Dine Savannah: Local chef drops the gauntlet on snapper and grits on only his second attempt

“It’s not a dish I’ve done before,” Chef Ben Murray confessed with a chuckle when describing his preparation of a wholly unstandard fish-and-grits.

“Grits are not a Miami thing.”

The new executive chef of The Drayton Hotel took the helm of the posh property’s food operations on March 10, and his inaugural menu at St. Neo’s stars a roasted snapper entrée that Murray predicts will become a best-selling dish.

Bet on it.

Other Dine Savannah columns: A new barbecue spot doesn't need sauce to make you come back for more

Also: Savannah's Hale Tea Co.’s Des Sables custom green tea blend is floral and fruity

More food news: New pub in Starland promises ramen and Japanese street food

While the seared fish filet is fantastic, what makes his revelatory rendition of a Coastal Empire staple sensational are the grits, courtesy of Carolina Plantation (Darlington, S.C.), and a whole lotta sweet dairy from Southern Swiss (Waynesboro).

“What’s funny is today was my second time making grits ever,” Murray admitted this past Saturday as he took a break before a Friday night’s dinner service.

In dreaming up this dish, he drew on his polenta expertise and approached his grits in the exact same way, using only heavy cream and butter, and allowing the natural sweetness of the cornmeal to shine through.

“The key is heating up the liquid and adding salt and then adding the grits and cooking it on super-low heat for an hour,” he explained.

These are not cheesy grits that go with two over-easy. These grits are grown-up, made for your cheat day. In all, the meticulously made entrée is rich like the Rockefellers and is more than most will be able to handle without sharing.

Dine Savannah: An award-winning Colombian brew is elevating the local coffee palate

Even the alimentary accompaniments are amazing, including a mushroom escabeche and a buttermilk-ramp dressing. The latter is not a typo: ‘ramp’ not ‘ranch’.

For those unfamiliar with ramps, the seasonal wild onion is the taste and texture hybrid of a green onion, garlic, shallot, and leek, according to Murray, and he uses every bit but the root: the bottoms are pickled, and the tops are turned into a puree, an oil, and a powder. The dish’s dressing comprises the pickled ramps, the pickling liquid, the ramp-top oil, the ramp-top powder, a house-made white ponzu, and buttermilk, all drizzled around the shallow bowl to make the great grits even greater.

“It’s a long process for a simple-looking sauce,” said Murray. "But the whole menu is like that.”

Not to be forgotten, the escabeche is another succulent low-and-slow bit of culinary handiwork, the delicate Lowcountry Mushrooms (Beaufort, S.C.) almost poached in oil and vinegar until they are beyond tender.

Food coming from scratch made by Chef Ben Murray

“This opening menu is something that I’ve worked hard on,” Chef Murray said of his first custom-curated carte for the hotel’s brasserie, “gathering a bunch of local purveyors and farms.

“We’re changing the whole menu, changing it all,” the chef said with a smile. “I think it’s exciting.”

For the past 15 years, Murray worked the kitchens at Azul at Mandarin Oriental and Pao by Paul Qui at the Faena Miami Beach Hotel, two prominent Miami properties. The last decade there saw plenty of local farms popping up, though many were providing very similar produce, fruits, lettuces, and microgreens.

“It’s very different,” he said about what he has already seen in Savannah. “I went to the [Forsyth] Farmers’ Market and was blown away. We’re using all of those guys for the new menu.”

Dine Savannah: South of Forsyth Park, Alexander’s Bistro bakes up unique pastries with an eye for allergies

Here, he has found Coastal Empire bacon, breads, sausages, tortillas, and all the produce and homemade goods in between, which will allow him to focus on the food “that’s here.”

“It’s very seasonal,” Murray added, “based on what the farms have at the time,” which means daily changes to an overall menu that will not change much. Because the fish is sourced locally, what is snapper this week could be black bass the next, based on availability, though the accouterments will remain the same.

Truly, everything at St. Neo’s is getting a fresh coat. Starting with Murray, almost the whole culinary team is new, including his chef de cuisine and sous chefs.

“I came in two months ago,” Murray said, “and we’re building it from the ground up.”

Dine Savannah: Husk chef Chris Hathcock dips deep into the Lowcountry for his Bar Julian pizza collaboration

Even the style of plating is going to change from the traditional app-entrée-dessert trio to smaller servings that encourage multiple courses and spirited sharing, a purposeful evolution from St. Neo’s previous menu.

“That’s the most exciting part,” said the chef, who was born in Japan on a U.S. Navy base and who brings 17 years of premium experience to his new post.

Everything on Murray’s menu is made in-house, even the 18-ingredient Worcestershire sauce that tops the Wagyu short rib with killed lettuces, a dish that draws on Murray’s Japanese heritage while celebrating the South.

“I want people to taste the South because we’re using all these local farms and products,” he said, “but it’s not a menu that is a typical ‘Southern’ menu.”

“I want it to be thoughtful and respectful of where we are,” Murray said.

St. Neo’s, the signature restaurant of he Drayton Hotel (7 Drayton Street), is open for dinner Tuesday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Staying Fresh: Here's what local spots Chef Ben Murray uses with his new menu

• Vertu Farms (produce)

• Bill's Botanicals (produce/seafood)

• Bradford Farms (produce)

• Savannah River Farms (meat)

• Readee's Bees (honey)

• Southern Swiss (dairy)

• Sweet Grass Dairy (cheese)

• Georgia Olive Farms (olive oil)

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah GA food: St. Neo's chef Ben Murray debuts snapper and grits