The Porch

So this past Sunday was John Willey’s birthday. We didn’t get to celebrate with him so we all went to dinner last night. He had heard good things about the restaurant called The Porch on Henderson. I have a feeling we will be returning there often! We started with the spinach dip. Best spinach dip ever. I kinda want to go there for lunch today and just eat that! After polishing it off, out came our food. Chicken Parmesan, Fried Shrimp, and Three Grilled Cheese. Our sides were fries, coleslaw, onion rings and of course the smoked ham mac and cheese. Wow. They need to have a side item plate like the Black-Eyed Pea! The mac and cheese was smoky and rich. More of a grown up style though…tasted nothing like your traditional box mix. Creamy cheese and chunks of smoked ham…mmmmm. Then the onion rings. Thick, steak cut onions perfect amount of breading and an awesome flavor. No dipping sauce necessary. The sea salted fries were perfectly crisp on the outside and soft inside. I had ordered the three grilled cheese. It was good. Port Salute, provolone, and cheddar with tomato. It was pretty tasty. The bread was a little more buttered than I care for, but then again, I don’t put any butter on my grilled cheese when I make them at home. Since I don’t care for shrimp or coleslaw, I don’t have anything to say about that. The chicken parm had grape tomatoes, little chunks of fresh mozzarella, and greens on top of it, and the marinara came on the side (so the chicken would not get soggy). It was really good. I really liked their marinara. It had thick cuts of tomato, spices, and roasted garlic. Definitely would order it again…at least after I tried a few of their other menu items. For dessert we split a strawberry shortcake. Perfectly toasted honey butter biscuit, freshly whipped cream, sliced strawberries with a few bits of chopped mint (very subtle). Wonderfully fresh and perfect for a summer day. I was so full I could only fit in a couple of bites though. When we arrived at 6:00, the restaurant was practically empty. By the time we left, it was packed and we were getting the stink eye from the waitress. So we left. By the hostess stand on the way out, instead of giving out mints, there was a huge bowl of starbursts!!! I took two orange and off we went. We crossed Henderson and found a table outside at a place called the Old Monk. A neat, but small little bar. It was a little humid and a little uncomfortable, but not too bad. We each had a drink and visited for a bit then decided to head home about 9. We had such a wonderful time! I think I have found a new favorite restaurant…which may end up costing us money and a few pounds! Happy Wednesday everyone!