Hungry Mother

For our anniversary dinner, we decided to go back to an old favorite: Hungry Mother. It's a special restaurant to us. It was really our first "fine dining" experience. Still fresh college graduates at the time, we were absolutely bowled over by the quality of the food, the atmosphere, the presentation, the service, you name it. A few years later, we're still impressed.  They serve southern-inspired food prepared with French technique, and the results are nothing short of amazing.

(image from Hungry Mother website)

Water is served in mason jars (maybe a bit cliche, but I still like it). Homemade bread and plenty of butter are provided as you browse the menu.  Ingredients that invoke fond memories of eating at my grandmother's table pop out at me all through the menu: catfish, collard greens, field peas, okra, grits, it's all there.  These are southern favorites for a reason -- they're delicious! Hungry Mother maintains a seasonal menu that is always changing, so I can't really point you toward a particular "can't miss" item, but I'm pretty certain that there are no bad choices here.

Last night, we ordered glasses of bubbly and then started with catfish fritters served over a bed of slaw. They were crunchy, perfectly fried, with a light, whipped center, a good counterpoint to the fresh, slightly tart slaw.  My husband got chicken with chicken sausage, greens, grits and red eye gravy, but I'm pretty sure that I won the unspoken battle of the entrees with my catfish a la meuniere served over rice pilau, pecans, field peas, and green beans. I'm a such a sucker for catfish (even if it isn't cornmeal battered and deep fried a la East Texas). We wrapped things up by sharing a piece of buttermilk pie.

If only every Tuesday night could be an anniversary dinner!