The Redhead

I'm sure The Redhead was to beginning to feel more like the red headed stepchild for all the time it had been sitting on my list of restaurants to try.  I knew there was a Southern influence, but had I known there were Lowcountry items on the menu, I would have made sure to get there much sooner.  Although I went in after hearing good things, the food was actually better than I expected, always a welcome surprise.

We started with the house smoked sausage with brussels sprouts over potato puree with red eye gravy.  The sausage was filled with smoky spices and the brussels sprouts had a nice crisp on the edges that gave them a standout presence among the creamy potatoes and gravy.  At the waiter's suggestion, we also ordered the crispy cauliflower with green goddess sauce.  I assumed the cauliflower would be roasted, but it was actually deep fried and I shouldn't have to tell you that deep frying something is never ever a bad thing.  For my entree I actually got two smaller dishes, the small order of shrimp and grits and the side of collards.  I was a little nervous that the collards were prepared with corned beef instead of ham hock, but it turns out beef can provide just as much flavor as pork - who knew?!  In fact, I think using corned beef added the vinegar flavor during the cooking process, while I usually add vinegar at the table so basically they killed two birds with one stone.  The grits were super creamy - just how I like em.  (I basically like a little grits with my bowl of cream and cheese - who doesn't?!)  They also threw some andouille sausage chunks on the plate for good measure, and I thank them for it.  Although I didn't order it for myself, the one dish I kept hearing about was the fried chicken so I had to at least try a bit.  The skin was nice and brown - almost to the point that I thought the chicken could be dry inside, but it was nice and juicy.  There was certainly some cayenne in the spice mix, but I think I detected some sugar because there was a teeny bit of sweet in there.  I was too full for a whole dessert and I'm glad I passed because when the waiter brought the check he also brought out a homemade cookie for everyone at the table.  I stuck my oatmeal raisin in my purse and just like the restaurant itself, it was very happy happy discovery later on.