By the time Supperland opens in Plaza Midwood late this year, Jeff Tonidandel will have been envisioning the concept for nearly four years. The upcoming restaurant from the owners of Haberdish, Crêpe Cellar, and Growler’s will be in the old church at the corner of McClintock and The Plaza, across the street from Whiskey Warehouse.

Tonidandel says the concept will center around a wood-fired grill, the focal point of the restaurant in both interior and menu. He’s calling the restaurant’s offerings “Southern meat and sides” to indicate that Supperland will be more upscale than a traditional meat-and-three. Serving only dinner, the restaurant will serve smaller portions of proteins and vegetable-heavy side options a la carte.

“One of my biggest problems of getting a steak at a nice restaurant is I never want to eat a 30-ounce ribeye,” he says. The meat at Supperland will include six-ounce ribeye portions that come out sliced and ready to eat, dry-aged steaks, chicken, duck, and fish. There will also be larger cuts of meat than can feed a table of six, also cut for you in the kitchen.

Grilled vegetables will have a large presence on the menu, as well fermented vegetables. To bring even more of an upscale vibe to the place, Tonidandel says there will be touches like interesting salts and butters served with your meal.

The wood-fired grill is massive, measuring at a whopping 13.5 feet, and costing upwards of $8,000 a foot, Tonidandel says. The firepower is necessary, however; the restaurant will seat 100 in the main dining room, 10 in a downstairs private dining room, and another dozen or so at a chef’s table in front of the open kitchen. ­­­

There will also be a sommelier on staff at the restaurant, and the wine program will be significant. Wines will be served at proper temperature, something we’re thrilled to see, from a deep list. As for the cocktails, Tonidandel says to expect “Haberdish 2.0.”

“We’re really focusing on the nuances,” Tonidandel says. “We’ll still have the same ice program, but we’re really paying attention and spending a lot of money on the soda water that we use — it’s going to be super carbonated. So all these little details, and then some of the other stuff that we’re bringing in is just going to be next level.”

There will be no formal bar seating inside of Supperland, just drink stations. Instead, Colleen Hughes will run a bar program out of the adjacent smaller building. That space will serve a different menu, leaning more towards bar food, and Hughes also hopes to eventually serve afternoon tea.

Tonidandel hopes to start interior work on the building in the next two months, and will need about six months to get the restaurant interior complete and train staff. —Kristen Wile

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