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Servants smoothly attended to every guest's needs and Mary Clay ensured the food and wine were of the finest quality. News of the Clays' parties often appeared in Savannah's society pages, further elevating the family's social status. Joseph's wife Mary was known as a consummate hostess who masterfully planned lavish dinners, musical evenings, and holiday balls in the mansion's spaces. Guests delighted in dancing the evening away in the grand first floor ballroom or discussing politics and business in the dining room over sumptuous meals. Today, diners can still experience that refined grace as they step inside the Olde Pink House restaurant and enjoy Southern cuisine in spaces that have hosted Savannah society since the city's settlement.
THE OLDE PINK HOUSE IS ONE OF SAVANNAH'S MOST ICONIC & HISTORIC RESTAURANTS
The mansion followed this trajectory when purchased in the 1870s by a consortium establishing a bank. Their tenure left an indelible mark during an important transitional period as Savannah evolved from provincial colony to refined American city. During Clay's tenure as mayor of Savannah from 1805 to 1806, he and his family took up residence in the mansion. As Savannah progressed into the 19th century, the stately Habersham house passed into the hands of prominent political leader Joseph Clay. With their low ceilings, fireplaces, and limited seating, they resemble the type of formal but cozy spaces where Georgia's early aristocracy would have entertained friends for elaborate dinners.
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If only the walls could speak of Habersham's grand parties, the Clays' lively gatherings, or the bustle of Victorian bank tellers - all long gone but not forgotten. Through meticulous restoration and devotion to regional cuisine, the restaurant has revived this aristocratic dwelling, allowing modern diners and history aficionados alike to step inside Savannah’s gilded past. Revived, hand-plucked, period pieces curated by the owner herself, Donna Moeckel, fill the walls of The Olde Pink House with the pathos of the South.
IT'S CONSIDERED ONE OF THE FINEST EXAMPLES OF GEORGIAN-STYLE ARCHITECTURE
Among the city’s most iconic historical treasures is the Olde Pink House restaurant, which has borne witness to Savannah society since 1771 within the elegant confines of an 18th century mansion. Set in a colonial mansion, the Olde Pink House restaurant offers Southern charm with a menu to match. Through painstaking technique and time-honored family wisdom, the Olde Pink House kitchen channels history onto every plate. Crisp fried green tomatoes offer another taste of regional delicacies transformed by the Olde Pink House into appetizing works of art. The kitchen’s expertise with these Satisfying coastal classics comes through in every bite. Yet preparation still remains faithful to the way grandmothers and great-grandmothers cooked throughout Savannah’s history.
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The Olde Pink House is one of Savannah’s finest dining establishments, offering new Southern cuisine in a sophisticated, yet casual setting. The Olde Pink House is known for specialties like Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Bourbon Molasses, Crispy Scored Flounder with Apricot Shallot Sauce, and Corn Bread Fried Oysters. Pickled watermelon rinds, a tradition rooted in preserving the food you can’t afford to waste, now garnish blackened oysters. Collard greens, the thick, leafy vegetation found and perfected by those who had no alternatives, feature pork scraps to punch up the flavor.
THE HOUSE IS RUMORED TO BE HOME TO A RESIDENT GHOST NAMED JAMES
The throws of Yellow Fever in the 19th century and the COVID-19 pandemic this past year, both of which shuttered doors across the city. When guests savor the cuisine, they take part in the continuing story of Southern food that fills this landmark with legacy. The mansion's parlors and bedrooms now served as guest lodging, losing the elegance of their previous incarnations. The war had taken its toll on Savannah, so operating the old house as a hotel provided much needed accommodations. For over two centuries, the mansion has welcomed Savannah's elite through its doors, from the lavish parties of Habersham's era to the distinguished gentlemen's club operated out of the house in the 19th century.
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Dishes like the creamy shrimp and grits or silky she-crab soup allow diners to savor two of the Lowcountry’s quintessential flavors. The Strongs filled the dining rooms with fine antiques and opened the restored cellar as a tavern. Their passion revealed the mansion's beauty once more, while retaining its 18th and 19th century character. With a vision to revive the mansion to its former elegance, the Strongs commissioned meticulous restorations of the original floorplan, doors, windows, and interior details. By the early 20th century, the aging but still-stately former Habersham mansion had passed through many uses and owners.
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This practical chapter, though far removed from the structure's original purpose, became an important part of the historic mansion's story and connection to Savannah's past. The banking offices situated upstairs in the former bedrooms, while the ornate dining and drawing rooms of the Clay family became the public-facing spaces for bank transactions. At a time when Savannah society was flourishing, the Clay family used the house to host elegant soirees and entertainments befitting their station. With its pink stucco facade and white ornamental ironwork, the mansion emanates the elegance of 18th century life when it was first erected in 1771 for James Habersham Jr. Standing stately in Reynolds Square, the Olde Pink House restaurant inhabits one of Savannah's finest examples of Georgian-style architecture. The striking pink facade also rendered the mansion instantly recognizable in the local landscape, with the color chosen as a proud nod to Habersham's English heritage.
The food draws from regional tradition, but underneath the surface of fried green tomatoes and shrimp and grits lies a storied landmark that has watched over Savannah from Reynolds Square for nearly 250 years. Just as in 1771, the Olde Pink House remains a destination for those who seek to experience Georgian Savannah's splendor. A.lure offers Lowcountry cuisine like shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes and Lowcountry boil, in a contemporary, urban setting. All of their seafood is caught by Savannah fishermen, as well as brought in from surrounding areas such as Florida and the Carolinas. For Mother’s Day, they will have a fresh local catch of the day, seasonally prepared.
The appropriately-named Olde Pink House is easy to find, with its iconic shade of pink, right across from Reynolds Square. Spoil your mom this Mother’s Day, May 12th, with an unforgettable dining experience in the charming city of Savannah, Georgia. Known for its stunning architecture, historic beauty, and, of course, its exceptional culinary scene, Savannah is the perfect backdrop for celebrating the most important woman in your life. Here is your guide to some of the best Mother’s Day dining options in Savannah, where delectable food and beautiful settings create the perfect thank you to Mom.
The menu draws deeply from traditions and recipes perfected in local kitchens across generations. During this period, the mansion was less a family home or even hotel—it now bustled daily with patrons conducting business transactions and employees obediently working in their offices. The Habersham-Clay mansion led a utilitarian existence for many decades following Savannah's antebellum era. As the Civil War plunged the nation into chaos, the grand house transitioned into more practical uses aligned with tumultuous times. The stately mansion surely felt livelier during the Clay's residency than in its previous incarnation as a more staid family estate for James Habersham Jr. But the Clays upheld the home's refined atmosphere, using its grand spaces as the backdrop for some of Savannah's most memorable early 19th century social events.
A Taste of History - savannahmagazine
A Taste of History.
Posted: Thu, 24 Jun 2021 07:00:00 GMT [source]
As one tours the storied halls of the Olde Pink House today, it becomes easy to imagine the mansion as it was during Savannah's earlier days. Patrons dine immersed in the architecture and atmosphere of 18th century Savannah brought to life by one of its earliest leading citizens. The legacy of James Habersham is still honored through the surviving Habersham house, now the Olde Pink House restaurant.
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