Dinner at Seersucker

The new, Southern Seersucker (329 Smith Street, at Carroll St., 718-422-0444) has a very appealing aesthetic. The interior is all grays and concrete and metal, with 1 x 3s of weathered wood making up one slatted wall, and whitewashed brick on the opposite wall. There's a bar (so I'm assuming they're waiting for their full liquor license - only beer and wine for now) with stools and hanging lamps with metal-capped light bulbs to reduce the harshness. The front window is one big pane, with a simple "Seersucker" written in white letters. The concrete floor made for a noisy dining room though when the place was at full capacity. I could barely hear my dining companion.

We started out with the Crispy Pig's Foot. I asked the waitress if it was weird, but she said that people loved it and that it didn't look like a foot. It came breaded and fried and was served on a bed of dressed watercress and chopped walnuts. I really didn't like it. It was gelatinous and funky, and the nuts and dressing didn't add to the flavors at all and tasted more like spoiled milk.



For my main entree I chose the Skirt Steak, with asparagus and potatoes. This was amazing. Sometimes skirt steak is tough and chewy - this was tender, juicy, flavored just right and cooked to perfection. The asparagus were wonderful as well - nutty and crunchy and the potatoes added a nice, creamy touch.



My boyfriend got the Shrimp & Grits, with Country Ham and Mushrooms. Where was the ham??? About 5 minuscule pieces dotted the entire dish, which was unfortunate, because it was the best-tasting part of the whole dish! The grits were tasteless and mushy, as were the shrimp. They seemed overcooked and bland and plain. Bummer. Even the "hot sauce" he was given to go with the dish was seriously lacking in heat - and I have a pretty low tolerance!



I'll definitely go back - the Pork Chops and Chicken & Dumplings sounded great, and the desserts were tempting as well (Pecan Pie, Mississippi Mud Pie). They're closed Mondays but they take credit cards!