Seattle: Southern Comfort Food at the Kingfish Cafe

I couldn't wait to sit down and have dinner at a restaurant that cooks in a traditional southern recipes.  My friends had raved about the cooking at the Kingfish Cafe in the Capitol Hill area of Seattle and had brought me along on one of their frequent visits. I loved this charming restaurant and I will be back!

You know how I love to take pictures.  I can usually wait until I get to the table, but not here! The candlelit hostess area was too beautiful to pass up.

I ordered the buttermilk fried chicken and it was delicious - juicy, tender, flavorful.  Paired with mashed potatoes and collard greens, it was comforting and crave-worthy.  My friend had shrimp and grits (pictured, right) and I wanted that too! Every item on the menu sounded wonderful and I know that I'll have fun returning to try more their special dishes, especially the gumbo.

It was the beginning of strawberry season when we dined at the Kingfish Cafe. We knew that splurging on the homemade Strawberry Shortcake was the right thing to do; what we didn't know was that it would be as large as our head! 

We really should have put something in the picture to show scale - this dessert was enormous! And perfect.  Super sweet fresh berries, homemade whipped cream, fresh tender biscuits. Wow. This dish tasted like summer.

I ducked my head in their adjoining bluesy bar which boasts live music and a bevy of bourbon-based drinks.   Mint Julep, anyone?

City Series, Birmingham, AL: Banana Pudding

Ahhh...the southern classic, Banana Pudding.  The only problem was that I'm not southern and I had never made or eaten this classic.  Yet I was in charge of helping Melanie make it for dessert at a party hosted in our honor.  Yikes!

I used a Food Network recipe and it was a hit.  This is our masterpiece at the banana stage.  I knew that once it was coated in a blanket of meringue, it wouldn't look as pretty in a photograph.  So here it is so far: Nilla wafers, homemade vanilla pudding and bananas.

Our dear friends, Melanie and Jon (who now live in Birmingham, Alabama) wanted us to experience true southern hospitality during our stay with them.  They decided to throw a dinner party, serve "bar-b-que" (which means bar-b-qued pork in Alabama) and asked their friends to bring a southern dish to pass.  I tried sweet tea, fried okra, fried green tomatoes and homemade peach ice cream...and then banana pudding! 

What a night!  It was all delicious, of course, but what I loved most was seeing the smiles, hearing the stories and feeling so welcome.

It is a big deal when a friend moves far away.  You call.  You write.  And you can only hope that they will make friends as nice as these.  Good job, Alabama.