A Southern Birthday Dinner at Table Fifty-Two

I love the South, I love its old charm, the beaches and of course the food.  My family used to vacation at Wild Dunes, a beach resort in South Carolina and I have some of the best memories of hours at the beach, crabbing in the intercoastal and eating bowls of She-Crab soup at night. 

Right down the street from my apartment is Table Fifty-Two, Chef Art Smith's restaurant known for bringing Southern classics to Chicago.  Sunday night Brady took me there for my birthday dinner and I was able to get a little taste of the South.  It was AMAZING.  I loved everything that I ate, and trust me I ate a lot! Definitely not a healthy dinner by any means but if you are going to go all out why not do it with biscuits, grits, and fried chicken?!

Dinner started off with complimentary deviled eggs for each of us and a goat cheese biscuit to share.  The biscuit was so flavorful and I loved the addition of the goat cheese.  I have already searched online and found Art Smiths recipe. For an appetizer Brady and I shared Low Country Shrimp and Grits- shrimp sauteed in a spicy tomato sauce served over stone ground grits.  This dish definitely made me feel like I was back in the Carolina's!

 For our entrees Brady and I both ordered the Fried Chicken which is only available on Sunday nights.  I was a bit unsure of how you eat fried chicken at a nice restaurant but quickly learned that you just use your hands and dig right in- thankfully it wasn't our first date!  The Fried Chicken was nice and crispy, wasn't greasy and was well seasoned.  As a side dish we ordered Three Cheese Mac which came to the table piping hot and with a nice crust on top.  Is your mouth watering??  Unfortunately no room for dessert but we'll definitely be going back because the menu had so many other items to choose from.

Besides the food being everything that I had hoped, the restaurant itself was beautiful.  I felt like we were in someones Charleston home. The restaurant is set in a charming house which after checking out the restaurants website I learned was the 19th Century carriage house of the Briggs Mansion which survived the Great Chicago Fire (Brady, this answers your question as to what the restaurant was in its prior life).  The copper ceilings, low lighting and candles and the open hearth oven in the back of the restaurant make it an absolutely beautiful dining experience.  It would have been a great birthday dinner anywhere we went but I am so glad that we went to Table Fifty-Two, it's nice to know that my Southern favorites are no longer a plane ride away.