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Sep 2011  |  By Julie Chernoff  |  Comments

Highland Park with a Southern Accent: M is mm-mm good!

I’ve got to admit, my expectations weren’t high. After all, it’s a funky space with the fire pits in front, on a busy intersection.

But I’m a big girl. I can admit when I’m wrong. And this is a place I want to return to—soon.

M brings reasonable prices and tasty, approachable food with a Southern accent to Highland Park. And Chef Brian Greene’s take on food is seasonally driven; the fall menu had just debuted with a focus on apples, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, greens and sage just pulled from their backyard garden.

The wine list is small but well chosen, with many interesting options ranging from Oregon to Argentina to New Zealand. Nearly everything is available by the glass. The 2009 Manifesto Zinfandel from Lodi, California was particularly lovely ($9).

Fall Flavors Star
Start out with the cornmeal-battered Fried Green Tomatoes ($8), served atop chunks of smoked catfish in a smoky tomato cream sauce. A really interesting take on an old standard; I would have liked a crispier crust on the tomatoes. A bit more time in the oil would make for a meltier interior and a more solid crust, but we loved the tomato/catfish combo beneath.

The Spinach Salad ($8) and the Fall Salad ($9) were both hits. Spinach tossed with pickled red onion, candied pecans, bacon, goat cheese and hard-boiled egg, coated with a warm bacon vinaigrette—hard to go wrong there. And the combination of sweet/tart Honeycrisp apples, shaved fennel, bitter Belgian endive, creamy Maytag blue cheese and candied pistachios with a sprightly apple-tarragon vinaigrette was the perfect introduction to a fall meal. I’ll be stealing that one for my next dinner party!

Menu is Small, but Mighty
The entrees were uniformly delicious. The menu isn’t large: only six choices, three from the sea, and three from the prairie. Yet each one was beautifully seasoned and prepared.

The Bone-In Ribeye ($28) was a generous piece of meat, perfectly cooked, thickly sliced and served over a bed of crispy redskin potatoes, glazed cippolini onions and sugar snaps with a homemade steak sauce on the side. Stick to your ribs food, especially paired with a glass of Argentine Cabernet.

There’s nothing tastier than a brined chicken ($16), especially when it’s glazed with Maker’s Mark and grilled, then placed beside a mound of impossibly creamy, roasted garlic-mashed potatoes. The braised collards and mustard greens weren’t as tender as I’d like, but provided the right flavor counterpoint.

The Maple-Glazed Salmon ($19) was another winning entrée. Just a touch of sweet glaze, plus plenty of seasoning, made for a delicious piece of fish. It came atop a generous portion of tiny French green lentils and wheat berries (I wish there had been a little juice with that; a bit dry) and duck fat and sage-roasted Brussels sprouts. I am a bit of a Brussels sprouts fanatic, and these were my first of the fall. Happy, happy mouth.

Crispy sprout leaves were scattered over the Pan-Seared Barramundi ($22), a firm-fleshed white fish that should be on every menu. They mingled with nubbins of roasted squash, parsnips, sweet potato and cippolini onions, the flavors melded together with parsley and sage butter. It was a fantastic dish.

A number of sides are available for $5 each; we couldn’t resist the Broccoli-Cheddar Casserole. The broccoli was still bright green and al-dente, coated with a light cheese sauce and baked with grated sharp cheddar on top. Definitely not the gloppy stuff from the 60s.

Fresh Fruit Gets Its Due
We wrapped up the meal with a bowl of fresh berries ($5), an eye-pleasing blend of raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries in a puddle of pureed berries, drizzled with fresh mint sauce and dolloped with bourbon whipped cream. It was heavenly.

The ultimate comfort food, Banana-Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding, was moist, sweet and redolent of bananas without being cloying; there was just the right amount of melty chocolate and it was served warm. Sigh.

This is a restaurant that deserves to stick around. Hopefully this review will give you the impetus to look past the fire pits and venture inside. It’s a place you can bring your significant other or meet with a group of friends. You won’t be disappointed.

4 out of 5 stars

M
Highland Park
847-748-8954