Grey, on the other hand, wasnt.  The menus in the bar area and main dining room have recently been revamped and are now the same in both.  The fixed price is gone from the dining room and the a la carte menu did not yield interesting results.  It seemed to me like they are walking thru the motions without inspiration & the chef is clearly capable of better (she was in the open kitchen, in charge of what was going out).  Reservations are still tough, the place was full & others were enjoying their food, so maybe its just me.  Or maybe the new menu is not yet tweaked.  Whatever - it was a disappointing dinner.  Nothing bad, just something I can get elsewhere without fanfare.  We’ll go to Husk next trip thru Savannah.

[reedm]

11 hours ago, Steve R. said:

There’s a Hampton Inn on the corner, less than a block from The Grey, and we stayed one night last week on our trip down to Florida.  It’s the only Hampton we stayed at that charged for parking ($30/night) but, since it was a free stay with Hilton points, I didnt care.  We like Hampton (see my separate “ode to Hamptons” elsewhere on the board).  The stay was just about perfect.

The Grey, on the other hand, wasnt.  The menus in the bar area and main dining room have recently been revamped and are now the same in both.  The fixed price is gone from the dining room and the a la carte menu did not yield interesting results.  It seemed to me like they are walking thru the motions without inspiration & the chef is clearly capable of better (she was in the open kitchen, in charge of what was going out).  Reservations are still tough, the place was full & others were enjoying their food, so maybe its just me.  Or maybe the new menu is not yet tweaked.  Whatever - it was a disappointing dinner.  Nothing bad, just something I can get elsewhere without fanfare.  We’ll go to Husk next trip thru Savannah.

That matches my experience from a couple of months ago. Stopped by late afternoon for a bit on Sunday, and sat at the bar. They were closing, and while crab fritters were good, and the cocktail was fine, it wasn't anything particularly special.
I stopped by a coupe of other Savannah spots, and was not overly impressed by any of them.