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| - All of us have our favorite places and chefs....and when we learned that Crudo chef Cullen Campbell and partners (Maureen and Micah) had developed a second concept, we had to check it out. Last night was our second time there...and it is in this place that you have an even greater appreciation of this chef's heart and soul. Returning to his background in southern inspired food, Chef Campbell has created one of the best-ever comfort food places in the Valley. Fried dilly beans (think wonderfully lightly tempura coating on fresh pickled green beans) with comeback sauce, smoked chicken wings that are served with "homeboy's and white bbq sauce," potlikker mussels with cornbread that just begs to be swiped in a delicious broth, oysters al forno with garlic butter parsley and Noble bread, and a pimiento cheese burger with tomato and comeback sauce...served with fingerlings instead of fried....amazingly good!. The first tine there, we tried his hot chicken which we had sampled before at the seven chef Foul Out dinner. This time, we tried his Saturday special (he will always have a BBQ special on Saturdays) chicken served with mustardy potato salad and a Koollickle....yes...and it was delicious. While we typically don't have desserts out, a fresh pear brown sugar pie (whipped cream of course), and a canned biscuit doughnut with a salted caramel sauce was just so good. As is always the case with us, service and people are about as important as the food, Patty was our guide and did a masterful job. I marvel at great chef's talents, and Chef Campbell is one of the best....but when there is a presence of their heart and spirit on the plate...things become stupidly good!!
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