I have not be in here for years, so, I thought it would be nice to see how they were doing these days... Especially with all these celebrity sightings and all up in this piece. I mean if it was good enough for Owen Wilson, it's gotta be good enough for this lowly obeast pedestrian.
First of all, I still find it pretty amusing that a college bar is operating 2 feet away where the dress code is basically getting out of bed and putting on a pair of slippers. I saw a guy walk up the same shared walkway at 9PM without a shirt and holding a flip flop in his hand. I'm sure SCK isn't exaclty thrilled about that since a majority of their client base isn't ordering Irish Truck Bombs with their white table cloth dinner. But whatever, it's working I guess... Let's get to the important stuff, the menu.
White table cloths here and tighty whities 2 feet next door definitely makes for an interesting dining experience if you're sitting outside or facing the college bar next door.
Biscuits and Cornbread. Cute little fillers to draw your attention away from the beer funneling and heavy petting on the patio next door.
Cup of Old Charleston She Crab Soup, fresh cream and sherry. Oh, man... When I see Charleston She Crab soup at a resto that is not in Charleston, it's usually a challenge to get it right. What makes a Charleston She Crab soup is the crab roe and sherry or else it's just a plain crab soup you find in a can. Another characteristic of this classic soup is that the consistency should be between a bisque and a chowder. This version was acceptable but it should not be called a Charleston She Crab, there were no roe to be found, a few tiny pieces of crab and the consistency was too watery... All you have to do is dip the spoon in the soup and see if it coats the back of the spoon without dripping off. They should just call it a creamy crab soup because it just wasn't all that impressive.
Fried Green Tomatoes, goat cheese, sweet red pepper coulis and chiffonade of basil. I didn't get the red pepper coulis and chiffonade of basil... Those are fancy words that culinary schools use. Let's face it, most diners have no clue what the fuck a coulis or a chiffonade is... It's like me using words like a short straddle or correlation coefficient. No one knows what the fuck you are talking about nor do they care. Diners want choices that they understand in simple language. What's more simple than a fried green tomato? Nothing... Except when you start introducing words patrons don't understand. This dish doesn't need a red pepper coulis, it does better with a vibrant san marzano sauce to enhance the lovely and crispy green tomatoes that were spot on. And you don't need to tell people how you cut the basil either, not even in Fronch.
Buttermilk Fried Chicken, bliss potatoes, garlic collards and honey-thyme jus. The infamous dish that people rave about... And reason to. Nice crispy coating all the way around but it was a tad dry. Not that it was bad but you know a great fried chicken when you take your first bite. The taters weren't all that blissful, it need more butter, seasoning and a touch of cream. Collards were ok as were the jus. It was a nice dish but pretty much standard with other places on this level. To me, this isn't a crave-worthy dish... You know why? Because I didn't have a wet dream about it.
Smoked Pork Chop, lady peas, snap beans, pickled rhubard and liquid bacon. When we heard the words "pork chop", what do you think of? A piece of meat with a bone hanging out of it, right? This depressed me like the lamb shank at Pricci that came out in a bowl like wet Alpo. Where's the friggin bone, yo? So, asked for medium-rare+ (should be ok at 145ish with pink inside), sliced it open...
This is what I got. Looks like a 40 second seared tuna steak on all sides with raw center... Where's the sesame seed crust? Pass the wasabi and soy sauce, pweez. I mean this shit isn't pink, it's fucking translucent! 145 degrees just went to take an ice bath. It had this texture that seemed like it was previously frozen. I mean you can definitely tell if it was fresh or defrosted. Was it sous vide? I had no clue, neither did the server. Sent it back to get a little more heat in it. I have one theory as to why this piece of pork came out blue... The bloody red heat lamps all over the kitchen, especially, right at the pass where the chef is expediting. How can you tell what temp a piece of meat is when everything in front of you looks dark red and hot? I know a good cook can tell the temp by touch but when I pushed down on it on the first time, it felt med-rare... Until you cut into it. Weird.
Ok, it came back out a little better, it's edible. But... Why is it so fucking SALTY?! Holy shit, I like salt but this kicked my ass. Put it in a doggie bag because I wanted to see if my dog would eat this. Yeah, that little fucker inhaled it. He doesn't give a shit if it's salty or not, that piece of meat never even touched his taste buds on this tongue. Come to think of it, I think he's a honey badger... He just doesn't give a shit about anything. Lazy fuck. Anyways, the lady at the next table saw this incident and ordered her "pork chop" extra-well. Touche
.
Banana Pudding, banana pastry cream, ripe banana, housemade vanilla wafers and fresh cream. Tis was aight... Except the bananas were green as hell.
White Chocolate Cheesecake Bread Pudding, Spiced blueberry compote. WTF. Nevermind.
I can understand why people like this place, it's safe. The menu is so safe that it's boring... And it's been this way since the beginning. No wonder why I haven't been back in so long. I could not wait to leave, take off my shoes and go next door for a Jager shot.
1 Star.
1144 Crescent Avenue Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30309
(404) 873-7358
http://www.southcitykitchen.com/midtown/
No comments:
Post a Comment