mama's boy southern table & refuge

there are southern restaurants that exist because the chef and owner have a real passion for southern cooking, and there are southern restaurants that exist because it's a lucrative concept. as for which one mama'sboyis, i'm reserving my judgement for another day, but i have my hunches. either way, the burger is an undeniable success.

here in the northeast we’ve found our little piece of the south in the form of mama’sboysouthern table & refuge. if owners greer fredericks and amiel dorel were striving to put a little south in the mouth of the north, they’ve triumphed. since the opening of mama’sboyin may 2013, they’ve provided southern favorites in a warm and welcoming environment.

chef scott ostrander new signature dish at mama’sboyis crisp pork shank, an osso bucca-like braised pork shank with a dramatic southern twist. traditionally, slowly simmered meat is tender, juicy, and deeply flavored. but its soft texture is monochromatic. for his shank, scott wanted contrapuntal textures. soft. and crunchy. drawing on a career spent cooking in the south; he immediately knew the crisp that would work: crackling. good oldboydeep-fried pork rind. named for the sound it makes in the mouth. onomatopoeia in every bite.

mama’sboyis not what you would expect when you think “southern food” – there are no overly saucy ribs that require a post-meal bath via wet-naps. instead, you’ll be treated to an entirely new experience; an inspired menu featuring southern comfort food with a modern twist. classics like shrimp and grits are interpreted in a bright, fresh new way – southern white shrimp is plated with falls mill grits, house smoked tasso (a spicy, peppery pork), spring onion and creamy pimento gravy. get the idea? this is low-country food done with high-style.

nothing beats great comfort food. last week we got a dose of southern hospitality at mama'sboysouthern table & refuge in sono. upon stepping into the restaurant, we were greeted by owner greer fredericks. we grabbed a few cocktails at the bar and mingled with local food bloggers - anatoli from talk-a-vino , bonnie from home place , kait and jeff from forloveofcarrots.com , christina and jeff from cookingwithjeffandcristina.com , valerie from bonvivant , and jenn from that's so jenn . dirty south with my dirty south ( a concoction of homemade sweet tea, fire fly vodka, and lemon) in hand i scoped out the place. the restaurant felt warm and inviting with a rustic interior made with reclaimed wood from an old water tower from florence, sc. in the middle of the restaurant, you can check out what the cooks are prepping through the large cutout which also has gorgeous cakes presented on their pedestals. how tempting it was to reach out and taste some of the frosting. but i had some self co