Wednesday, September 25, 2013

The Southern Diner- Where Comfort Food Is King!



 I can't tell you how many time's I've looked for new restaurants with "home-style" cuisine.
 Then I remembered that saying- "you'll never find anything if you look too hard". I found this restaurant via Twitter and boy am I glad. I rounded up the most infamous foodie that I know- someone with over 30 years of cooking and kitchen management experience and took the journey on an overcast Saturday afternoon to get some home cooked grub. When it comes to home cooking, I am partial to my mom's. However, The Southern Diner could surely hold it's own in a race.
Atmosphere: Table & booth seating, a great view of the steam table the minute you hit the door. An array of pies, salads and hot & ready to eat southern comfort foods are lined up & ready for the taking. Very pleasantly decorated. Busy, but not uncomfortably packed. Definitely a place that could accomodate large groups and families.
The Staff: Amazing! We were greeted as soon as we walked in by a couple of friendly faces. The line servers and wait staff were all extremely attentive and friendly. We didn't have to look & search for assistance at all.
What I/ We Had: I had the fried chicken breast, garden salad, cornbread, turnip greens and creamy squash casserole. My dining companion had the Saturday special which is all you can eat fried grouper with sides of delicious pinto beans & turnip greens. The southern style fried chicken was "unbelievably" flavorful & moist right down to the bone. They get a gold star for this chicken. The veggies were awesome- definitely a must when you are looking for comfort food. The buttery, moist cornbread muffins were just as much of a highlight as the entree's. My dining companion was completely fascinated with the obvious care and preparation that went into the making of the fried grouper. The fact that it was on special definitely prompted a second helping of their generous sized fish. The home-made hush puppies enhanced the grouper meal even more.
Prices: The all you can eat grouper meal on Saturdays is currently $11.99. A meat & 2 veggies would run an estimated $8.00.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give the Southern Diner in Trussville a rating of 8.5.
The fried chicken is FIVE STAR!!!!!!
 For catering information or to reserve a spot for your group, call (205) 874-6804 or visit them on line at http://www.thesoutherndiner.com/ , Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thesoutherndiner and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SouthernDiner