by The Great Foodini
Southern Roots just opened its doors in downtown Gulfport and they are already making a name for themselves as a fun and quirky bar and grille.
Whether you are chilling in the shade in the open-air patio or sitting in their 150-person barside restaurant, one thing is for sure, these folks know how to cook and they sure do have good taste.
As I sat down in the indoor part of the restaurant due to the torrential deluge of the flash monsoon that we were experiencing this past Wednesday, I let the Southern Roots décor wash over me.
I saw at a beautiful big wooden table that seemed to be misappropriated from an old farmhouse while surrounded with eves of corrugated tin roofs and accent items like daisies in mason jars, I knew that the owner of this place appropriately named this spot after her own southern roots.
Right across from my table, facing me was a big rustic wooden sign with the white letters scrawled on it “EAT”…and so I did. And I drank.
While bebopping to a line up of artists like Blake Shelton, Florida/Georgia Line and Alan Jackson, I dug into a meaty, juicy farmhouse burger. It seems like burgers are the cook’s specialty as the menu hosted more than a half dozen variations. I can’t wait to come back to try the creole burger.
Of course, you can accompany that burger with some fresh fried pickles and wash it all down with a cocktail or four…I had four.
The bartender named Sissy, is a mixologist/liquor sommelier for sure. She has created some libations that go with the motif of Southern down-home charm.
The first cocktail that I tried was the Front Porch Sunset. This vodka and rum mix is swirled with a dose of O.J., strawberry schnapps and sprite. It is fresh and fruity and worth having a few. The next drink is called the watermelon crawl, which is a vodka, gin, rum concoction with watermelon schnapps, sours, O.J. and sprite. This is the type of drink that you could sit in the shade on a hot day and get messed up.
The Highway 90 is a great drink, especially if you are on a date and your girl is a typical “Karen” or a “basic bitch”. Don’t get me wrong, I ordered one and it was delicious and I drank the whole thing…kinda tasted like a raspberry jolly rancher with a kick. It is bright blue and fills a martini glass with blue curacao, Malibu and vodka with sprite and a dash of sours. Worth ordering for your date, but if you are a manly man…drink it quick before your buddies arrive.
