AN OLD GROUCH
RESTAURANT REVIEW
Dale’s
Southern Grill was recommended to us on two occasions by qualified
individuals (people who eat) so it was with some anticipation that we
ventured to Dale’s Southern Grill in Hoover, Alabama, on a hot July day. Dale’s is located in a run of the mill strip mall so there is nothing to indicate the interesting and comfortable décor inside. We arrived around noon and not surprisingly the place was packed. Yet another qualified couple recommended the establishment as we waited for a table.
Once
inside you will find a long bar along one wall with several televisions
and this is a great place for the lonely person dining alone to enjoy a
meal. There are more booths than tables, and the bride and I believe that is a good thing. We
looked through small to-go menus while waiting and noted a freezer full
of pre-cooked food that needed only a little tender loving heat to make
it edible.
Though it was crowded, our wait was only a few minutes and we were soon escorted to a small booth. We perused the menu more carefully and they certainly have a wide selection from which to choose. Monday
through Friday lunch specials include such items as; Blackened Pork
Chop, Chicken Tetrazzini, Southern Fried Chicken, and Red Beans and
Rice & Sausage to name but a few.
There are a couple of dozen vegetables listed including fried okra, turnip greens, and baked sweet potato. You
will also find a nice variety of daily salads such as: broccoli salad,
cole slaw, southern ambrosia, and carrot & raisins.
Dale’s grill menu features everything from steaks to chicken to a nice variety of fish. Under
the menu heading Southern Comforts you will find country fried steak,
baby back ribs, southern crab cakes, fried oysters, fried shrimp and
much more.
So
you get the idea that they prepare a good variety of food and I haven’t
even mentioned the deserts, but back to the meal in question. Shortly after being seated a waiter took our drink orders. In a few minutes he was back with a Diet Coke (ordered) and a sweet tea (not ordered, but accepted).
We each started our meals with a salad item. My bride had the broccoli salad, prepared with raisins, cheese, and bacon that she declared to be “wonderful.” I tried the cole slaw which was creamy and yet had a little bite. It reminded me of the old KFC cole slaw which remains one of my favorites.
Things kind of went downhill with the Pecan-Crusted Trout pronounced a bit fishy by my better half. Her vegetable medley was ordered and requested twice more before it arrived. Not something worth waiting for in my humble opinion. Neither of us cared for this dish at all.
I
had ordered a vegetable plate which included cornbread dressing (only
in the South would cornbread dressing be considered a vegetable) which
was okay but I frankly and with some disappointment admit that I prefer
Cracker Barrel’s version. I also dined on black-eyed peas that were good and fried okra like you get most everywhere but home.
One of Dale’s specialties seems to be the bran muffins which are offered as a bread selection. The dark bran muffins are delicious and might even be better with morning coffee. We actually brought most of our muffins home to give that concept a try.
Our meal concluded with the peach cobbler sans ice cream. It was warm, though not hot and basically it was not the peach cobbler your Mama made.
The prices are reasonable with most lunch specials at $6.99. With our two lunch specials, tea, diet coke, and one desert the bill was $21.53.
The décor and wide menu selection will tempt us to give Dale’s Southern Grill another try. So in conclusion, the Old Grouch (that’s me) and my lovely wife will give it a second chance.
Dale’s Southern Grill
1843 Montgomery Highway
987-4757
Second location (not visited)
700 Montgomery Highway in Vestavia Hills
824-1350
July 25, 2008
Jack Kean
