The Savannah metro area population is much smaller than the population of New Orleans or Charleston, but that’s not the only thing that has somewhat constrained Savannah’s dining scene. Savannah had and still has an inferiority complex, so did that somehow translate into low expectations of restaurants on the part of patrons and of patrons on the part of restaurants? Have we simply lacked a workforce pipeline for quality servers and cooks? Have we pitched too much to the middle of the pack in terms of taste — both to locals and to tourists?

Elizabeth on 37th has been at the forefront of the Savannah dining scene in the South for decades, but why didn’t Elizabeth have more rivals earlier on?

Anyway, I’m rambling, but I could go on and on with questions like those.

The good news is that all this has been changing in recent years with a series of positive food trends — trends that I’ve been covering for over a decade in my Savannah Morning News columns.

And now I’ll make a bold prediction: by 2025, the national reputation of Savannah’s restaurant scene will rival Charleston’s.

Check out this wonderful piece in the NYT yesterday by Jeff Gordinier: At the Grey in Savannah, History Takes Another Turn. The piece is in some respects a profile of Chef Mashama Bailey, but the article also reflects the broader trends toward redefining Southern cooking by embracing its more traditional roots and the farm-to-table/sea-to-table movements. From the article:

Ms. Bailey, 41, was born in the Bronx and raised largely in Queens. For almost four years she was known as a calm and constant presence in the kitchen at Prune, Gabrielle Hamiltonâ€s restaurant in the East Village.

Ms. Hamiltonâ€s cooking there is like a succulent collision of tradition and autobiography: Prune reflects her own very personal viewpoint on French country fare. It helps to look at Ms. Baileyâ€s culinary approach at the Grey in a similar way. She is tapping into the traditions and ingredients of the South, yes, but sheâ€s interpreting the concept of Southern cuisine through the filter of her own experience and training. Sheâ€s making what she likes to eat.

And consider Three New Restaurants Change the Game in Savannah by Bill Addison in Eater last month. It begins:

In my nine combined years as a critic in Atlanta, one of the toughest questions I fielded from readers was: “Where should I eat in Savannah?” Ah, Savannah. Georgiaâ€s oldest city, founded in 1733 just inland from the marshy coast, is a place of otherworldly, out-of-time beauty. Statuesque oaks line the streets, frocked with Spanish moss dangling in rows that resemble fringes on a gray leather jacket. The historic district houses twenty-two squares and centuries-old churches in Greek Revival and Gothic styles. Savannah ranks among the most memorable towns in America for strolling.

For dining, though? Not so much. Before my latest trip last month, when I saw and tasted signs of true culinary transformation for the first time in the two decades Iâ€ve been visiting the city, I would pass along a handful of rote Savannah restaurant suggestions that barely shifted over the years.

Addison details his experiences at The Grey, The Florence, and The Wyld Dock Bar (which I haven’t even tried yet). If Eater were running a piece next month, they might include Cotton & Rye, a great new entry on the local scene that I’ll be writing about soon in a City Talk column.

By the way, it’s also worth noting that of the eight restaurants mentioned in Addison’s piece, five of them are between 35th Street and Victory Drive between Habersham and Whitaker (i.e., well outside of the city’s most touristy areas): The Florence, Narobia’s Grits & Gravy, Green Truck Pub, Back in the Day Bakery, and Elizabeth on 37th.

I’ve heard some complaints about the three spots profiled by Eater, and I don’t doubt that some have legitimately had bad experiences. These new restaurants still have to compete for the city’s apparently small list of top-notch servers and kitchen workers, and every restaurant struggles at times. But I’ve also heard complaints that simply seem off base and indicate that the patron had no idea where he was going, like the friend who expected predictable Americanized-Italian pasta and marinara dishes at The Florence. I could go on and on about misplaced expectations.

Of course, none of the resurgence in traditional southern cooking would be possible without farmers like those who show up every Saturday at the Forsyth Farmers’ Market.

And check back here in 10 years, and we can decide if I was right that Savannah’s dining scene will truly be a rival of Charleston’s.

