Get ready to take a trip down South without getting on a plane. Gigi’s Restaurant — Southern Table & Bar, located at 2080 Cato Avenue in State College, captures the charming, relaxed atmosphere of the South with a menu that makes your tummy sing with soul. From fried chicken drizzled with honey served with house-made buttermilk biscuits to beignets topped with powdered sugar with raspberry sauce, Gigi’s is bringing simple but bold-flavored southern low-country cuisine to State College.
With seating for 200, Gigi’s can accommodate small or large groups. There are different seating areas in the restaurant that help set the right ambiance for any occasion. There is a traditional dining room, the library, the low-country bar, a room with a fireplace, and the back porch.
Since summer 2015, under the management of Hospitality Asset Management Company, Gigi’s took the new direction of introducing a refined southern-inspired menu. In the kitchen, the talented duo of chefs John Clickner and Tyler Wood team up to serve southern favorites, such as spoon bread, a cornmeal baked soufflé, and gumbo with crawfish.
Open for lunch and dinner, Monday through Saturday, other specialty dishes include chipotle deviled eggs, southern catfish, skillet mac and cheese with tasso ham, fried green tomato BLT, in-house smoked brisket, and country-fried pork chops.
Closed on Sundays, Gigi’s offers a Saturday brunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The menu features a low-country boil filled with littleneck clams, mussels, shrimp, Andouille sausage, and corn on the cob. Also on the menu are eggs Benedict, peel and eat shrimp, country sausage and gravy, and baked clams with roasted corn.
Stop in Fridays from 4 to 7 p.m. for Gigi’s raw bar.
“From oysters on the half shell and crab claws to steamed clams and mussels and shrimp cocktail, it’s a very popular night,” says general manager Rebecca Larsen.
In addition to the amazing selection of food, the restaurant also is taking a traditional approach to cocktails.
“Our cocktail program is ingredient-driven with a respect to the authentic traditions of crafting cocktails from scratch ingredients, such as our own bitters, syrups, cordials, and infusions,” explains Larsen. “We are doing a menu of juleps inspired by the popular bourbon and mint cocktail typically enjoyed in the South — only with seasonal and unique twists.”
Beverage director and mixologist Colin Bates says, “Ice is the most important ingredient in a cocktail. The ice is used to control the composition of the drink, how well you dilute it, and the temperature of drink.”
Clear, pure ice makes for the perfect cocktail. Cloudy ice forms because of impurities in the water and oxygen bubbles becoming trapped. Oxygen in your ice makes it melt quicker, and impurities can impart flavors into your drink.
Gigi’s also has a global wine menu and offers 50 different wines by the bottle and 12 by the glass.
For more information, visit gigisdining.com or call (814) 861-3463 for reservations and to ask about offsite catering.
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