Have you Hurd... Double Comfort is in the Short North, but they are long on Southern Charm

While it's true I was born and have spent more than a few years living north of the Mason-Dixon line, I also spent more than a handful of my formative years south of it.  More than long enough to develop an appreciation for what I consider to be the finer points of southern cooking.  I don't profess to know about all of it or even like every single thing I have tried, but I am a big fan of several staples - fried chicken, bacon (or sausage or ham or any combination thereof) gravy, country ham, buttermilk biscuits, grits, corn bread, fried green tomatoes, fried okra, fried chicken, chicken fried steak, and the list goes on...  It is one of the reasons I am thankful to work for a company with an office in Nashville, Tennessee.  If I am lucky, every once in awhile I get to travel there and eat my way across that town and back again.

Which means I am more than a little embarrassed to admit that Double Comfort has been in operations here in the Columbus area for over 8 months and today was my first visit.  Since they position themselves as a purveyor of all the great southern comforts - both food and drink...  I should have been camped out for opening day.  The good news is that they were willing to hang around this long and wait for me.  As usual, I took a few friends along for the ride.  And one of them didn't have to go back to work, so he was willing to sample a cocktail for the record.  Well, one cocktail for the record and one purely for his enjoyment.  -smile-

We expected the poutine
appetizer to be dressed with
fresh cheese curds too.  It was
decided that it was just fine
without them.

We worked the menu from top to bottom and side to side.  We tried the poutine appetizer, both white and dark meat chicken, the chicken and dumplings blue plate special, the jalapeno skillet corn bread, macaroni and cheese, country-style green beans, mashed potatoes, and (of course) the bacon gravy.  We were mildly surprised when we were handed our menus, as they differed substantially from what we had seen on their website.  I am not sure if that was because the menu had changed recently or if the dinner menu is online and we went for lunch?  Didn't slow us down too much, just a little hiccup.   I am not a connoisseur of Canadian cuisine (beyond the ubiquitous Canadian-style bacon).  Consequently, when my friend asked me whether it should include fresh cheese curds, I suggested asking our waitress.  She was kind enough to confirm that it did.  The poutine hit the table not long after the drinks and was generous enough share.   What came out from the kitchen was shoestring cut fried potatoes covered lovingly with the house-made bacon gravy and some minced green onions.  It tasted great, so our disappointment in the lack of cheese curds lasted for just a short while.  We had enough to keep us busy while we awaited our entrees.

I kept my order simple and opted for two fried chicken thighs and country style green beans with a side of gravy.  The fried chicken was perfectly seasoned and crispy on the outside and moist and juicy on the inside.  The breading had a pleasant kick to it.  Double Comfort calls it Memphis-style.  I find that most southern-style fried chicken has that same bit of spiciness in the breading.  Usually from black pepper or cayenne.  It doesn't even rise to what I would call medium heat, but if someone is sensitive to spicy food they may have issues with it.  The same could be said for the bacon gravy and country-style green beans.  Both had a spiciness/heat level similar to the chicken.  I loved it, but I am pretty sure my wife would be less enthused.  She is not a fan of any kind of pepper.  For me, this meal was a home run.  I regret having waited so long to try this place.  I may have found a new favorite comfort food restaurant.

Can't you just taste that crispy
fried goodness in your mind?

Can you call it southern style
without a side of cream gravy? 

Can't go wrong with country
style green beans.  Even they
had just a little kick.

Based on the adjectives being tossed about the table while we joyfully consumed the feast they set before us, I believe the feedback was universally positive.  While all likewise noted the common thread of spiciness in many of the offerings, all agreed it was pleasing to their palate and they looked forward to the next visit.  One member of our group even asked for some beignets to take back to the office, but then decided he didn't want them to get cold driving back to work... So we consumed them too...  Smaller than the ones I tried in NOLA, but every bit as good.  Double Comfort offers them with a caramel sauce (I skipped that) which my friends indicated had a faint bourbon flavor to it.  So maybe a bourbon flavored caramel sauce?  Whatever it was, I think they were considering drinking it straight out of the container rather than dipping the beignets in it.  That is how much they liked it.  I should mention that the Rusty Tractor cocktails were also a hit.

Southern-style jalapeno skillet corn bread.  This
should not be confused with Yankee corn bread
(aka Jiffy corn bread).  It is not the least bit sweet
or fluffy.  

The chicken and dumplings and side salad.  This
was the Wednesday blue plate special.

The crowd today was surprisingly light for lunch time, but the manager stopped by and let us know that she expected that trend to change once the weather warmed up.  Apparently the folks that work at the nearby insurance company (that shall remain nameless) can't handle a short walk in the cold.  Too bad for them.  If I worked within walking distance of Double Comfort, they would have a table with a brass plate engraved with my name on it, permanently reserved for me and whomever I drag to lunch on that day.  That is how often I would be there.  In order to maintain my stunning physique I would then have to leave my car at the office and run all the way home and all the way back to the office the next morning. -smile-  The decor inside felt like the inside of an old barn.  Accents of rough planks along with some interesting old photographs and other agrarian curiosities.  Just felt comfortable to the entire group.  Not a total shock, given their name.  The pace of the meal was not nearly quick enough for a normal lunch hour, but since this was our first visit I don't expect it will keep us from coming back.  Hopefully, it was just an isolated occurrence and things will move along more quickly next time.  I would like to keep them on my list for lunch or dinner. Perhaps even lunch and dinner someday...  mmmmmm.....  Now you're talking... -smile-

Loved this picture.  Reminds me of a tractor my
Dad owned when I was a little kid.  In fact, I
think my Uncle may still have it.  

www.doublecomfortrestaurant.com

Your Dining Scout and Shade Tree Chef,
Michael Hurd, aka Big Mike