Phantom Gourmet: Southern Kin Cookhouse In Somerville

SOMERVILLE - A Fried Chicken Biscuit dripping with Sausage Gravy, a big old bucket bursting with Ribs and Chicken, and all kinds of pies. If you're ready for a whole lot of South in your mouth, then it's time to visit your Southern Kin. Brand new to Assembly Row in Somerville, Southern Kin Cookhouse is bringing Southern style, Southern hospitality, and most importantly, some seriously good Southern eats to New England.

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"Southern Kin Cookhouse is the ultimate southern restaurant," said Executive Chef Bill Brodsky. "There's a lot of loud music playing. There's a lot of people here having a good time. There's an open kitchen, so there's a lot of buzz and a lot of energy in the room."

The dishes coming out of that open kitchen are courtesy of Chef Bill, who has created a menu that draws on his time cooking in the South, and pays homage to those dishes that bring people together.

"What's great about southern cuisine is that it's all about sharing. It's all about conversation. All the dishes come to the table and there's oohs and ahhs, and everyone gets to try everyone else's food. Sometimes when you're dining at a fancy French restaurant, there's not lot of sharing going on. Here it's encouraged, and in fact, it's a necessity."

Making sure everyone in the restaurant has that comfortable family feeling is a job that General Manager William Johnson takes seriously.

"When someone comes to my house, which we consider this our home, that we're making sure that they're having a pleasant time from start to finish. A lot of times you will find me at the front door greeting every guest that comes in, and a lot of times you'll see me walking around the room. I take it personally to make sure that every guest has the experience that they're looking for."

Every meal at Southern Kin should start with an order of fresh baked buttermilk biscuits with sweet jam and smooth honey butter. To drink, order a pitcher of housemade lemonade or iced tea, served with fruit infused ice cubes, and delivered in true Southern style.

"We have these huge mason jars with little spigots on the bottom. When it comes over to the table everyone helps themselves, passes them around, it gets a conversation going," chef Bill said.

For appetizers there are golden fried fritters filled with gooey Pimento Cheese; Bayou Tacos with braised gator tail; and a take on a Tex-Mex favorite, Redneck Nachos.

"Instead of using tortilla chips, we chose to use fried pork rinds, and we're pairing it with some creamy cheddar grits, with some pork butt that's been barbecued and finished with a cider-whisky glaze, with a little bit of black bean and corn salsa, some pickled fresno chiles, and a little bit of scallion garnis," Bill described.

If that's not enough to get you going, there's the Gussied Up Biscuit with buttermilk fried chicken, smothered in sausage-sawmill gravy; or the Hog N' Hooch Biscuit with pork belly, fried green tomatoes, chow-chow relish, and pickled Fresno chilies.

"So you've got this fatty, unctuous, beautiful pork belly. Then you've got this green tomato chow chow. And chowchow is basically a green tomato jam that's got a little spicy note, and some nice acidity to it so it cuts through that fattiness. Then of course you've got this beautiful buttermilk biscuit, and some fried green tomatoes to give some crunch," Chef Bill explained.

When it comes to entrees at Southern Kin, you better come hungry. There's a thick cut breaded Pork Chop, topped with mustard greens and a fried egg; Low Country Stew loaded with scallops, shrimp, mussels, corn, and andouille sausage; and Chicken and Waffles that have been known to alter a customer's outlook on life.

"Our version of chicken and waffles is absolutely insane," Bill said. "Let's start with the waffle. It's beautiful, crispy, and yet it's creamy on the inside because of the addition of cheddar and fresh chives. And then we're serving it with our own fried chicken. One of the things that makes our chicken special is we have a pressure fryer, so it maintains all the moisture on the inside and on the outside there's all that crackly, golden goodness. We then pair it with a fresno-infused maple syrup, and then we're serving it with a side of honey hot sauce. It all comes together like a symphony."

For the ultimate Southern Kin experience, you need to order their Grand Bucket.

"It's a whole fried chicken, half rack of ribs, some of our farmhouse biscuits, and every time we walk through the room, the room stops and everyone pays attention to this bucket. It hits your table, and it's a feast," William promised.

It's hard to imagine anyone saves room for dessert here, but you really ought to try, because nothing finishes a Southern meal better than a slice of fresh baked pie.

"There's nothing more Southern than pie: Pecan pie, Key lime pie, Buttermilk pie. If you wanna indulge, you need to go with our mud pie. It tastes like you're eating a chocolate, fudge brownie," explained Bill. "It's a good time."

Best of all, every slice of pie is served with an even bigger slice of Southern comfort.

"You see the smiling faces in the room, the staff all in their plaid uniforms, just everyone having a good time, and you can genuinely tell that everyone is happy to be here," said William. "We're at home. We're doing what's natural."

You can find Southern Kin at 500 Assembly Row in Somerville, and online at southernkincookhouse.com.

Watch Phantom Gourmet on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 and 11 a.m. on myTV38.