Authentic fare served at Cotton Southern Bistro

By Sonja Barisic

Correspondent

The "country"-looking sign out front and the cutesy-folksy names of some of the dishes - Mamaw's Funny Pie, anyone? - had me worried that dinner at Cotton Southern Bistro meant an evening full of corn-pone kitsch.

Instead, we were in for a satisfying meal of authentic regional comfort cuisine made from fresh farm-to-table ingredients and served with a heavy helping of Southern charm.

Walls covered with large black-and-white photos of farm scenes give the restaurant, which has been open for about seven months, an intimate feel despite its size (185-plus seats, plus a big bar area).

Since my husband and I are transplants from the Midwest - I was well into adulthood before collard greens ever crossed my lips - we invited a couple of real Southerners to join us at the bistro on a recent Saturday evening.

The Tennessee twosome was not impressed by the not-sweet-enough sweet tea, dismissing it as "a Yankee's idea of sweet tea." The corn bread in the complementary bread basket also wasn't sweet enough. Our server had warned us, though, remarking that bread from a Jiffy box mix would be better. However, the biscuits in the basket were fluffy and perfect and drizzled with butter.

Fried green tomatoes ($7.99) looked pretty but were battered too heavily. Goat cheese slathered between the slices was good but overwhelmed the taste of the tomato.

A more successful appetizer was the fried pickles ($7.99). Nice and tangy, lightly battered and tasty on their own as well as dipped in Parmesan-peppercorn dressing, they were an undisputed favorite at our table.

The chicken and biscuits entree ($12.99) was well-seasoned comfort food done right, earning praise from one of our Southern companions.

Amanda's Shrimp and Grits ($14.99) looked beautiful, with a tower of grits in the middle of the plate, encircled by shrimp and slices of andouille sausage. The sweetness of the plump shrimp contrasted nicely with the spiciness of the sausage, and the texture of the grits was just right.

Aunt Mabel's Meatloaf ($11.99) was so tender and flavorful that the mushroom gravy on top seemed like overkill. Fried Pamlico flounder ($14.99) was good, but one of our Southern friends didn't like the dill-laden tartar sauce.

Sweet potato fries, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, were among the best of the side dishes we sampled. I also especially enjoyed zingy homemade potato chips sprinkled with parmesan and served with ranch dressing.

For dessert, rum raisin bread pudding ($4.99) was outstanding: fluffy bread with a slightly crunchy top, drizzled in caramel sauce. Chocolate cake ($4.99) was very chocolately but not too sweet, and we could understand why the server said it was the restaurant's best dessert.

Oh, and the Mamaw's Funny Pie ($4.99)? There was nothing funny about the taste. The carrot cake on special that we had wanted to try was sold out, so our server recommended this nontraditional pecan pie made with a Ritz cracker crust. Sensing that I was dubious, she offered to buy the pie for me if I didn't like it. She got to keep her money.

Ultimately, the restaurant passed muster with our Southerner friends. One even said he would bring his parents there the next time they come to town - high praise indeed.

Sonja Barisic, snbarisic@gmail.com