Sapphire Grill

I lived in Savannah in the year 2000. Sapphire Grill had opened before I moved there. She was the new kid on the block. Unlike her older sisters in Savannah, she was young, hip, sleek and beautiful. She pretty quickly earned a reputation for excellent food and great service and became the new "it" spot for Savannah foodies.

Nine years later, I no longer live in Savannah. Sapphire Grill is no longer the new kid on the block, but she has aged gracefully. I return to see her at least once a year. My husband always knows a trip is imminent when I suddenly start talking about Savannah, or he comes home and finds the webrowser opened to Sapphire's website (the menu to be exact!) He'll say "is getting to be that time again?" He doesn't wait for an answer. The question itself is the answer.

I don't know what it is. Why I love this restaurant so much. Maybe it's because I've been going there for nine years and I feel like I've grown up there. Maybe we've grown up together, Sapphire and I. We share secrets from my life.

I love her elegance, her quiet cool. I love being in Savannah for St. Patrick's day. The city goes crazy with drunken revelers. In the midst of all the craziness, Sapphire is an oasis. Immune, above it all. Here, you can get away from the fray. Catch your breath. Have a glass of wine. Before opening the door and returning to the craziness.

Everything on Sapphire's menu is good but it's the tuna I come back for; I dream about. It's odd because I never liked seafood much. Only recently and it has to be white and mild. I eat tuna; in sushi, but I'm not a big "tuna steak" fan. But somehow, at Sapphire, the tuna mignon, is like no other. It's like velvet. It melts in your mouth. I always pair it with the sweet soy & wasabi. It doesn't need anything more. I love the melted teardrop tomatoes, too. Another simple dish that's somehow impossible to replicate.

I Heart Sapphire. I hear her calling. I'll be there soon.