Table & Main – Southern Refined

ATL Reviews | June 8, 2012 by danaldridge7 | 0 Comments

Finally there is a restaurant worth getting excited about OTP in the North metro! Sure there are plenty of decent spots in Marietta, Sandy Springs and Roswell, but none that get folks talking like this place has; I’ve spoken with several people and seen tons of posts, articles and even tweets on what Table & Main is doing in their quaint cottage on Canton St! What they’re doing is taking familiar southern ingredients and techniques and executing very well; oh and they also get creative and mix it up a little bit…see a BBQ Tuna special a few months back.

Table and Main is located in Roswell on historic Canton St which is a mecca for local restaurants and quaint little shops that line either side of the tree laden road. In addition to a great dining menu, they have an extensive bourbon program that includes over 40 selections, including my favorite the Black Maple Hill Small Batch! Did I mention they have a beautiful front porch and side patio area that’s perfect for sipping on one these in the early evening?

: Black Maple Hill Bourbon – they also cut their own ice!

Each meal starts with a glass of house made cheese straws that are wickedly addictive and have a slight hint of heat on the finish. I love this for two reasons: bread is so boring and cheese straws just invoke memories of parties and family get togethers…oh and it’s ok to ask for seconds!

So simple yet so refined

Their appetizers range from meatballs to hush puppies to a play on pigs in a blanket featuring some super tender pulled pork; the big boy plate though is the charcuterie platter with homemade pimento cheese, pickled veggies, cheese and bacon jam…yes bacon jam.

The bacon jam was intense and offered a great sweetness to the meat and cheeses

All of their pork offerings have been great; well-seasoned, perfectly cooked and full of deep flavor. On my most recent visit I had the maple glazed pork chop with beets and arugula and it was out of this world. The pork was so juicy, and aside from the semi-sweet glaze there was a hint of smoke that pushed me to a nirvana-like, close your eyes and chew slowly to savor every morsel state.

Probably one of the best pork chops I have ever had!

Aside from the porkgasam experience, we had the shrimp and grits and an incredibly beautiful scallop dish with a summer vegetable ragout. The shrimp were large and cooked just enough to maintain a tender and juicy consistency and the grits were well seasoned, creamy and smoky! Definitely a southern classic, but so well executed that it was well above what you would get at most places.

Shrimp and grits - seved with a tangy tomato sauce

The scallops were my second favorite; served with a vegetable ragout of corn, zucchini and lima beans in an incredibly creamy ver blanc sauce, they literally melted in your mouth. Again, a simple dish done amazingly well.

Seared scallops with summer veg ragout

Other favorites on past visits included the aforementioned bbq tuna, the fried chicken (yeah I know, but it’s really good) and the pigs in quilts. Aside from the food, service is top notch and they really know the menu and accompanying wine list, so feel free to have them guide you. Table and Main just feels right…every time I leave I think about when I can come back. The restaurant, the food, and the folks behind it all are genuine and they make you feel welcome. They strive to make even the little things special including bringing the check in a classic southern novel where former guests have left notes about their meal…how cool is that.