It’s like stepping inside your great-aunt’s house — the one with beautiful antiques and really good taste — for a special family dinner. Inside a charming Victorian house on a back street in downtown Fairhope, Chef Sally Stringfellow sets out vintage white linens and gold-rimmed china that she has collected herself piece by piece. Everything about the experience is personal and perfectly reflects Sally.
The dining tables are placed in the former parlor and dining room, and more tables are scattered across the lawn behind the building’s white picket fence. The menu changes weekly but always reflects Sally’s classic French training.
Her path to operating this cozy restaurant, however, was not a straight one, and she laughs in her easy way when she talks about her journey. After some years working local kitchens (most notably Jesse’s in Magnolia Springs, where Sally gained a following of loyal clientele) she took a break to raise her two daughters. Jumping back in to the crazy hours and demands of commercial kitchens seemed almost impossible, even as her children grew, so Sally found other ways to dip her toes in the culinary water.
She sold soups and meals out of her home kitchen to former clients, friends and family. Demand grew. She began catering small dinner parties in people’s homes and offered her services as a private chef. She always had one eye open for a little spot that might become a restaurant one day, but nothing felt right until this quaint cottage that was a longtime beauty salon came available, and she jumped. After more than a year renovating, Sally moved some of her favorite antiques into the space and added things bought just for this venue, opening her doors to the public … just one night a week.
That’s right. A restaurant that is only open on Thursday evenings. But Sally argues it allows her to keep the other days free to book private birthday dinners, bridesmaid luncheons and small gatherings. The beauty of this model is that she always knows how many guests are coming to dine, and she can schedule plenty of time home with her girls. It sounds like a delicious win-win that perhaps only a chef like Sally, with such a loyal local fanbase, could pull off.
When would-be diners go online to make reservations, each week’s menu is posted, featuring locally-sourced seafood from Fairhope Fish House and produce straight from the farm. It is all made from scratch, with lots of love. And the spelling of the name Sallie? To honor her grandmother, whom Sally is named for.
On the Menu
CHAMPAGNE CRAB BISQUE
A classic bisque, thick and creamy, made with sparkling wine, oregano, thyme and fresh parsley, topped with a heaping portion of fresh local blue crabmeat.
ROASTED AUTUMN SQUASH SALAD
A bed of mixed roasted butternut and buttercup squash is topped with spaghetti squash, delicate mixed greens, creamy goat cheese, pecans and a lemon ginger vinaigrette.
FILET AU POIVRE
Peppercorn-encrusted, pan-seared beef is topped with a cognac cream sauce, served with potatoes and a green vegetable — asparagus
on this day.
NEW ORLEANS STYLE BREAD PUDDING
French bread cubes drenched in a rich custard are baked with bourbon and dried cranberries, then served topped with a rich caramel bourbon sauce.
Sallie • 406 Pine St., Fairhope • 251-383-8990 • salliefairhope.com
Thurs. 5 – 9 p.m. By reservation only
