Southern Rail

My friend B and I go to dinner every few weeks or so and one of the places we really like and almost always have good luck for me is Beckett's Table. The owners have opened a new restaurant so we decided to go check it out. It's in an area off the light rail that is being "revitalized," with a new location of Changing Hands bookstore and a bar recently opened and a Southwest Gardener shop soon to open.

Southern Rail has a similar menu vibe to Beckett's--local, fresh, organic--but a dissimilar menu. This new menu is southern inspired. I wouldn't say southern, which seems to be a sticking point for a lot of online reviewers who criticized the authenticity, but definitely influenced.

B has tomato and melon allergies so I let her ask her questions first. She ended up getting cornbread muffins to start; the butter is the star. For dinner she had the cider brined pork loin and took half the pork home for later. The sides stole the show for her. She loved the sweet potatoes and said she would come back just for that!

Although her meal happened to be gluten-free, it wasn't something I could eat. I gave the waiter my allergy card and a few items that sounded promising; he consulted with the chef. I started with the watermelon salad. It was very good but, as most of the menu, it seemed like a lot of money for what I got.

For my entrée, I had the duck with dirty rice and collards. The chef made some minor adjustments in the finishing touches it sounds like but nothing that I could tell would make it any different. It was amazeballs.

We didn't have dessert since there were no options for me. I had sweet tea to drink so I already had my sugar anyway. Yes, the sweet tea was totally yummy. I love sweet tea but I don't make it at home because, well, it's sweet tea--it should be a treat I think.

Based on the prices here, I think this won't be an all-the-time place but it's definitely worth it. And it's open on Monday nights, when Beckett's is closed.

As we were leaving, a couple of older guys were walking up from their truck and their dog was barking. B and I stood there a moment trying to decide if it was possible they were getting dinner to-go. At 8 o'clock at night, it's still 100 degrees out so it's unsafe and totally illegal to leave your dog in the car. I went back in and told the manager who came out to confirm and take care of it. I left without waiting but I hope he really did.

Here's what pisses me off about it--those effin guys live in Arizona (AZ plates) so they should effin know better. They are going into a very nice restaurant to have dinner while their dog is in a hot, unventilated vehicle. Do they live under a rock (uninformed) or do they think SCIENCE doesn't apply to them and their dog? Have you ever shut your car off and just sat there in the 100 degree weather? Even after dark, with the windows cracked, you are going to be uncomfortable very quickly.