I expected to dislike New South. I've been living in the South for thirteen years now, and as a Northern transplant, I've come to appreciate that not all Southern cooking means meatloaf and mac n' cheese. I had my suspicions that New South would be the kind of place that would try an upscale approach to Southern comfort food, which often times takes the "comfort" out of the dish.
New South does exactly that, blend an upscale approach with a respect for traditional Southern cooking. And it left me pleasantly surprised.
Take their fried green tomatoes, for example. A fairly standard dish, yet in their capable hands, a delectible, savory starter that had me sopping up the crumbs with their homemade bread. I say this with no reservation: Best Fried Green Tomatoes Ever!
The shrimp and grits also left me pleasantly surprised. Instead of what we've come to expect, a dish that's often left floating in a mass of gooey cream sauce, the chef tempers the dish in a delicious light mushroom sauce, thich enough to give the grits that consistency the dish needs. I thoroughly enjoyed this new approach to a classic dish.
The dessert, a dish of fried blueberry pie coupled with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream, was to die for. The perfect ending to a surprising dinner.
I'm looking forward to dining at New South again.