Savory Restaurant & Lounge, which opened on the South Hill in November, is expanding, says Scott Nelson, its general manager.

The restaurant, located at 1314 S. Grand Blvd., has leased an adjacent 1,200-square-foot suite formerly occupied by A Grand Yarn in the retail center there, Nelson says. The suite will be used by Savory primarily as a banquet and event room and will bring the restaurant's total floor space to 5,500 square feet, he says.

Nelson says improvements to the recently leased space are nearly complete, and that he expects it will be open to customers this month. Improvements include new carpet, paint, and lights, and upgrades to the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system, he says. Define Your Design, of Spokane, did the interior design work.

The added space, which has a separate entrance from the main restaurant, will seat up to 50 people, Nelson says. With the expansion, the total seating capacity in the restaurant will be 205, and its 1,200 square-foot patio seats up to 50 additional customers, weather permitting.

The restaurant employs 44 people, he says.

Savory also recently hired a new chef, Jonathan Holden, who had been executive chef at Spencer's for Steaks & Chops downtown for eight years, and had extensive restaurant experience prior to that, Nelson says.

Featured dishes at Savory include grilled scallops and prawns, beef short ribs, and ahi tuna and salmon tartar.

Mark McLees, Chris Bell, and James S. Black III, all of NAI Black, handled the lease for the expansion.