I finally succeeded in trying this new Southern restaurant at Pointe Orlando on Saturday night. It is on the second level between BB King and Lafayette's. I was told that it is owned by the same group. The name derives from the town where BB King was born (in Mississippi). There are three more of these - Alabama, Mississippi and the original atop BB Kings in Memphis (I believe that is on Beale St). I had a bowl of she crab soup for $9 and lamb chops with sweet pea risotto for $29. I considered some apps like scallops and grits ($14) or tuna tartare ($16) and entrees like grouper ($26) or jambalaya ($22). However, I didn't love the sides with the entrees and felt grits and risotto was a little much and raw fish and lamb was a bit of an odd pairing for my tum tum. I really wanted a rabbit dish that they no longer offer. I also saw a plate of salmon on another table and it seemed tiny, overcooked and poorly plated. The soup was ok. Very sweet. Not enough sherry. The crab could have had more resiliency (old). The red pepper flakes sneak up on you. It came in a cute, white square bowl on a white tray. The lamb (a three bone piece and a two bone piece) was a young/small one. It was cooked perfectly. Not gamey. It rested on the aforementioned risotto. The risotto had a ton of parmesan cheese mixed in and was cooked perfectly(al dente). A large portion. It was even more memorable than the lamb. The one improvement they could make is fresher sweet peas. They weren't very fresh at all. I've had risotto with sweet peas before and you could taste their sweetness. There was also a "level" of garlic sautéed spinach in between the lamb and risotto. It as a pleasant element. Maybe a bit over salted. This was plated on an ordinary white dish. Some jus and a gingery tomato sauce were served in droplets on the side. The rest of menu is smallish. Around eight apps and entrees. Fish, steak, chicken, pork and shrimp. My dish might have been the most expensive. A steak more be a bit more. I thought prices would be more exorbitant.
The room was modeled after a speak easy. They said they are ditching that vibe. I'm not sure how though. It's mostly dark brown wood with a few flourishes of gray. Tables as well. They have celebrity photos on the wall taken by the owner. Circa 1960's and 70's. They reminded me of those popularized by Richard Avedon or Annie Leibovitz. There is a bar and a small patio and a private room(s). It seats around sixty. It was a mixed crowd. About a quarter full. They had a piano man. Service was engaging when engaged. They forgot about me a few times. Parking was a total zoo. They validated.
The place is a notch below a dedicated service type chain like Ruths Chris or a stand alone affair. A notch above BB King's and Lafayette. It needs to formalize the service component and/or curate the meal and wine offerings with more originality to be considered a really posh place. As it is, it is still a really good "corporate" restaurant. Much better than Hard Rock, etc. The prices are appropriate/cheap for their "level". It's an odd positioning matrix for them to aspire to. They could charge the same (and others do) prices and deliver a very mediocre experience. A "B" or less. Or charge an extra $10 a plate and shoot for an "A". They give you an "A-" at "B" prices. They should be thanked for the extra effort.
Not open for lunch and sometimes closed for private events.
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