The Front Porch

The Front Porch Restaurant Review:

This neighborhood restaurant somehow marries Wonder Bread kitsch with Caribbean influenced Southern soul. Regulars come for the juggernaut vintage bar, comfortable booths and "bevvies," including a wine list priced by the box, the deuce (jug for two), and juice box with bendy straw. Everyone comes for the low-priced menu and generous portions of Southern specialties from chef Matt Marcus. Dr. Pepper-braised short ribs are topped with crispy Vidalia onions and served atop locally milled grits, and there's an emphasis on pickles, smoked and cured meats and barbecue. Fried chicken, from a recipe that originated with the former chef, arrives grease-free and coated in cornmeal, buttermilk, maize flour and a rub of subtle spices and lime; a deep tureen of collards and black-eyed peas on the side can be simmered with or without hunks of pork belly. There are indeed vegetarians in the South, and those of their ilk can enjoy fresh, seasonal vegan stews with cornbread and chili-honey butter.