Savannah Red

This hotel restaurant is fantastic. I will say with 100% confidence that this is the best breakfast that I have ever had. The omelet station is superb and the breakfast potatoes are full of flavor. They were very patient with my 3 children and were very helpful. I can’t wait to stay here again.

I went here on a Feast Food Tour and was blown away by the décor, ambiance, service and most importantly the Krispy Kreme Doughnut Bread Pudding! I can’t wait to come back for brunch with friends and the hubby.

Truly. Meh. The Cutter’s Cigar Bar is nice, so I had high expectations. Well, you know the rest of the story. I guess the idea was to let the hotel guests in shorts and colorful polos eat there because Charlotte has nothing better to offer? Not. Almost everywhere else in Charlotte center city is better.

Avoid this place at all costs. The food is disgusting. I honestly never had food this horrible in my entire life. From the frozen crab cakes to the unseasoned grouper. my experience left me confused and hungry. This is simply a Marriott hotel restaurant — not an award winning restaurant by any means.

Note: went for Restaurant Week
This was my first time inside the Marriott where Savannah Red is located. Its a small restaurant with just a few rooms and not many big tables. The décor is pretty neat, seemed to be fire themed.
For my three courses, I got scallops, pheasant and dumplings followed by a play on a s’more.
The service was very great, the servers were very attentive and even brought out some extra wine when we noted that it was our friends birthday.
It was a good restaurant week experience, but I doubt I’ll be back.

I’m usually a little leery of hotel restaurants, but my adventures foodie side got the best of me on this and steered me to Savannah red with some girlfriends for restaurant week. I was pleasantly surprised. The staff was attentive, but not pushy. Atmosphere was inviting. Plus the food was on point. I had the seared sea scallops for an appetizer which were sweet, buttery, and cooked perfectly. The tile fish which I’ve never had before with a oyster mushroom bread casserole paired with cranberry chutney for an entrée. Again everything was on point and a very interesting mix of flavors. Dessert I’m not a huge fan of, but from what I heard it left a little to be desired. The lemon tart with salted whipped crème was pretty yummy, but everything else was just eh. Some of my guests had the steak with a sweet potato casserole and asparagus for an entrée and again didn’t disappoint. I’ll definitely be keeping this one in the rotation when I want something a little fancier then your gastro lounges and brew pub feel.

Went to this hyped up restaurant for the first time during restaurant… bison soup was so so, filet mignon was over cooked, bread pudding tasted like a cup of bourbon. Ok but not the best meal I’ve had in Charlotte :-(

Not bad for a hotel restaurant! I was here during restaurant week when they had a fixed price three course menu. It was a good deal with excellent choices. The Savannah Red s’mores were killers!

Tasty tasty tasty! Delish appetizers and dessert.
— sweet mashed yams
— broccolini
— crab cakes
— mac and cheese with bacon
— corn dish (YUMMIEST)
— Dessert: Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding, lit on fire!

I wish I could give this quarter stars. I was torn about how I should rate this restaurant because some of my food here was excellent but some could have been better. I still gave it a four star review because it was certainly better than ‘a-​ok’ but a four seems to be a bit of a stretch. If I had total freedom, Id give it a 3.75. T
This place seems to excel when it comes to desserts. The krispy kreme bread pudding is excellent and surprisingly, its not as sickly sweet as you would expect given that its made with donuts. The bourbon sauce and the raisins complement the sweetness and make this dessert more complex than just a sugar bomb. The sauce is VERY heavy on the bourbon-​I could smell the alcohol in it when it arrived which worried me since I dont like liquor but the taste was amazing.
For an appetizer, I had a gazpacho that was filled with lump crab. The crab was very high quality and the gazpacho had a nice vinegary flavor but it was kind of thin. My entrée was cobia with collard greens and polenta. The cobia was seasoned very well but it had an odd texture-​a tad rubbery and tougher than I usually like my fish. To be fair, this was my first experience with cobia so I dont know if the texture was the fault of the restaurant or if it always tastes this way (one of the reasons that I decided to give the benefit of the doubt and go with the four star review). The collards and polenta were supurb thanks to the spicy, savory seasoning and they definitely enhanced the fish and helped make up for its shortcomings. The fish definitely tasted better when eaten with a mouthful of the side dishes.
I went to Savanna Red during restaurant week to take advantage of the deals and I would like to go back and try it during a regular week because some of the most intriguing dishes werent on the restaurant week menu. They serve elk, which is a rarity in the southeast, as well as a bison osso bucco.

