Flying by the Seat of Our Pants- Duke's Southern Kitchen review (because I can)

I have a friend in the FB world who is a complete smartass. 

He is deliciously witty and hilarious…an amazing daddy and a very proud family man.  He passed the word along that his wife was the new sheriff to a new restaurant in town serving “Gulf Coast and Southern cuisine with a more upscale approach”.   The owner currently owns Sonoma and the Brasserie on Brookside.  I could not wait to try.

Being the Princess that I am, I have been dropping subtle hints to Handsome that we need to try Duke’s Southern Kitchen.

“We need to go try this new place”

“I really want to go to Duke’s”

“Okay, really? This weekend. ”

YAY!  This weekend it was!!!!

I have seen pictures of the restaurant, knew what type of food, familiar with menu….in no way those pre-conceived ideas even come CLOSE to what we experienced for a 5 top on a Saturday, 6:45 in the evening ‘walk- in’ with no reservations. The experience BLEW ‘EM OUT OF THE WATER!

Heather Kingham, General Manager of Duke’s, asked for my name.

 “Minnix, 4 & ½”.

“Did you have reservations?”

“No, darn it, I’m one that likes to fly by the seat of my pants. I’m sorry.”

“No problem” (whispering numbers and other parties to the hostess).

 “Okay, your table is ready.”

I was fascinated with the décor of the dining area.  It was warm and inviting, yet simplistic. Not cramped, workable for large parties (did not see what was upstairs, but only guessing they accommodated large parties there).   The bar area looked trendy and fun…not too uptight and rushed.  It was the perfect venue to simply walk up to the bar, have a drink and be completely comfortable and FABULOUS!

Once we got our seats, we were approached in a very timely manner by a little firecracker of a server, Stacie- who had AMAZING tattoos on her arms.  SO wanted to ask all about them, but figured Handsome would not go for the banter and it would push Man Child and Endless Pit’s fascination even further. That will wait for my next visit at the bar…

 …but I digress.

Stacie was ready to take our drink order. I knew EXACTLY what I wanted… “Carolina Cocktail, please”. Handsome ordered the ‘Velvet Elvis’ (I think both of us were ready to take a “mental vacay”-numb gums and all).

Delicious x2 for me, Responsible x1 for Handsome.

Time to order.  I will say, the kids menu had nothing to be desired for our 9 year -old (dammit) so, he chose the Hoecake Sliders with Pulled Pork and Spicy Peach Glaze from the appetizer selection, Man Child was quick to choose the Chicken Fried steak with Collard Greens and Potatoes, Handsome chose the Catfish with Green Tomato Relish and Sweet Corn Stuffing and I chose the Hickory Smoked Chicken with Apple Au Jus and Cheese Grits.

O…..M…..SHIZZLE, LET THE PLATE SHARING BEGIN!  All of us were celebrating our first bites with an eye roll of ecstasy , nods and smiles. The only complaint came from Endless Pit, who stated he could not finish his “because it was just so rich with the bites of Chicken, Chicken Fried Steak and Catfish”.

Once our plates were cleaned (doing everything but licking them ), Stacie approached us about dessert. The boys chose the blackberry cobbler with vanilla bean ice cream. The serving was nothing obnoxiously big, but a size that catered to sharing among Handsome, Endless Pit and Man Child VERY WELL.  They did the right thing in saying “It is good, but not as good as yours”.

Time for the check…

I will say it was a little pricier than what we wanted to pay for a “fly by the seat of our pants” family meal out, but Handsome and I agreed it is Spring Break!! We chalked this up to a fun night out with the family with fab food and fun cocktails!  Would we come back??? ABSOLUTELY!

…all in the name of my FB mentor of sarcasm, KingDaddy!