I live about 5 very short blocks from Savannah’s American Legion Post 135 and I’m sort of a night owl and I don’t watch much TV and I enjoy random interactions with some of Savannah’s most creative and idiosyncratic residents.

So I have spent a lot of time in the lounge at the American Legion Post 135 over the years. The presence of Betty Bombers All American Eatery turned the place into an embarrassment of riches.

That fire in May 2014 disrupted the Legion of course, but it also disrupted the far-flung and diverse community of folks who gather there.

The bar opened last week; Betty Bombers reopened today.

10 months after fire, Betty Bombers reopens to #Savannah public on Tues. Hallelujah. pic.twitter.com/hceYuihFic

— Bill Dawers (@billdawers) March 10, 2015

And a few pics that I took before the renovations were finalized:

I took a few photos with my new Fujifilm x100t when a friend and I ate there last Tuesday night.

It looks like the second Savannah Chipotle will be opening in late September 2014. The second local store will be at 318 Mall Blvd., Suite 600, Unit C — that’s near the new Kroger store.

I like Chipotle just fine, but I was unprepared last year for the crush of interest in the chain, which follows stricter standards for animal treatment and other issues involving “food with integrity” than most other chains.

Anyway, I’ve already started getting hits on this website from searches for the opening date of the Southside Savannah store, which will be convenient both to Abercorn Street and Hodgson Memorial. So here’s an embed of my Twitter exchange today with Chipotle:

@billdawers If all goes well, we're on pace to open at the end of September. We hope we'll see you there! -Skyllo

— Chipotle (@ChipotleTweets) August 31, 2014

For this quick update, I’m relying heavily on embedded posts from Facebook pages and other social media. You can quickly click on through those embeds for more information.

I haven’t yet tried all the new spots included in this post, but I hope to in the coming weeks.

In compiling a post like this, it’s interesting to see how well restaurants are utilizing social media. Some do a tremendous job; others, not so much.

Also worth noting: The Florence isn’t really using Facebook much, instead opting to put more energy into Instagram and Twitter, in addition to an excellent website.

So Hugh Acheson’s The Florence is now open at One West Victory. I’ve been to the coffee shop briefly, had dinner at the bar downstairs, and had dinner at the bar upstairs — I write about those experiences in my next City Talk column (7/6) in the Savannah Morning News.

The upstairs bar as seen on my Instagram:

Pacci Italian Kitchen + Bar opened a couple of months ago at The Brice, the Kimpton hotel that replaced The Mulberry Inn. Roberto Leoci is the executive chef. Click here for my City Talk column about Pacci in the Savannah Morning News.

Flying Monk Noodle Bar opened recently at 5 West Broughton St., across from Chive, another restaurant owned by Sean and Ele Tran. Click here for my City Talk column.

Tybee Island Fish Camp recently opened — the latest venture from the owners of Tybee Island Social Club. The menu looks pretty incredible and the space gorgeous, but I haven’t gotten there yet.

Kayak Kafe has opened a second location — it’s in the former Blue Turtle Bistro space. I haven’t made it there yet either:

Top Deck is now open on top of the new Cotton Sail Hotel on River Street. Top Deck is listed as more bar than restaurant, and I haven’t yet been and can’t find a menu online, but the establishment definitely serves food and has impressive views:

Pie Society is opening a downtown location in City Market soon:

And in sad news, Brasserie 529 on Liberty Street closed recently:

And, usually, something is up.

It’s actually possible that I’ve been to the Legion over 1,000 times over the last decade, however crazy that sounds. (I’m sort of glad I haven’t kept count.)

The opening of Betty Bombers All-American Eatery a couple of years ago enhanced the already-wonderful Legion experience.

So I’m obviously personally sad to hear about an overnight fire that damaged some of the first floor interior of the Legion, including the kitchen at Betty’s and the adjacent men’s room. I gather there was also some fairly serious smoke damage in areas that were not damaged by the fire itself.

But there are a whole lot more important things than the mild inconvenience that some downtime might create for regular patrons like me.

Most importantly, no one was hurt.

And it sounds like the historic building is structurally sound.

