They say, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” Well, things run pretty smoothly at the more than a dozen Hattie B’s locations that stretch from Las Vegas to Atlanta, with new outposts planned for Chicago, Austin and Huntsville. So they don’t tinker much with the menu at Hattie B’s.
In fact, the last major addition to the food lineup was a sandwich more than nine years ago. But tastes change, and executive chef Brian Morris has been thinking about a new item for quite a while. I met with him to discuss the newest menu item: The Southern Salad.
“We’ve been talking about it for years,” Morris explains. “We want to keep our menu tight, so there’s only space for one salad. Maybe we’ll add another one later, but we don’t want to stray from our core competencies.”
Of course, that means chicken, either grilled or fried chicken bites. Like a regular Hattie B’s experience, guests can pick their preferred heat level, opt for dipped or dry heat with just powdered seasoning, or no heat at all by ordering it “Southern style.” There is also a new nonspicy level that has been available at their Austin outpost, a dry rub called Sweet & Smoky.
Morris told me that the grilled chicken doesn’t hold onto the spicy oil dip like the fried version does, so the dry rubs are an even better flavor delivery system for a bit of spice. “Just like our dip sauce elevates perfect Southern fried chicken, dry heat elevates our Southern grilled chicken while letting those juicy, tender bites truly shine.”
Chef Brian Morris with The Southern Salad
In keeping with the Hattie B’s gestalt, Morris says it doesn’t have to be the absolutely healthiest salad you’ve ever eaten. “We want it to be indulgent and Southern and delicious and craveable without breaking the calorie bank!” The base of the salad is a special mixed-greens combo of spring mix, romaine, green leaf lettuce, ribbon-cut carrots and red cabbage. Add-ins include crispy hardwood-smoked bacon, Tillamook farm-style sharp cheddar cheese, a sweet corn succotash made from corn, black-eyed peas, bell pepper and thyme, and house-made toasted cornbread croutons that really stand apart from your everyday croutons that shatter if you even approach them with a fork.
Dressing choices include the standard Hattie B’s dipping sauces of ranch, honey mustard and blue cheese along with new creamy poppyseed or roasted garlic vinaigrette developed specially for The Southern Salad.
After testing at a few Hattie B’s locations where the salad received rave reviews and needed only a few small tweaks thanks to diner feedback, The Southern Salad is rolling out at all locations today, June 23, at a price of $12.50. For an entrée salad, that’s a pretty reasonable price — and it rings in at a little less than a Hattie B’s sandwich plus a side as a comparable. And think of it this way: If you order a salad, you can feel even better about yourself when you order banana pudding for dessert!
