Southern Social, this season’s most talked-about newcomer on Vero’s 14th Avenue art-gallery-and-dining strip, has established itself in the short span of seven months as a trendy, welcome addition to the Old Downtown restaurant scene.
Night after night, this fairly large dining-and-drinking spot occupying the space that once housed Avanzare is packed, predominantly with young people. The only complaint one hears (albeit with some frequency) is that it is very noisy.
But featuring hand-crafted cocktails and craft beer as well as “southern cuisine with a progressive twist,” this is clearly a restaurant where people go with friends to drink and have fun as much as to eat.
On our most recent visit, we were seated in what is supposedly the quieter room since it’s the one without the bar. Both rooms, with bare lightbulbs dangling from a black ceiling, dark concrete floors, and black chalkboard and distressed wood planks on the walls, have a hip, country-casual appearance.
Across from us on the far wall the evening we were there was a party of 16 seated at a long table, all enjoying dinner. Have I mentioned that the room was extremely noisy?
A basket of jalapeño cornbread got the evening off to a good start. For openers, I ordered the fried green tomatoes ($11), our companion opted for a small pimento Caesar salad ($5), and my husband chose the oysters on the half shell ($14).
The pimento was the dominant taste in the non-traditional Caesar, and it made for an excellent salad. My husband’s oysters, Malpeques we were told (though not from PEI), were sublime but teensy, and unfortunately were overpowered by just a dot of whipped buttermilk and Tabasco pearls.
The winner among the three appetizers was the tower of fried green tomatoes. Layered with herb goat cheese and molasses cream, the tomatoes were very tasty with a nice crunch.
For entrées on this most recent evening, I ordered the shrimp and grits ($18), my husband chose the pan seared snapper ($26), and our companion decided to try the company burger ($14).
She was a bit surprised, however, to be told the burger patties (you get two) could not be prepared medium rare, but had to be cooked at least medium. Turns out the burgers are a blend of meats that included pork as well as brisket; hence the need to be sure they are thoroughly cooked.
In any event, the company burger – served with bacon jam, American cheese and Bama BBQ sauce – was delicious. I also enjoyed the deconstructed shrimp and grits – perfectly cooked shrimp served with a grit cake complemented by wilted collards and Andouille butter sauce. And my husband’s snapper was beautifully seared on the outside and moist on the inside. Very nicely done.
Southern Social offers an intriguing variety of hand-crafted cocktails, craft beer and ale, and three categories of wine by the glass: tasty ($6), interesting ($9) and delicious ($12). On this visit, we tried one of the “tasty” whites, Lost Angel, a medium-bodied California chardonnay which was a very good value for the price.
A party of two can dine here – having a couple of beers or glasses of wine, sharing an appetizer, and enjoying two entrées – for $70 to $80, before tax and tip (somewhat more if you’re having mixed drinks).
The good news is that Southern Social now takes reservations, and we would strongly recommend them. The less good news is that when it is full, this restaurant is one of the noisiest – perhaps the noisiest – in town.
But loud or not, based on the crowds we have seen there on recent evenings, our guess is this nouveau Southern gastropub with the hipster vibe is in for a long run.
I welcome your comments, and encourage you to send feedback to me at tina@verobeach32963.com.
The reviewer is a beachside resident who dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of this newspaper.