Gourmet Soul Food? I love it. Who would have thought such a nice little gem would be hidden inside the Charlotte Marriott. We had some very artistic chefs with us since we were all here for the Research Chefs Association’s annual conference. No pressure to the chef since we didn’t say anything until half way through the meals. They started us out with a complimentary smoked salmon torte. Some great appetizers, then a blood orange sorbet for palate cleansing. It was quite a culinary experience. The head chef came out since he was also a Johnson & Wales alum as were our guests. Great score and I highly recommend.

The worst service ever.
I was staying in the Charlotte Marriott — where Savannah Red is located — for the Democratic Convention. I worked on events at both Conventions having come from Tampa where the Republicans held theirs. I’d been in the concierge lounge with a couple friends where I’d had 2 drinks. We made our way down to the restaurant and sat at the bar to grab something to eat before we set out on our evening. We were having a fun conversation and laughing and when we ordered, I was told I was cut off from having more to drink. Not my two friends but just me. It was the most bizarre thing ever. Never, ever had that happen. I was not drunk or unruly and the waitress and the manager refused to listen to reason. I wouldn’t go back here if it was the last place on earth to eat.

Lovely atmosphere, and creative dishes, located in the lobby of the Marriott.
I was impressed by this restaurant, from the quiet setting with an uncrowded dining room to the casual friendliness of the waiters. And of course the beautiful and delicious food! The menu had a lot of options for a fancier place, and the dishes seemed to be quite unique — filet of elk, seafood, interesting complementing sauces and combinations.
Two types of complimentary cornbread (sweet and additionally peach & bourbon served with sweet kudzu butter) — yum! We started off with an appetizer, the ahi tuna with white chocolate foam and microgreens. it was very tasty, and was a decent sized portion for sure! I also enjoyed the warm lobster salad which was truly a piece of art to look at (a little awkward to eat) and very tasty — the flavors of everything blended well, I wish there were more greens though. For my entrée I ordered a special — Yellow Fin Tuna with a grain of some sort and asparagus — I had it cooked medium, and it was great. There was just enough seasoning, but not too much to over power. The grains were mild and complimented the tuna. I would order it again. The people with me had the elk filet and were very pleased with their choice.
Of course we had dessert. I opted for a dish with strawberries and kiwis with a marscapone ice cream. It was light, and maybe a little too sweet — but summery and fruity. The ice cream was great. The others ordered the crispy crème makers mark bread pudding and could not stop raving about it — so I would say go for it if that’s your thing.
Overall, I would go back. The bill was around 70 bucks a person, the service was great, and the food was very good.
Note: their menu is out of date online

This lovely restaurant near the BOA Headquarters and the business district is a surprisingly excellent restaurant in a hotel at the Marriott. The service was exquisite, friendly and fun. I was alone in the restaurant, and the server treated me incredibly well with conversation, tastings and suggestions. The shrimp and grits was my entrée of choice and a house specialty. It was unlike any I’ve had in NOLA — not barbqued, but roasted shrimp and scallops in a tomato butter sauce. The grits were so yummy and rich. The scallops were so large and tender that I could barely finish them. This is an excellent choice in downtown for a unique take on southern cuisine.

Say it with me now — Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding.
When I first told one of my friends about this dessert, he told me that the thought of it made him Krispy Kreme his pants. That’s before I even went into the pornographic details about how it was swimming in Makers Mark Caramel Bourbon Sauce that was set ablaze. So naughty.
I mean, I don’t even like donuts all that much but it just felt wrong not to order an item that was just so blatantly taunting.
I kept my expectations at bay before dining here. It’s located inside of the City Center Marriott so I was very aware that the food may be uninspiring and generic. But what I found is that Savannah Red is actually a fabulous restaurant that stands on it’s own two feet, with delicious food at tasty price points
Things started off nicely with an amuse bouche of cauliflower soup, which was rich and delicious.
I like to just nibble and taste so I ordered a few small dishes. The Jumbo Crab Cakes ($ 8) were pretty good, but keep in mind that the Cilantro Avocado Emulsion is little a small dollop on the plate. The Diver Scallop Ravioli w/​cream sauce, wilted greens, and Sriracha gastrique ($ 8) was my far my favorite dish ordered. You’ve got to try it. the greens are cooked perfectly and the two ravioli are large, fresh and meaty.
I was given a bit of sorbet to cleanse the palate before being presented with my Pear and Endive salad, blue cheese brulee and pink apple vinaigrette. So good!
Initially, I had no plans on ordering dessert. But the bread pudding was only $ 6 and sounded so novel that I had to give it a try. If you like donuts, you will love it. For my own personal taste (I’m not huge on donuts) it was a bit too sweet, but the preparation and plating were fabulous!
Overall, an excellent restaurant with stellar service and an exciting menu.

