I just returned from yet another business trip; this time to Atlanta. I like Atlanta a lot. Although it is crazy hot in the summertime, Atlanta has so many things one can do to pass the time (if you're not spending all day in meetings --- like I did). One thing that Atlanta has is a great culinary scene. I've eaten at a few restaurants in my time there but none were better than the establishment I dined at on this most recent trip.
South City Kitchen was by far the BEST restaurant I've ever eaten at in Atlanta and has made their way into my top 10 restaurants I've EVER eaten period. A customer of mine suggested we try it out last week and boy was this ever a great recommendation. As soon as you pull up to the Midtown Atlanta restaurant, you are immediately hit with a feeling that can only be described as Southern charm. It is a very nice restaurant but is also very inviting and just by looking around, you can tell that this is the place in Midtown to see and be seen. I was told by my customer that it is not unusual to see movie and TV stars as well as athletes sitting at the next table over from yours. It's not surprising as this place has got what it takes from the aformentioned atmosphere to what has to be by far the best Southern Cuisine menu I have ever laid eyes on.
I always know if a restaurant's menu is top notch by how indecisive I am when it comes to choosing what I will eat. I had that issue with the appetizer, salad, entree and dessert. There were far too many wonderful sounding things on this menu to be forced to have to choose. Appetizers included southern fried catfish filets served with remoulade and slaw, smoked pulled pork served with southern slaw and house made BBQ sauce atop a hoe cake (if you don't know what a hoe cake is, man are you missing out) and fried green tomatos coated in goat cheese prior to being breaded and pan fried. The salads sounded just as phenominal sporting such awesomeness as Georgia Peach Salad with hazelnuts or watermelon salad with farmers cheese and heirloom tomatoes. As for the entrees, that was the true test of decisiveness. I had the donting task of choosing between buttermilk fried chicken, shrimp and grits (one of my favorites), pan roasted duck breast or the smoked pork chop. And for dessert, I had to pick between house made banana pudding, individual buttermilk pecan pie or cheesecake bread pudding. C'mon! It was like a fat guy's Sophie's Choice! What was I to do?
I composed myself. Then I realized we were with 7 people that night and could get all of the appskies and share so I was good there. I had had watermelon salad before and opted to get the Georgia Peach salad instead (I mean, I was in Georgia, right?). I went for the duck breast for dinner seeing as I love this dish and was just imagining how good it had to be. And for dessert, I went with one of my favorites of all time, pecan pie.
The appetizers started the meal off with a bang. The catfish was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside and went well with the sauce. Coating the green tomatoes in goat cheese prior to frying them was a revelation. And the pulled pork and hoe cake were the stars of the first course. When my salad arrived, I was a little less than thrilled. I'll be honest, as much as I liked this restaurant, this salad was just okay. I got a look at my neighbor's watermelon salad and must say that it did look fantastic so perhaps I made the wrong choice there. Live and learn.
Now the duck. I want to make sure I don't oversell this. It was by no slim margin the absolutely, positively without a doubt best duck breast I have ever had. And I have had some great ones. The skin was crisp. Not oily, just really crisp. The meat was fork tender and so rich, I must have gone through 3 glasses of water while eating it. It was served with sweet garlic jus (that's right!), velvet potatoes (let's just say, the smoothest and creamiest mashed potatoes you'll ever have) spring peas and roasted carrots. All were just outstanding and went well together.
The buttermilk pecan pie was to dessert what the duck was to dinner. Bar-setting. I make a good pecan pie. After having this one, I now say that my pecan pie is not what it should be. The buttermilk was key. This dessert was rich and creamy and sweet and salty all at once. Oh yeah, and they serve ice cream with it too!
Needless to say, I left the restaurant longing for a nap and a bigger pair of pants. Just as I said before about knowing how good a menu is by my indecisiveness, I know how good a restaurant is by how sad I am when I leave at the end of the meal. Not sad because it was bad. Sad because the meal/experience is over. So I said, "so long" to South City Kitchen. But I knew that it was only "so long for now" as Atlanta is a city I visit yearly and South City Kitchen will now be a restaurant I visit at least as often.
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I always know if a restaurant's menu is top notch by how indecisive I am when it comes to choosing what I will eat. I had that issue with the appetizer, salad, entree and dessert. There were far too many wonderful sounding things on this menu to be forced to have to choose. Appetizers included southern fried catfish filets served with remoulade and slaw, smoked pulled pork served with southern slaw and house made BBQ sauce atop a hoe cake (if you don't know what a hoe cake is, man are you missing out) and fried green tomatos coated in goat cheese prior to being breaded and pan fried. The salads sounded just as phenominal sporting such awesomeness as Georgia Peach Salad with hazelnuts or watermelon salad with farmers cheese and heirloom tomatoes. As for the entrees, that was the true test of decisiveness. I had the donting task of choosing between buttermilk fried chicken, shrimp and grits (one of my favorites), pan roasted duck breast or the smoked pork chop. And for dessert, I had to pick between house made banana pudding, individual buttermilk pecan pie or cheesecake bread pudding. C'mon! It was like a fat guy's Sophie's Choice! What was I to do?
I composed myself. Then I realized we were with 7 people that night and could get all of the appskies and share so I was good there. I had had watermelon salad before and opted to get the Georgia Peach salad instead (I mean, I was in Georgia, right?). I went for the duck breast for dinner seeing as I love this dish and was just imagining how good it had to be. And for dessert, I went with one of my favorites of all time, pecan pie.
The appetizers started the meal off with a bang. The catfish was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside and went well with the sauce. Coating the green tomatoes in goat cheese prior to frying them was a revelation. And the pulled pork and hoe cake were the stars of the first course. When my salad arrived, I was a little less than thrilled. I'll be honest, as much as I liked this restaurant, this salad was just okay. I got a look at my neighbor's watermelon salad and must say that it did look fantastic so perhaps I made the wrong choice there. Live and learn.
Now the duck. I want to make sure I don't oversell this. It was by no slim margin the absolutely, positively without a doubt best duck breast I have ever had. And I have had some great ones. The skin was crisp. Not oily, just really crisp. The meat was fork tender and so rich, I must have gone through 3 glasses of water while eating it. It was served with sweet garlic jus (that's right!), velvet potatoes (let's just say, the smoothest and creamiest mashed potatoes you'll ever have) spring peas and roasted carrots. All were just outstanding and went well together.
The buttermilk pecan pie was to dessert what the duck was to dinner. Bar-setting. I make a good pecan pie. After having this one, I now say that my pecan pie is not what it should be. The buttermilk was key. This dessert was rich and creamy and sweet and salty all at once. Oh yeah, and they serve ice cream with it too!
Needless to say, I left the restaurant longing for a nap and a bigger pair of pants. Just as I said before about knowing how good a menu is by my indecisiveness, I know how good a restaurant is by how sad I am when I leave at the end of the meal. Not sad because it was bad. Sad because the meal/experience is over. So I said, "so long" to South City Kitchen. But I knew that it was only "so long for now" as Atlanta is a city I visit yearly and South City Kitchen will now be a restaurant I visit at least as often.
Don't forget to follow us on Twitter @LifeGastronomic or on Facebooke The Life Gastronomic
