UNPRETENTIOUS REVIEW
Southern Pecan Gulf Coast Kitchen
3.5The Basics
Last updated: May 18, 2023
In the Weeds
I was four or five bites into the Mississippi tamales at Southern Pecan when I knew that it was one of the best dishes I’ve eaten in Charlotte in a long time. So good, in fact, that I could forgive them for piping Jimmy Buffett yacht rock through the speakers on the patio. The tamales’ masa was soft and pillowy without disintegrating into dust. The duck that filled the tamale was generous in size and flavor. The spicy tomato broth that coated and bathed the tamales conjured tastes of a gumbo by way of Mexico: smoky, earthy, heavy with the perfume of roasted peppers, and spicy enough to wake up your taste buds. They’re almost large enough to be a meal unto themselves, what my wife’s abuelo would call borracho, or drunk. These tamales were puffed up like a man who had been drinking too much tequila for a lifetime. I was content. If other dishes on the menu couldn’t rise to the glorious heights of the tamales, they were still able to deliver satisfying tastes.
Situated across the street from The Palm steakhouse at Phillips Place and in the shadow of the Hampton Inn & Suites, Southern Pecan Gulf Coast Kitchen is spacious and modern, with ample outdoor seating. A large bar anchors the interior space and reminds me of the bawdy beachfront eateries you might find in Isle of Palms or Murrells Inlet, only more polished. You’re less likely to find a pandemonium of Parrotheads getting rowdy at the bar, but Southern Pecan isn’t worse for their absence. If you’re unfamiliar with Jimmy Buffett fandom, imagine your most laid-back friend stumbling drunk and decked out in clothes they could only find at a Waves in Myrtle Beach.
The restaurant’s cocktails are also typical of what you would find at a Southern beach town restaurant: heavy on the booze and exceedingly sweet. I would recommend the Muddy Water’s Punch and the Paloma “South Texas Style,” both of which are sure to get you well-buzzed as you wait for your meal. I’m not sure what the “South Texas Style” implies in the Paloma, but I do know the addition of Coco Lopez makes this rather simple cocktail even more delicious. The Muddy Water’s Punch is equally breezy, almost going down dangerously quick. If you’re looking to get frat-boy drunk or embarrass your date, go for the Hurricane Connie CAT-5, just be sure not to go near any open flames.
The wait staff, who are above average considering the current labor shortage, bring out a large piece of cornbread with a side of butter before each meal. It’s a nice touch and another nod to their Southern inspiration. I was ready to dismiss the cornbread as merely average when I first saw it. Upon eating a few bites I was pleasantly surprised to find it quite good. Sweeter than I am used to, it was airy, light, and not death valley dry. It crumbled a little too easily but that didn’t distract me from its rich flavor.
Jambalaya is one of my go-to comfort dishes and a meal I often make at home, though I can never seem to get mine up to restaurant-quality. Southern Pecan’s jambalaya isn’t the best I’ve ever had, but is still able to deliver a good measure of comfort with all the complex, herbal, spicy, and vegetal flavors of the New Orleans classic. Hefty amounts of crawdaddy meat, whole shrimp, and large chunks of Andouille sausage pepper the dish alongside a fair amount of sliced okra and onions. My only complaint about the jambalaya, and it’s a complaint I have for the restaurant as a whole, is they don’t bring any hot sauce to the table. Even more peculiar, they don’t even ask you if you would like any brought to the table. Perhaps they’re so confident in the high quality of their cooking they think it isn’t needed, but I don’t consider it an insult to any restaurant or chef to splash a few lashings of Crystal or Tabasco across the top of my favorite cajun dishes. It heightens just about any Gulf Coast meal.
I automatically scanned the menu for another one of my favorite Cajun classics and was happy to see the po’ boy section smack in the middle of the page. They have the ubiquitous fried shrimp, oyster, and catfish offerings alongside something I haven’t seen before: New Orleans BBQ shrimp. Unfried and coated with lots of creole seasoning, the shrimp are large, cooked until firm yet not rubbery, and placed atop a bed of shredded lettuce and thick slices of Roma tomatoes inside an above average baguette. Swap out the traditional remoulade for their comeback sauce for a spicier take on the classic. The sauces come on the side, which I found somewhat annoying when coupled with the fact that the shrimp and tomatoes are on top of the bread instead of tucked lovingly inside the baguette, leaving me with the task of having to rebuild my own sandwich at the table. Still, the flavors outweighed this slight inconvenience.
When you think of Phillips Place you might not think of a laid back Gulf Coast joint that plays “Cheeseburger in Paradise” and serves $1 oysters during happy hour. Indeed, the close proximity of one of the city’s most expensive chain steakhouses only makes the arrival of Southern Pecan on the Charlotte food scene that more refreshing. It’s the type of place that welcomes anyone and makes you feel at home with the best of Southern hospitality. As cliche as it has become, the Bard of Key West was on to something when he sang “it’s five o’ clock somewhere.” At Southern Pecan, it’s always five o’ clock — a time when cocktails and food are sure to put you in a better mood.