I came here as a mother-​daughter duo for Restaurant Week and was not disappointed. After reading some other reviews, I get the sense that there may be some *inconsistencies* but we were all pleased with our visit.
We all ordered from the pre-​fixed menu. The petite filet was cooked to perfection and the cauliflower/​leek purée was good enough to eat as a soup. Seriously. The Guinea Hen (I chose the dark meat option) was rich and flavorful. The braised swiss chard and honey roasted fingerling potatoes were the perfect pairing. I would never have thought to do the potatoes in sweet sauce. They were divine.
Our server was so sweet and accommodating. Keep in mind that Savannah Red is more of a wine bar, so the liquor selection is limited. I had high hopes for the Krispy Kreme Makers Mark bread pudding, but it really missed the mark with all 4 of us. It was more like a Cinnamon roll with bourbon poured on top. I would definitely come back to experience the regular menu!

I’ll get the only negative out of the way first– the bread pudding wasn’t spectacular. I know that every review says amazing things about it, and the description on the menu made my mouth water, but as much as I like desserts, I didn’t eat much of mine. In fact, I went back to my hotel bar and ordered some strawberries with vanilla marscapone cream, and that was yummy!
Still, this was one of the best meals I’ve had in as long as I can remember. First, they brought cornbread and strawberry cornbread with cheese and Kudzu butter. I would have been satisfied with just that for dinner. But then, they brought the diver scallops appetizer with the sliced figs. They were tender. They were gently seared. They practically melted in my mouth. I detected a hint of tamarind, but it could be my imagination.
Thanks to fellow Unilocaler Zan F’s recommendation, I passed up bison for the shrimp and grits and was glad I did. The shrimp and scallops were almost an afterthought, as I wanted to ask the waitress for a bowl of grits to go for breakfast the next day. The spicy smoky Tasso Gravy was a nice touch.
My dinner companion ‘allowed’ me a taste of the guinea hen, and that was cooked to perfection too. Crispy outside, fatty in some places, lean in others, but flavorful and supple all around. I really liked the spicy black kale too!
Compared to other restaurants of the same caliber, this isn’t one of the pricier ones. The best part is their focus on using fresh ingredients from local farms. On top of that, the portions are just right– not selfishly small and not so large that you can’t savor every dish put in front of you without busting your gut. I love this place, and I can’t wait to get back to Charlotte, sink into one of their red, deep, cushiony seats for another culinary celebration.

Holy unprofessional, I wish they offered a free course called «server 101» because I fear our server cannot last in this industry much longer. I dare say she might have been the worst server I have ever experienced –and it actually blows my mind that she earns tips on a daily basis.
She «greets» our table after 15 minutes of waiting in the lobby followed by 15 minutes of sitting at our table… was the place slammed? No. Her greeting consisted of throwing her arms over the backs of our chairs and asking us if we’ll buy her a shot of tequila… then, when she took our order and her pen didn’t work she turned around and threw it at the bar… nice.
She dropped two of our meals (a filet and salmon) and then came over and said «you heard that crash, that was your meal» …I then politely told her that my rare steak looked more well and she then answered «well that’s three people that have to wait for their meals… rolled her eyes and stormed off» …nice.
She then brings out the salmon… gosh that poor friend who ordered salmon. The first time it was served raw. Then she had to send it back yet again– the third time it was served without sauce. They finally just brought her out her sides to eat while she waiting for her dish since this was going on a 2. 5 hour meal at this point… nice.
Everyone paid the full cost of their meal which was fine for me as steak is over/​under cooked quite frequently but there really was no excuse for the salmon at that point — 3 times you blew it.
To make matters worse our server tacked on her 20% at the end — of course, that’s why her service sucked (to be frank), she knew all along she would be tipped– why try? Oh and at the end she exclaimed that in 20 minutes she would be drinking tequila, I had only hoped she saved enough for me… lord knows I needed it at that point!
I will say the only reason I gave it two stars instead of one was that the manager brought me a complimentary dessert and glass of sparkling wine, for she seemed to be the only professional who cared about her guests and how they were treated. I know that problems with the meals are often not the fault of a server, but to be friendly, helpful, and in general apologetic… or even sympathetic to your guests, well that is the job of the server, and she failed miserably.
Disappointed is an understatement. I will not be back.

