Simmons Soul Food Restaurant

Baked chicken with stuffing, mac & cheese and greens.

Following a recommendation we recently tried out Simmons Soul Food Restaurant. When we arrived the place was empty and we found a seat at one of the simple tables. The decor is not much to look at, although some interesting pieces of memorabilia line the walls which contain some famous and not so famous patrons' signatures! The food was definitely not as impressive as we had hoped. The best thing we tried was the baked chicken and the collard greens and mac & cheese were good. The ribs were horrible with mostly fat and the fried fish was just decent. We did enjoy the cornbread, though. Overall I think Charlotte can do better. I am still on the lookout for my favorite Soul Food dining destination!

Cornbread.



Ribs with green beans and fried okra.




Fried fish with mac & cheese and greens.

Chicken and the Egg - A New Destination in Marietta

Over the weekend my family was invited to a pre-opening "friends & family" night at Chicken and the Egg, a new farm to table restaurant in Marietta. While I don't visit Marietta often, Calvin and I both agreed we will return here for the excellent food, atmosphere and service - our server Richard really took great care of us. For all those Cobb County-ites, the existence of Chicken and the Egg should cut down on the tendency for many to drive all the way ITP for modern Southern cuisine. This week the restaurant opens with dinner service only; lunch will be added August 8 and a family style weekend brunch will also be in the mix at a future date. I look forward to returning again soon!

Creative cocktails include the "Dirty South" martini, featuring house pickled okra instead of olives and "South of the Border", a refreshing watermelon cooler with a kick.



The amuse bouche included one of my favorite foods: a scallop served over homemade ravioli. I am assured that there is some variation of this on the full dinner menu!



Delicious mini sweet corn muffins, available with sorghum butter and maple butter - yum! These will definitely be a big hit for brunch.



Fried green tomatoes with pimento cheese fondue, country ham and tomato jam. One of our favorite parts of the meal. I loved the tomato jam and Calvin had been talking about fried green tomatoes for weeks - finally satisfied his craving.



Roasted heirloom tomato and vidalia onion soup. This soup was creamy but not too heavy. I really enjoyed the deep tomato flavor, but did not really taste much onion.



Short ribs with smoked gouda au gratin potatoes, baby carrots (including heirloom varieties in purple and white). Our waiter was impressed that my 8 year old stepdaughter ordered this - and she loved it, especially those potatoes, which were really quite something.



Clams + Linguini - littlenecks with crispy pork belly, tomatoes, onions in a spicy broth with griddled bread. This was my favorite entree. So much flavor and just the right spice.



The fried chicken was also fantastic - you can tell the chicken is brined before being breaded and fried. The mac & cheese was another table favorite - I'm sensing a pattern with us and cheese! It contains 5 cheeses and was absolutely delicious. The braised turnip greens added a green, flavorful component to the southern feast.



I didn't taste the vegetarian lasagna but it looked awesome and a woman at the table next to us was nice enough to let me photograph her plate!



Functional decor - makes it easy for the waitstaff to replenish silverware and adds a nice touch to the dining room.



Bar area - I was impressed at the overall size of the restaurant. There is also a private room available for small to medium sized groups.



Fried apple pie with boiled peanut and sorghum ice cream. After my recent foray into ice creams, this was definitely interesting and tasty.



Outstanding banana pudding. Definitely my top pick for dessert - from what I tried so far anyway! I look forward to returning soon!

Southern Goodness at Goolsby's in Evans, GA

Chicken, mac and cheese and green beans with corn cake.

Following a final adoption hearing for some of my favorite clients, I dined at Goolsby's in Evans, Georgia (Columbia County, near Augusta). Southern favorites like baked and fried chicken, pork loin and shrimp are served up right here in a cafeteria-style line. There is also delicious peach cobbler. I really enjoyed my meal here, including the delicious BBQ sauce and chow-chow they bring around to the tables. I had sweet tea, too, which is unusual for me. I suppose the atmosphere called for it and I listened! I will return here for sure if I'm ever back in Evans.

This gentleman will take care of you!



Pork loin, green beans and rice with gravy.



Delicious fried shrimp comped to us after my clients informed the restaurant of my blog!

Road Trip: Macon Road BBQ in Columbus, Georgia

The owner, "Big Daddy", holding up a rack of ribs.

Finding myself in Columbus, Georgia for work two days last week, I researched a good lunch place. My paralegal and I enjoyed a down-home barbecue lunch at Macon Road BBQ, where we sampled the "chipped" (similar to pulled, but chopped finer) pork and side dishes. The decor, or lack thereof, is about what you'd expect from looking at the worn exterior of this place, but everything tasted great, including their Brunswick stew, which we also sampled. I liked the slightly mustardy, thin sauce served on the side at every table. I even drank sweet tea - having unsweetened tea in a place like this is just a shame! This is definitely a good option if you're in the Columbus area and need an authentic southern BBQ meal.

Chipped pork andwich platter with slaw and fries.

JCT = Still Awesome

Avocado, goat cheese, pistachio and beet salad.

With family in town, we headed for JCT Kitchen, one of my (now) favorite special occasion restaurants and a good place for a nice, but not too expensive lunch. All of the food we ordered as well as the always tasty, crusty bread with apple flavored butter, was fabulous. Somehow I neglected to photograph the shrimp & grits (probably because I was too busy lapping it up) - needless to say, this version is the best I've ever tasted. It included crusty bread for sopping and a soft cooked egg on top. The flavors blended perfectly to form a tasty, gooey mess. Top recommendations from this evening: avocado and beet salad, shrimp & grits, scallops, coconut cake and doughnuts with ice cream. JCT offers a special Sunday supper for $24/person that I'm dying to check out. I'll let you know when I do!

Creamy cauliflower soup.

Oyster fry with fried lemon slices and green beans.

Duck with duck meatball and gnocci.

Scallops - these were cooked perfectly and came with some killer scalloped potatoes.

Flounder special - tasty but a little too salty.

Braised short ribs - delicious meat.

Rum sopped coconut cake.

Meyer lemon doughnuts with espresso ice cream - my personal favorite!

Gingerbread with lemon curd.

I love it - a Lemonhead dispenser at the door!

Awesome Brunch at West Egg Cafe

I almost took a photo of the huge crowd out front!

Sunday I tried West Egg Cafe, a cute brunch/lunch spot on the west side of Atlanta that I'd heard really good things about. The only bad thing was the wait. I called ahead to see if we could get on the list, but they said that "hadn't worked out well" in the past. We waited for about an hour after arriving around 11:45. Next time I'll be earlier, although we were late because of a run at the track. Gets you very hungry to run some miles before eating. In any event, I enjoyed the pictured mocha while waiting for a table. Once we sat down, we ordered quickly and the food did not take too long. I tried the Peachtree plate: 2 eggs, bacon, pimento cheese grits and fried green tomatoes with a biscuit. All I can say is DELICIOUS! The bacon is basted in something sweet - maybe honey, and the grits were phenomenal. I tried a bite of the huevos tejanos with potatoes and that was awesome also. Both of these dishes were ordered off the specials menu. There is also a nice lunch menu - some of the sandwiches I saw looked tasty. Behind the counter there is a display of giant cookies, cupcakes and other goodies. I held back this time but I'm dying to try their Coca-Cola cupcake, which has apparently won some awards.

Dining room.



Mocha - yum!



Peachtree Plate.



Huevos Tejanos



Selection of cupcakes - I restrained myself this time!