Monday, February 1, 2010
First Bite / Restaurant openings First Bite: 55 South
Posted by Chris Chamberlain on Mon, Feb 1, 2010 at 9:42 AM
I had the chance to join another food blogger, Beth from Beth Eats for lunch at Chef Jason McConnell's new Franklin venture 55 South. Between the company and the food, there really are days when I should have to pay to do this job. No wait ... I already do. Never mind.
Named after the main highway between Memphis and New Orleans, the restaurant takes diners on a culinary tour of these two notable eatin' towns with a delicious trip through the Mississippi Delta on the way. The dining space was intelligently created from half of McConnell's hermana restaurant, Sol. Decorated in roadhouse style with a huge Gulf (pronounced "guff") Station sign hanging from the sealing and burlap tablecloths, the details are charming.
A seafood-heavy menu offers nouveau spins on traditional dishes as well as some that are exactly true to the originals. We started with JJ's Junk Chips, kitchen crisped and decadently topped with bacon, green onions and blue cheese dip. That'll be an hour on the treadmill. An order of Buffalo Frog Legs lived up to their "tastes like chicken" reputation, but the sauce was piquant and plentiful.
For entrées, Beth ordered NOLA bbq shrimp and I sampled McConnell's version of one of my Memphis favorites, bbq spaghetti. The bbq shrimp were appropriately spicy and were shelled down to the tail avoiding the usual necktie-ruining mess of peeling and eating. They were served atop a mound of creamy blue cheese grits and surrounded by a rich, dark roux that demostrated an expert's touch. I would have stolen more of Beth's shrimp had I not made the exact same meal myself the night before. And might I add, mine was somewhat less successful.
My bbq spaghetti was a surprise in that instead of the traditional pork version that I used to drive 3 1/2 hours to Interstate BBQ to buy, this plate was based around shredded beef. I guess it shouldn't have been a surprise had I read the menu a little more closely. No matter, it was an interesting interpretation of the dish, with peppers, onions and celery adding some crispy bites to the slightly stringy beef which had been cooked almost in a barbacoa style. On the whole, I liked it and took enough home for dinner the next night. Beth's shrimp went home to her husband despite my protestations.
Now that I know that 55 South ships their po boy bread in from Gambino's Bakery in New Orleans I'll definitely be making the trek down 65 to 55 to try their sandwiches out. The bread is such a crucial element to a successful po boy, McConnell's commitment is noteworthy.
If you love oysters, you might want to work through lunch and head over for their happy hour. Ice Cold Gulf Oysters are available every day for 25 cents apiece from 3 to 4 p.m. and go up by a quarter an hour until 6. Apparently this promotion has already been a smashing success as Chef McConnell told us he sold six times as many oysters as expected in their first week of operation. In addition to this raw molluskicide option, 55 South also offers roasted oysters with seven different toppings including Bienville, Rockefeller and Creole Honey Mustard.
Lunch business was booming when we dropped in. A Sunday brunch is also featured and they are planning a Mardi Gras party for February 16. Drop in and enjoy the delta goodness.
55 South
403 Main St.
Franklin
538-6001
Comments (7)
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Was there a muffuletta on the menu? And how is 55 South stacking up to Cajun Steamer, which was the knockout sensation last spring on a Bites visit?
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Is it just me, or does anyone have the same shoulder shrug reaction here ? No offense, but yeah, Cajun Steamer fills the niche already in pretty darned near the same area, and really, how many places do we have to have doing some other area's food ??
I get so frustrated watching diners, driveins and whatever the other d-word is, all these uber-creative quick eat spots, with counters and personalities and so many damn original ideas and really clever recipes and cooking going on, and I love Nashville, but really, we've got meatloaf day and catfish day and someone's memphis place and someone else's Texas place and five New Orleans efforts and grits that go from 99 cents to 12 bucks, and god knows when I moved here there were two mexican joints but now there are a thousand, but where's the fricking diner with a creative beast running it and giving us some awesome choices and amazing value??
There is a Frenc-alleta which puts everything traditionally found on a round roll onto French bread, hence the name. I loved it and my table was unanimous in declaring it the best of the meal. I was very happy with the cold oysters, particularly since I ordered a half-dozen but got 9 because they were on the small side. Not as crazy about the roasted oysters with various toppings but when it comes to oysters--like baseball---I am a purist. Liked the place, annoyed it's in Franklin. Hey Jason, there's a space coming open on 12South, right across from Mafiaoza's and 12South Tap Room. You'd fit right in, and it would circle back to the original dining occupant of that building, Sheila Warren and ched Ed Arace's (Mojo Grill) New Orleans-themed takeaway. Before it's time, sadly, but I think the 12South hood would embrace something like 55 South. Just sayin'.
I wish they would make a fried green tomato & shrimp remoulade poboy. I frequent New Orleans a lot & it's popular there. I haven't been to 55 South yet, but maybe the chef would make it upon request. Especially since they already have fried green tomatoes on the menu.
And I agree with S L. Where is our funky Diners, Drive-in, & Dives type restaurant??
Loved it (in spite of the drive)! Three of us went on Friday at 4:00 for oysters and beer...and, as it went, oyster shooters. The place was packed but a table opened up after a few minutes. Oysters on the half-shell were cold and fresh. Not a shell to be found. The service was attentive and efficient. We'll definitely be back and look forward to trying other menu items.
I can't get enough of oysters at the moment, may check this out. Is it good value too? Found some seafood which was supposedly extreme high quality the other day from a small outlet, so expensive I had to seal my tupperware box full of it with Tamper Proof Tape to make sure my kids (unappreciative tastebuds!) didn't eat it all! I'd be willing to pay for this kind of treat though, might go for the happy hour. Thanks for the info.