I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that Savannah Red was actually an account of mine back when I used to sell wine, and I never actually knew what kind of food they served or what the inside of the restaurant even looked like. Since they were owned by the Marriott hotel that houses it, there wasn’t much influence I could have over their wine list, and we already pretty much dominated it with some of our larger corporate profile wines. It’s a shame really, because after dining there over the holidays I had a very good meal that would definitely warrant a second visit.
Although the hotel was a bustle with energy after a recently ended football game (Meineke Car Care Bowl, or whatever the hell it’s called now), the restaurant itself was virtually dead for dinner service on a Saturday night. This did give me a better chance to take in the surroundings, and notice the ornate chandelier (
), along with a beautiful but non-​functioning water display, and plates and silverware which seemed entirely too old-​fashioned Southern elegant than necessary, including captain’s chairs which didn’t quite mesh with the tables. On the plus side, a virtually empty dining room caused service to be very attentive, and the food came out without delay.
The chef decided to start out with an amuse bouche of crab stuffed pastry (
) with a homemade remoulade sauce. It was interesting, because I honestly wasn’t even expecting an amuse here, but it was a nice surprise. The remoulade was a bit weak (I tend to like a little more spice), but the crab was nice in texture and flavor. It didn’t take me long after those 2 bites to dive right into the sweet cornbread biscuits, thanks to the very soft butter. The biscuits were delicious, and were it not for a huge food order coming, I could have easily downed a dozen right then.
The first real course of the night was a lobster «cobbler», prepared as an étouffée inside a phyllo tart (
), with a side of saffron ice cream and topped with fresh chive. This was very close to my favorite dish of the night. The lobster flavor was fantastic, and although the saffron ice cream seemed strange at this point in the meal it really paired well with the strong flavors of the main component. The phyllo was perfectly flaky and taken as a whole bite just melts in your mouth. The next starter, braised beef short ribs served over gingerbread cookies (
) was a little more disappointing, but still decent. The sweetness of the cookies was too much, and didn’t mix well with the soy in the beef glaze, but at least the meat was extremely tender.
The soup course was next, and both options were frankly somewhat forgettable. The butternut squash soup (
) was a bit bland, as it can often be, but usually chefs will do something the kick a little flavor in. Not so much here. But perhaps the biggest let down of the night was the pork belly stew (
), which I had very high hopes for. It all became sort of a runny tomato mess, and the texture on the pork belly was very odd and somehow tough… almost like it had been in a freezer too long.
After an intermezzo of chilled citrus sorbet, which acted as a wonderful palate cleanser, the main courses got them back on the road to redemption, both delivering solid flavors. The Scottish salmon (
) was a very large portion, and cooked perfectly, flaking apart very nicely. The one downside was a general lack of seasoning in the dish, but at least the fish seemed pretty fresh so those flavors were enough to carry it as a whole. The duo of duck (
), while looking a bit sloppy, was easily the best dish of the night, and something worth returning to Savannah Red to taste again. The breast portion was seared nicely, and very juicy, and the sauce on top really helped bring out the flavors of the meat as well as adding a hint of sweetness. The confit part was huge, as I would prefer it to be, and just fell apart under the fork, a really well cooked piece of meat.
Since I’ve left Charlotte I’m a bit out of touch with the dining scene there, but it’s nice to see good places like this still around, despite a very challenging location. Granted, most places would kill for the prime real estate downtown, but I have a feeling a lot of its presence is lost by the hotel towering above it, and a lobby that is completely distracting with all the other options. I love that they try to maintain some sense of Southern cuisine in their menu, and that every time I’ve checked the menu since dining there a year ago they are constantly updating it with new, fresh additions.

Located off the lobby of the Marriott hotel, Savannah Red is a small restaurant (50 seats), brightly decorated, that has been dubbed the «boldest food in Charlotte» by the James Beard Foundation.
I personally never got past the cute bar up front as it was Valentines Day weekend and we didn’t have a reservation, but based on the special prix fixe menus that I saw, and the food coming out of the kitchen, it looked delicious! The menu is filled with southern treats with a modern twist.
Staying at the small bar (6 upholstered chair stools, max) had it’s own benefits. We got excellent service for a wide range of drinks and good conversation by the bartender, manager and server. I loved that they were pouring champagne freely and the server, Tonya, was buoyant, personable and, as it turns out, a fellow Unilocaler!
Next time I’m in Charlotte– you can bet I am going to eat here. I have to try out a menu that people described to me as amazing. If for no other reason than to be waited on by the amazing Tonya!