Restaurant Review: Flora and Fauna serves up a bite of Paris in the Starland district

It's a rarity when a beloved eatery closes and in its place, another one opens. The resulting nostalgia and eventual comparisons can, sometimes, create unfulfilled expectations. Happily, that's not the case with Flora and Fauna, the FARM Hospitality Group's latest entry into the Savannah market.

With chef Annie Coleman at the helm, Flora and Fauna opened its breakfast and lunch service in May in the Starland space once held by Back in the Day Bakery. In June, its supper club debuted, furthering its commitment to building community around good food. By day, Flora and Fauna is a laid-back French-inspired bistro where patrons bus their own plates. When dusk approaches, it's an upscale white-table (no cloth) restaurant showcasing a seasonally rotating, three-course prix fixe menu with service orchestrated like Fred and Ginger. Demonstrably downhome and highbrow ― the narrative thread of Savannah's tapestry ― it thankfully eschews the "cool factor" for something closer to authentic.

The bright space has held onto the charm of the previous owners ― distressed wallpaper, warm wooden accents ― while creating a youthful, spirited vibe all its own. From the get-go, the front-of-house staff has exuded the essence of hospitality, a quality not present in many of Savannah's restaurants, where chefs and owners lament the trials of finding and keeping "good help." It's a testament to FARM Hospitality's ethos that many of its longtime employees help open and staff the kitchens of its growing portfolio, often growing and ascending along with it.

Full house and many courses

Amid the tender croissants and pastries, a salty Cheryl's Biscuit with a generous dose of French butter and a slather of bright strawberry jam on each delicate layer evokes both comforting familiarity and an air of decadence. The standout, however, is the Anson Mill pencil cobb grits dressed in mushroom gravy. The gravy's earthiness comes in waves, ending with a lift of fresh rosemary. Elevated countryside fare in every spoonful, it's tempting to lick the bowl clean.

The silky house-cured Parisienne ham graces biscuits and baquettes in equal measure, ideal for grab-and-go breakfast or lunch. The seasonal soups, beginning with a sweet summer corn purée energized by wafer-thin jalape?o and a slice of sourdough then moving to a field-fresh tomato-basil gazpacho, pair in both terroir and temperament with the berry salad. An entire side or appetizer could be made of the spiced pecans.

There was a full house for the supper club, where murmurs spread from table to table not only about the refreshing grouper crudo and cheeseburger tartare starters but also the picture-worthy and flaked salt-and-herbed "hatbox" of butter.

"Why hasn't anyone thought of this before?" asked one guest, sinking her teeth into the tartare's benne brioche bun. The dijonaiise and shallot slightly overpowered the essence of aged gouda, but the hearty beginners could have been a meal unto themselves and were perfect for sharing as were the briny quartet of May River oysters. The add-ons were served in pairs ― one set with a sweet-tart blueberry-black pepper mignonette and the other roasted with a blanket of savory French onion. A summer vegetable and bread salad tossed with a pimento ranch dressing served as a lighter counterbalance to the more substantial first-course offerings.

For the second course, the table ordered one of each of a spicy rice provencale, a lavish hanger steak, and a light and bright seafood stew punctuated with wreckfish, lump crab and jumbo shrimp. Of the three, the well-seasoned, fork-tender hanger steak proved the star.

The meal was finished with a floating island of champagned peaches and an espresso-enhanced dark pain au chocolate. Both were satisfying without being coyingly sweet and tastefully illustrated the back-of-the-house talent. At $55 per person before cocktails and wine, Flora and Fauna's Supper Club is affordable and invites anticipation as the menu changes frequently.

Flora and Fauna, 2401 Bull St., is closed on Tuesdays, but every other day of the week, it's open to assuage your appetites. Dive in, the bread is warm.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah's Flora and Fauna makes approachable French fare