So I went and tried one of the places that serves shrimp and grits. tl;dr is would eat again. Long form:

So I went and tried one of the places that serves shrimp and grits. tl;dr is would eat again. Long form:

1. I am so over industrial restaurant design. It's well done and they can get away with it as a brand new restaurant here for two reasons: it's in an area that is genuinely post-industrial, and it's in the downtown of a city whose history literally peaked at the turn of the 19th to the 20th centuries, so this is arguably literal local flavor.

Otoh, metal chairs are just freaking uncomfortable and it is potentially too dark to see your food at night. During the day because the street facing wall is glass, if you are on that side of the restaurant, there is plenty of light from outside. It is worth noting that they are only open for dinner, except for the weekend brunch thing.

2. I wish I had money and a driver. They have lots of interesting bourbons and some scotch, as well as a few cocktails I'd be interested in trying.

3. They do refill your coffee without charging extra, although they take a while to catch that you might need some more. They have come up with a local roastery version of chicory coffee. Stop me if I start going on about hipster coffee. Ha ha. There's a school (?) of coffee that really likes what I taste as unpleasantly sour. In fact, that is the epitome of what they are going for. I dislike this. Using the chicory with this profile decreases it greatly, which is happy-making for me. Adding cream got rid of it even more. Prefer the chicory coffee I've had in New Orleans, though. I do not recall it as nasty and sour.

4. Neighbors at the bar got the beignet. They look sort of like the real deal but they are tiny.

5. Oh, right, the shrimp and grits. As I said, would eat again. My one main complaint is that it was way too salty. However, I find many things too salty that others are just fine with.

The grits: no cheese, but impressively creamy and tasty. Greatly surprised.

Shrimp: nicely cooked and enough to be an acceptable portion.

Bits of bacon, and a fair bit of crispy tasso ham (it's mostly under the shrimp). They smoke their own in house and it is quite tasty.

The raw scallions were nice and crisp, and the sauce has just enough spice to give it good flavor. It is served with two hot sauces on the side - Crystal, and one they say is their own called Loup Garou. Both tasted good on this. The Loup Garou is green and citrusy and tangy but not especially hot.

Portion size was appropriate for one person who wants a meal, although you will not have left overs or feel stuffed. Also good if two people want to share as an appetizer.

6. Prices. $18 for the shrimp and grits (no sides), $3 for the cup of coffee (you get refills). The shrimp and grits is $24 if you get it at dinner time. Personally, I think this is over-priced. Part of this, I suspect, is what I shall rudely term the hipster fee. I mean, these are prices I've only seen at high end, fancy and famous places like Hominy Grill in Charleston. This is by no means fancy or famous, and it certainly isn't Charleston.

The coffee mark-up absolutely is because it's from one of the local coffee roasters. Specifically, the one that is arguably the hipster coffee standard bearer. I've had coffee from most of the local roasters and this is the most expensive and probably the one I would be least likely to drink based on taste.

So there you go. I'm glad I tried it, because it's tasty, but it's expensive and therefore unlikely to be something I do again.

http://www.toutantbuffalo.com/