Kitchen on George

Updated: 5/24/13
Talk about a good impression.  My friends were so impressed with Kitchen on George they couldn't wait to come back.  They decided to pick me up one Sunday for a quick day trip to New Orleans with the purpose of coming back to Mobile to eat dinner at Kitchen on George.

We tried to order the crab cake the first time we tried Kitchen on George but it was out.  This time we were in luck!  There were just two orders left.  We tried to order both but the manager put his foot down and told our waiter that it would be unfair to others (huh?).  We did get one order and were relatively happy with that.  I can see why this is a sell out every night.  It's a darn delicious crab cake.  There's very little filler in the cakes.  There's just enough vegetables and bread crumbs to bind the crab together. You can actually see the crab meat when you pick some up with a fork.  At other restaurants, I can make out the bread more than any real crab meat.  The little mango salsa on top really brought a freshness to the dish as well.  It is served with siracha chili sauce and what I call a spicy mayonnaise on the side.  I kinda of liked it with just the mango salsa than anything else.  

Salmon with lemon butter sauce $20

For my entree, I ordered the salmon with lemon butter sauce.  This was oh so good.  The salmon was cooked perfectly.  The skin was crispy and the fish itself was flaky.  The highlight had to be the sauce though.  I couldn't get enough.  It went perfectly with the fish and the vegetables. The vegetables was a mixture of beans, corn, broccoli and maybe a few other things.  I was very satisfied and thought it was well worth the money.

Papaya salad $9

When I saw this on the menu under small dishes, I thought it was a Thai style papaya salad.  When it came to the table, it was anything but small or Thai.  I think it was romaine lettuces with huge strips of ripe papaya mixed through.  There maybe some onions throughout as well.  This salad was a standard size salad if not bigger.  My friend actually ordered it as part of his meal but he couldn't finish it.  I told him to pass it over my way.  I love the sweetness of the papaya and I thought there was a bit of tang in the dressing.  I really enjoyed it.

Beef tenderloin $27

My other friend ordered the beef tenderloin for dinner.  I was going to ask for a bite so I can let you guys know how it was but I changed my mind when I saw the size of the meat.  It could not have been more than 4 ounces or so.  I can report that she was happy with her meal though so it couldn't have been bad.

The two fails of the night had to be the "wok broccoli" and spinach saute.  The wok broccoli was suppose to be Chinese inspired dish.  I thought it fell flat.  The broccoli was supposed to be cooked with ginger, garlic and hoisin sauce, which is like a barbecue sauce.  It tasted nothing like the description.  The broccoli tasted like it was boiled in salted water and that was it.  Definitely, not worth the $5 price tag.  The spinach saute was the same thing.  I know what spinach saute is suppose to taste like and would have been happy with a decent one.  This was so greasy it could have been spinach chips!  It could have been an off night but this two dishes are a definite no in my book.

Original Post: 3/13/13
After about 6 months of sticking relatively close to home, I finally ventured out to a new restaurant.  I have been wanting to try Kitchen on George for about a year now and finally got a chance during a Sunday brunch.  Let me tell you, it will not take another year before I go back.

My friend ordered an omelet from their large plate section.  For $11, you get to choose 3 toppings and $1 more for each additional topping.  She got an omelet with mushrooms, tomatoes, bacon and shrimp.  The omelet was served with fingerling home fries, a muffin and fruit.  I thought the omelet would be very ho-hum but boy was I wrong.  Instead of being stuffed, the "toppings" were actually cooked into the omelet.  There was a nice earthy flavor from mushrooms, a slight sweetness from the tomatoes and the shrimp was very crisp.  There was a nice smoky flavor I really enjoyed as well.  I didn't have any potatoes but I did get a little bit of the muffin.  I think it was a corn muffin with some cranberries dusted with confectioner's sugar.  It was not as sweet like a breakfast muffin would be.  I think it was more like a scone in a muffin form.  The sweet fruit rounded out the meal nicely.

Another friend and I decided to share several of the small plates or tapas.  The small plates were $8 or $9 a piece, with the exception of the salmon ($6). 

Let's start with the shrimp and "city" grits or polenta.  This is not a dish for you if you're watching your waistline.  I think polenta is just a more finely ground corn meal than grits are but don't quote me on that.  The grits are cooked with some goat cheese along with tons of cream.  I didn't taste the tang I usually associate with goat cheese but there was definitely something cheesy in there.  It was also super rich.  The shrimp are sauteed in butter and kind of dumped on top.  This is definitely gulf of mexico shrimp.  There is a wonderful crunch/bite to it that only local shrimp seems to have.  Thank goodness I was sharing this so I was to share the calories too!

Now to the misoyaki glazed salmon.  The salmon could not be any more than 3 ounces and served with a small handful of greens.  The sauce is described as a citrus ponzu, which if I was making at home is thinned out soy sauce with lemon juice and some other stuff.    The salmon was well cooked.  It flaked off easily with a fork.  There was a little smoky flavor here as well, probably from those grill marks I see striped across the filet.  I liked this dish so much I think I will attempt to recreate it.  I think there was a large plate version of this dish on the menu as well.

One of the stand outs had to be the Alabama Fried Oysters.  Unlike some places, the breading here is thin and let the plump oysters shine through.  I was surprise by how juicy the oysters still were after being deep fried.  It was served with chili aioli and a handful of salad.  I was going to only try one but had to go back for another.  It was that good.  My friend couldn't rave about it enough.


Last but definitely not least is the wild mushroom risotto.  This was rich and "meaty" without the meat!  I think there were at least 2 types of mushrooms in the dish.  The risotto was creamy exactly like it's suppose to be and the mushrooms makes it very hearty.  I enjoyed it a lot.

Typically, I would have taken a picture of the dining room and such but I was so busy stuffing my face I forgot.  But you can get a feel for the restaurant along with a look at the menu by going on their website.  I have to warn you it hasn't been updated in forever though.

I have to say though I was impressed by Kitchen on George overall.  The food is great and so is the atmosphere.  I can see where some people can assume it's a little pretentious but I didn't see any sideways glance when one of my friends basically wore a lounge set to brunch.  The hostess and our waitress were very nice and accommodating.  Kitchen on George is surely a hidden jewel of the Oakleigh District.