Tonight was the last night that Savannah in Costa Mesa will be serving drinks and dinner. Before it was Savannah, it was Chat Noir. The then owner, David Wilhelm, decided to rebrand the restaurant as Savannah before his company, Culinary Adventures,declared bankruptcy. David Wilhelm left the company and things haven’t been the same ever since.

Savannah closes its doors at the end of dinner service. Tim and I decided to head up there for dinner. I attempted to call the restaurant twice before hanging up. No one was answering. We told oursleves that we would head up there and see if we could get in. When we got there, we found that the whole night was booked, but that we could be seated in the Lounge & Bar area.

This was actually my first time to Savannah or any of the Culinary Adventure restaurants. The Lounge area felt much like the set of Moulin Rouge with lots of dark red fabrics and dark, rich wood. We grabbed a table in the back area and Rebekah was our server. It was busy tonight. We both started off with an infused Vodka with cranberry juice. The infusion was of watermelon and raspberries I think mixed with Vodka and a splash of cranberry for color. The drink wasn’t sweet, as I had expected, but I enjoyed it. Tim on the other hand didn’t care for it and opted for the Moulin Rouge drink.

Webth opted for the $10 specials. I had the aged 8oz filet mignon with garlic mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables, while Tim had the Halibut with garlic mashed potatoes with Spinach and capers. In addition, we both decided to split an order of the Mac N Cheese with a potato chip crust.

Just after Rebekah took our order, fresh bread was brougt to the table. The crust was crunchy while the inside was soft, pillowy and still warm. Add some butter to it and it was perfect! Our dishes arrived afetr a short wait. My filet mignon ws perfect cooked to medium-rare. A small mound of mashed potatoes with crisp, roasted vegetables onthe side. Tim Halibut dish arrived and it looked great. His halibut was cooked perfectly with a nice crust on the outside. It sat on top of a mound of garlic mashed potatoes with sautéed spinach and capers.

The next few minutes was spent enjoying a really great meal and catching up with each other with the goings-on in our lives. We both decided we would have dessert. Tim chose the Creme Brulée and I had the Bananas Foster. I asked rebekah if it was made tableside (I can dream, right?) but, alas, no. Tim’s brulée was ok, but it was the Bananas Foster that stole both of our hearts. There is something about brown sugar, butter and rum that when mixed together over heat produces something that is so wonderful you get lost in the moment. Add bananas and vanilla ice cream and you have perfection!

We asked Rebekah what her plans were since she won’t be reporting for work tomorrow and it turns ut that she is a Grad Studnet at Chapman in Film and Sound. We wished her good luck and as we walked thru the restaurant for the last time, we saw lots of filled seats with smiling customers.

Thank you for a wonderful meal and experience. Good night Savannah.

I know the restaurant is closing, but I would like to give the restaurant a 4 out of 5 for great food and service.

Savannah
655 Anton Blvd
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 557-6647

Photo Credit: Clifford Bailey