Eat and Run

Cajuns may be appalled with Dixie Grill’s new lunch specials but locals will be enthralled.

I suppose that if Tabasco-sauce-in-the-blood Cajuns ever see Dixie Grill’s new “Eat It and Beat It” menu, they will likely get a mild case of heartburn. It’s not the entrees that will likely be cause for concern. They’re pretty standard southern fare: BBQ Beef Brisket, Mississippi Catfish and Gulf Coast Peel & Eat Shrimp. However, the $6 express dishes marry those favorites with the island staples of steamed rice (two scoops) and mac salad. Just so things don’t get too out of hand, Dixie Grill also adds a side of baked beans to the meal.

The restaurant’s public relations people are spinning The Eat It and Beat It meals as some of the fastest food you can get at a sit-down restaurant. Fair enough. But I believe that the peg that this menu should be hung on is the fact that Dixie Grill is offering local-style plate lunches with a down-home touch—from the Bubbas to the Bruddahs if you will.

The Bubbas meet the Bruddahs: Dixie Grill marries Southern cuisine with local fare.

As a diner with more than his share of plate lunches (literally) under his belt, I can say with certainty that this noble experiment is a success. Regardless of the unlikely entrees, the Eat It and Beat It dishes have the two Vs, which are hallmarks of any successful plate lunch: volume and value.

At a recent lunch with my colleagues at PacificBasin Communications, I ordered a BBQ Beef Brisket lunch and was quite pleased with my selection. The dish came with a very generous portion of beef. The meat was tender and moist and subtly flavored, which enabled me to try some of Dixie Grill’s six different BBQ sauces. I sampled the peppery Memphis-style sauce and the thicker and tomato-y St. Louis style. I preferred the St. Louis. Dixie Grill’s mac salad was pretty standard stuff. The side of baked beans was OK, too. The food arrived promptly but the service wasn’t exceedingly quick, nothing to call attention to itself. Honolulu magazine’s John Heckathorn had the Grilled Hawaiian BBQ Fish O’ Day. On the day of our visit that happened to be mahi mahi, which was grilled then glazed with a teriyaki sauce. He was pleasantly surprised by the fish and ate it rather quickly. He said he hadn’t eaten that fast since boyhood when he had to compete at the dinner table with his brother. John had an important meeting after lunch so that may have had something to do with his haste. Like myself, he wasn’t a great fan of the side dishes and left those largely untouched. Hawaii Business’ Kelli Abe Trifonovitch ordered Gulf Coast Gumbo & Caesar Combo. She found the meal’s presentation a little “bare bones,” even with the little hush puppy croutons. But regardless, the thing tasted pretty good.

Kelli was impressed with Dixie Grill’s service, appreciating our waiter’s frequent visits to refill her plantation tea. John and I weren’t as enamored with the frenetic attention. Both of us were pelted with a side of baked beans as our waiter made a hasty exit. Maybe they need to slow down just a little.

Pacific magazine’s Scott Whitney also went for a salad and opted for the Blackened Chicken Caesar, which he found competent. Hawaii Business’ Jacy Youn had the Coconut Shrimp, which seemed a little lacking in the volume department when compared to our portions: three shrimp. She had no complaints and found the orange marmalade sauce that came with the shrimp tasty.

The big winners of the day were the sides of Fried Okra ($5.95) and Hush Puppies ($2.95). Everyone enjoyed the crunchy, salty, sinful goodness. I found the hush puppies the better of the two. With a very nice balance between sweet and salty, these round doughnut-like creations reminded me of andagi with an attitude. Delicious. We all returned to the office a little greasy but satisfied, which is another requirement of a good plate lunch. I think the Bruddahs will love this stuff.

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