In the old days, before social media, people who wanted to be in the restaurant business had to take a big chance. They had to have money. They had to have backers. Instagram changed all that. And Farmer’s Markets. It’s at least as likely now that a restaurateur hanging up a shingle has been in business for some time, just not in a brick and mortar.
As someone who spends too much time on Instagram, I see who and what is out there, and how many people use social media exclusively. Tom was one of the original “pop-ups,” taking over restaurants to do his charity dinners back in the early 1990s. The term had just begun to be heard. And now, everyone is “popping-up.” They may start at Farmer’s Markets but will take up residence at a restaurant at some point, and maybe stay in residence for a long time when the place is closed. Or they may move around, all announced on IG. It’s fascinating.
After years of this program, honing the craft and developing a following, the space presents itself and they launch. Sometimes it works and other times not. I remember when Blue Oak was cooking from a smoker on the curb on Oak St. It would be hard to find another success story like that. But what about Gonzo Smokehouse, whose doors are open in Luling only a few hours on Thursday and another few hours on Friday. A real word-of-mouth success story, with an assist from social media, of course.
But this story is about Southerns, a place that is everywhere, on everyone’s lips and all over social media. Southerns has been around a lot longer than the fried chicken sandwich craze, but it was that sandwich that popped them into the stratosphere of “buzzdom.”
At the height of the chicken sandwich craze, I tried the chicken sandwich, and it was indeed good. But the mania of social media makes one feel that something you can eat will change your life, and it does not do that. It was very good. And then it was off my radar.
Recently the news came that it was getting a forever home in Metairie, near Clearview in a space that was formerly a Korean BBQ place. It’s an odd space that is hard to get into (requiring deft turning skills) and a small parking lot, so it’s good for them that the fan base is nearly maniacal.
We went to see what the buzz was about. I checked the menu online first and saw that they had cracklins!!! I continue to try to kick my cracklin habit, but it remains an unsuccessful endeavor. There was also a burger on the menu, and a chicken tender sandwich. We got all three.
Southerns will not be helping me with my cracklin problem at all. These were perfect cracklins. I will try to forget that. I got the original and didn’t get their ramped-up seasoning. As a dedicated fan of meat snacks and animal fat, I prefer that the minimum is done to bits of pork dropped in hot oil. Poor pigs - they are such tasty animals.
These cracklins were so good I could have made myself sick. The seasoning was just right for my taste and the ratio of fat to meat, (which is the critical element to me that separates great cracklins from the good,) was ideal. I have to keep from swinging in that driveway when I pass.
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The burger is what shocked me. It was superb!. I wasn’t expecting a place known for fried chicken sandwiches to do a burger so well. It had fried onion rings and some “special sauce’ on it. Best of all, the meat had a great flavor all by itself. It had melted cheese and a basic bun and I loved everything about this burger. The onion rings added a nice touch.
Since I had already experienced the fried chicken sandwich at the height of its buzz, I got the other option of the chicken tender sandwich. This was also excellent but I just don’t think chicken tenders work as a sandwich.
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The next thing that brought us back to Southerns was their oxtails specials ballyhooed on IG. I had just been talking on The Food Show about my fears that oxtails were becoming the new short ribs, i.e., a “dog meat” that became a superstar delicacy. It would be hard for anyone to remember this, but as a longtime admirer of short ribs, I remember when the transition was complete. We were living in DC after Katrina and I made short ribs for a potluck. I was aghast at the jump in price. It was then that I realized that the little creep I had been seeing in “buzz” about shortribs, and their encroachment on menus signaled this transition to delicacy from a lowly discarded part of the cow.
And now, I guess due to the price of shortribs, oxtails are the new “it” thing. Same trajectory. I see it creeping in on menus now and then. I also adore oxtails, and in one week it was featured at another restaurant around town that is Italian, and Southerns had it too. We had to go. The IG post screamed a warning as all such posts do: UNTIL WE SELL OUT BY 1pm. I knew they would sell out because this was IG, but other commitments and bad scheduling brought us to Southerns too late.
The parking lot was full, and we had to circle twice. I am so glad what opened was the handicapped space closest to the building. I walked Tom all the way to the front of the building, peering inside to see a room of empty tables. I wondered why the parking lot was full. It was only after we got to the front door that I noticed a line of thirty people. There would be no oxtails for us.
We will try again, though. The next time there is an exciting special. We will go earlier, because these guys know how to create buzz for what they do. Luckily, what they do is very good. Good for them.
