Renamed Savannah’s Bistro and under new management, one of Huntington’s favorite dining destinations is back.
By Molly McClennen
HQ 112 | WINTER 2021
Years before Huntington made its name as a culinary destination, Savannah’s Restaurant had made a name for itself by serving fine dining in a beautifully decorated, historic home at 12th Street and Sixth Avenue. For 23 years, Savannah’s was among the first establishments Huntington residents thought of when planning a special night. The restaurant won many awards, including the Five Diamond Award of Excellence from the North American Restaurant Association and Best in the Tri-State for Fine Dining and Best Wine List, as voted on by readers of The Herald-Dispatch. And perhaps most impressive of all for oenophiles, the restaurant received the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence each year since 1999. When owner Ava Bicknell closed the restaurant in January 2020, it left Savannah’s patrons with many fond memories, but still longing for the restaurant’s legendary crab cakes and filet mignon burgers.
So it came as welcome news when, in October 2020, Tara Dunn, a longtime employee of Savannah’s, reopened the restaurant and rebranded it as Savannah’s Bistro. A close friend of Bicknell’s daughter, Dunn began working as a server at Savannah’s in 1999 to help out during the busy holiday season. She returned to working at Savannah’s through the years, eventually becoming a full-time employee and taking on a manager’s role. But Savannah’s was more than a job for Dunn. It became her family, and Bicknell became a mentor and second mother. When the restaurant closed, Dunn was devastated.
“I could not see that building being anything other than a restaurant. I could not see it being anything other than what Ava had made it,” says Dunn. “People have had so many special memories there over the years, including myself — engagements, birthdays, holidays, parties. I can’t tell you how many times I helped a man propose, and then it became the couple’s special place to come back to for their anniversary. It is a place full of special memories for the community and for myself.”
Unlike many new restaurant owners, Dunn does not seek to put her own mark on Savannah’s. Rather, she wants to continue the legacy of what made Savannah’s so special.
“My goal is to continue the legacy of what Ava started, so people can come back to that special place. I feel like we have been able to give that back to the community,” says Dunn.
Guests will find the menu largely unchanged, with favorites like the cream of crab soup, crab cakes and rack of lamb as delicious as they remember.
Savannah’s Bistro offers weekly specials in addition to the regular menu, and guests can still choose from an assortment of homemade desserts to top off their meal. The menu changes twice a year to reflect the change in seasons. Guests can still enjoy an extensive wine list, as well as mimosas and bloody marys.
Dunn says she could not have undertaken the project if chef Jay Lewis had not agreed to join her.
“Jay loves Savannah’s and wants nothing but the best for it like I do. We put extra time and work in just to make the customers happy. He takes a lot of pride in his work and wants everything to be perfect,” says Dunn.
Lewis gets credit for one of the few changes to the Savannah’s Bistro menu — the addition of a homemade meatball appetizer that Dunn says has been a hit. His sauce for the scallops also draws rave reviews.
One other change at Savannah’s Bistro is the addition of a Sunday brunch with offerings like chicken and waffles with Lewis’s homemade chicken tenders, a Monte Cristo sandwich, homemade biscuits and gravy and French toast. Dunn says brunch has become popular in the short time they have been open, with regulars returning every week.
“We get a lot of compliments for the variety of things we have on our brunch menu. There is something on the menu for everyone, even people who are not breakfast eaters,” says Dunn.
Dunn has also added some menu options that are more affordably priced.
“We want people to feel they can come here other than on special occasions, enjoy themselves, relax and get great quality food,” she says, adding that she looks forward to being open during warmer weather when guests can dine on the patio, surrounded by firepits to take off the chill.
For the time being, Savannah’s Bistro is open on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Dunn says even in such a difficult year for restaurants, Savannah’s has gotten a lot of support from the community.
“We have had people come to eat at Savannah’s Bistro who had not gone out to eat during the whole pandemic,” says Dunn. “That makes me feel good. We hear a lot of people say how happy they are we have reopened. Savannah’s has always been my home away from home. I respect Ava and look up to her. My one true goal with reopening the restaurant has been to make her proud.”