There was no damage to any of the nearby businesses that rent space in the sprawling Legion complex.

And, knowing the folks at the Legion and at Betty’s, they’ll have things moving forward as quickly as possible.

My Facebook feed has of course been buzzing all day with various details, and there are additional details at SavannahNow.

My heart goes out especially to all the employees at the Legion and at Betty Bombers. Some could face a difficult stretch as their lives and livelihoods are interrupted.

Located at Bull and Victory, the development promises to bring a little life to a long-neglected neighborhood right in the core of the city.

For those of us who aren’t living there, the big draw will likely turn out to be Hugh Acheson’s new restaurant The Florence. From his website:

HUGH ACHESON is the author of the James Beard Foundation Award Winning Cookbook A NEW TURN IN THE SOUTH: Southern Flavors Reinvented for Your Kitchen and chef/partner of the Athens, Georgia, restaurants Five and Ten, The National, and Cinco y Diez and the Atlanta restaurant Empire State South. He is a James Beard award winner for Best Chef Southeast and was named a Best Chef by Food & Wine Magazine. Hugh competed in Bravoâ€s Top Chef Masters, Season 3 and currently stars as a judge on Top Chef.

Click on through the posts below to find The Florence on Twitter and on Instagram:

A before and "after" of The Florence opening later this spring in beautiful Savannah, GA. Much more… http://t.co/6IhAYfqfk7

— The Florence (@TheFlorenceSAV) March 5, 2014

On Sunday, much of my City Talk column was about Bub-Ba-Q, the new restaurant at 514 MLK, in the old Brick House space. Blowin’ Smoke occupied the spot for years before moving to Habersham Street.

The Bub-Ba-Q website needs updating, so you might want to check the Facebook page. As I note in the column, it’s a tough spot in terms of visibility. As a friend said, it’s just easy to forget that it’s there.

Since Bub-Ba-Q already has two other Georgia locations (Woodstock and Jasper), it’s likely that the business is well-capitalized and has already worked through many of the kinks that new restaurants face.

On Tuesday, my City Talk column was about the newly reopened and revamped Soho South Cafe. Soho has already gotten a big writeup from Jesse Blanco’s Eat It and Like It, so I didn’t say all that much about the menu. I focused on the new interior, the addition of dinner three nights a week, and the full bar.

Here’s a shot taken from the bar looking into the dining room:

Yes, that’s a piano in the foreground. Clinton Edminster, one of the organizers of the First Friday Art March, has played from 7 to 10 p.m. for the last two Saturdays — that might become a regular gig.

Soho served dinner for a minute sometime around eight years ago, but the popular lunch spot didn’t seem to get much traction with the evening hours. That shouldn’t be a problem now, for a variety of reasons. If the food is good and the service solid, Soho should have some busy nights along with its busy days.

Click here for Soho South Cafe’s website.

I also had an excellent meal last week at Local 11 Ten, one of Soho’s sister restaurants. A friend and I split the mussels appetizer (always a great choice at Local), then I had a caesar (more than I needed), and then grilled filet mignon (rare), with truffled camembert-potato gratin (wow!) and rapini (a really good but slightly tough green vegetable). We split a dessert too — a clever adaptation of s’mores.

Oliva Restaurant & Bar has now closed, possibly for a few different reasons, according to Eat It and Like It. I suspect that if Juan Rodriguez of Rancho Alegre had stayed involved in the partnership, Oliva would still be going strong, but who knows? I loved the place on the several visits I made. Where else could you order grilled octopus or handmade ravioli filled with pate?

I’m sure there’s some interest in the Oliva space, which is on Whitaker Street just south of Moon River’s beer garden. (Before Oliva, the space was home to the ill-fated second location of Screamin’ Mimi’s.)

So, with Oliva gone, that’s one less Italian option downtown. The ongoing 4th anniversary special might give some of you a reason to try Leoci’s:

For the most part, my dining experiences are limited to the downtown area, but I should note that I enjoyed Dickey’s Barbecue Pit for lunch one day last week on the Southside (near Big Lots near Savannah Mall). It’s a chain with a couple of other locations locally, but I had never heard of it.