southern rail

southern rail is top on my scale!. kudos to chef justin beckett, southern rail’s foodist awards 2013 top chef who made it food and wine’s places to eat in phoenix and zagat’s #1 of 11, not to mention #8 restaurant on seftel’s top 10 and his staff! but the awards are meaningless lest the eatery equals the significance of the honors – and by jove the “rail” does just that. since moving to the area, i had been hankering for some really good comfort vittles, refreshing southern cuisine that is, and restaurant week helped make that happen! our weekly date night at the southern rail recently was started with a fantastic local wine, a lawrence dunham vineyards viognier 2012. a wine rendition bringing back memories of the lush viogniers we enjoyed while living in virginia. this version is full bodied yet with a lush and easy character are expressed the apparent longer growing seasons in arizona. with the wine, we began the incredible tastings with their cornbread muffins made with black pepper and honey butter – an incredible muffin. for starters, we gave in to ordering “rail’s” appetizers of a great tasting and extremely well preparedfriedgreen tomatoes with pimento cheese and pea tendrils and their smoked chicken and andouille gumbo ya ya with white rice and green onions – a fanciful rendition of a southern standard. i loved every single spoonful – i was sorry it was gone so soon. for the main courses, my wife thoroughly enjoyed the grand mama’s meatloaf – my wife summing it up best said... “this has been the best meatloaf i’ve ever had!” meanwhile, i had the brilliantly prepared portion of cider brined pork loin served over brown butter whipped nicely sweet potatoes, sided by very nicely prepared collard greens – no, not vinegary. we both enjoyed a sampling of their home-made “super” creamy grits. so much enjoyed, that i can honestly say, i cannot remember when was the last time i had them this good. i even asked for the recipe nicely, but was courteously denied access to it – ‘bummer’! we finished off the meal with an order of beignets with powdered sugar. i must say though, that of the total delightful dinner extravaganza, only the beignets were not what we expected – but nobody can be perfect! for anyone who has a love of southern cuisine, whether as comfort food or nouveau cuisine, southern rail will astonish your taste buds. the location is a fabulous piece of restoration, redesign and history along with a comfortable, homey and yet modern atmospheric approach that is desirable, laid-back, and aesthetically pleasing to both the ambiance and comfort! the initial views on approaching the location, is as if reaching a circa 1950’s new drive-in-style structure, but once inside, everything from the incredible bar area, to the tables and seating areas, not to mention their airy and nicely landscaped and appointed outdoor area are fabulous and appealing. their desire to combine great food, great atmosphere, great service and great ambience has been flawlessly accomplished, and reserves us the right to continue to frequent this chef’s masterpiece. chef beckett and staff, please continue to amaze the gourmét and the novice of your splendid artistry, as we plan to continue to enjoy it. gástro ecléctico rates southern rail at the top of the heap. bon appétit ya’ll!

jambalaya sunday

the patio was packed so we sat inside which is still pretty much outside in a comfy booth. we could clearly hear the terrific band just in a quieter atmosphere. my husband got the seafood packed jambalaya and i got my favorite shrimp and grits, wonderfully creamy with large perfectly cooked shrimp. as we ate we kept seeing large plates offriedchicken so we ordered some to take home to my sons which they raved about. normally we would have had their excellent beignets or brioche bread pudding for desert but we were too full so put off that pleasure for another visit.

i love the southern-influenced menu here and the commitment to arizona wine. on my last visit, it was a jazz and jambalaya sunday with $5 sazeracs.  we also sharedfriedgreen tomatoes with pimento cheese (tip: southern rail sells these to go in glass jars) and a great bottle of arizona rune wine suggested by the sommelier.

ok . . . went here for dinner based upon positive recommendations. i see from the reviews that it's mixed--some really like southern rail a lot, and some had poor experiences. for me, my partner, and other two friends our experience was fabulous. we all shared the house smoked trout appetizer and cornmealfriedokra with a cajun remoulade--both absolutely delicious! one minor gripe would be both appetizers were a smallish side and could use some delicious crackers or warm bread. wonderful nonetheless. the shrimp & tomato bisque with charred corn salsa was to die for. ordered the southernfriedchicken (4 huge pieces), but the roasted potatoes i wanted in place of mashed (6 tiny marble-size buttered potatoes) and a 2-inch long piece of sweet corn on the cob was pretty good yet way over-priced at $20 for the entree. i make a killer southernfriedchicken and this was good but nothing to call grandma about in north carolina. the smoked chicken & “biscuit dumplings” with mcclendon farms heirloom carrots, mushrooms, and fresh peas was wonderfully delicious, as was the seared scottish salmon with summer corn risotto and baby spinach. fabulous food, but again my only complaint would be portions are small and over-priced. my friend ordered a plate of powdered sugar, hot beignets for dessert--simply wonderful. these at $8 probably were the best buy, ironically. the wait service was outstanding and friendly. ambiance is wonderful. a very nice yet simple wine list of delicious local wines. at least for me and my friends and partner, we enjoyed the place. we'll definitely will be back, but maybe be better prepared to spend more than one probably should for what you get here.

warm and inviting. located along the light rail on camelback, a very nice interior and patio with warm fireplace. we arrived during social hour, and had wine, cup of gumbo, and thefriedgreen tomatoes. the gumbo had a load of flavor could have been more spicy for my liking though. thefriedgreen tomatoes had that corn meal texture, came with pimento cheese, which had a nice kick to them, and greens. instead of a large meal, as we were interested in the beignets. for our entree, we went with the tomato bacon onion tart, the crust was very flaky, and plump cherry tomatoes, along with the broccoli cauliflower leek & rice casserole which had a nice texture all combined together with more veggies than rice, enjoyed them both. dessert, was the beignets, familiar with cafe du monde, which are bite size, these are larger, and one can be shared by two persons. they are very good, and topped with the powdered sugar melted in our mouths. service was a little slow at first, since there was only one server on the patio, but we were in no hurry, and enjoyed the patio atmosphere. the staff took very good care of us, and made the afternoon very enjoyable.

a bit overpriced. just paid $20 forfriedchicken that was mainly batter. nice atmosphere though.