Cornbread & Caviar

What an unexpectedly awesome find in Fredericksburg! We were heading back into DC from down South and got stuck in traffic on 95 (I know, shocker!), so we decided to have dinner and wait for the traffic to die down. Saw the good reviews on Unilocal so we headed in. I had been craving some good fried chicken for a while, so that was the obvious choice for me. It was fantastic! Fresh, crunchy, and not at all greasy. Just good old comfort food. And I’m not sure what they put into the carrots and the green beans — but they are both alone worth the trip. It reminded me of my Mom’s cooking — made me smile! Prices are very reasonable. We have already been back once since then, and I’m certain we’ll be back every time we are in the area!

We were a good-​hearted foursome who were welcomed with open arms by a delightful waitress. I am kicking myself because I did not get her name, but she was awesome! The husbands had wings and legs, both had seconds, Jan had a cheeseburger and loved it, I had the fried chicken. ate two out of three pieces and made certain I brought my other piece home.
The waitress is an Air Force wife… ask for her and tip her well!
Not certain if this a threat or promise… we will be back!

Friendly staff good service and nice menu selection. Very reasonable prices food was prepared well and tasted great. I’ll be back.

My Wife and I went there for New Years Eve.
I had the brined Fried Chicken with White Gravy, Mac and Cheese and glazed carrots. My wife had the Shrimp Poboy. For appetizers we had the crab hush puppy (freaking awesome) and for desert we had the cobbler and chocolate cake.
With drinks it was 54 bucks.
To those who say he’s too expensive… go to Dennys, I’m sure they will crack open a can and slide it on your plate for less $$$.
Best dinner in a LONG time. He says he is close to going out of buisness though, so go NOW before he closes.
His location is horrible though, too bad he can’t get more street exposure.

I thought «gourmet Southern cuisine» was an oxymoron. Certainly the casual ambiance has typical relaxed Southern hospitality — with real napkins and silverware! But their food was an epiphany. The shrimp and grits was unbelievable — I’d never heard of stone-​ground grits, much chunkier than what I’ve had before, nothing like the way it usually looks (like Cream of Wheat). Fried okra — transcendent. Fried green tomatoes with some unbelievable tangy remoulade sauce. The BBQ chicken was perfect and moist.
Husband and I are travelling; this was just a whim. We came from Norristown PA, and I swear I’d come back here just for this place.
Talked to owner (raved to owner!) and he said there are some bogus reviews by a disgruntled employee and her friends; explains why this place didn’t get all five stars. From EVERYBODY. Seriously, this is the find of the year. Or more. Can’t remember just finding a restaurant like this with no personal recommendations.

I was surprised at how good this place was. I ordered the Fried Catfish, which comes with creamy cheese grits and a tangy Cajun sauce on top. Very flavorful and generous portions.
Both of my sides were stars on their own… the Hoppin’ Jon, a jambalaya like rice, tomato dish was excellent and the Mac & Cheese was true down home style… very creamy, flaky crust… a must try.
My cousin ordered the Shrimp & Grits, which she absolutely loved.
I will definitely be returning and spreading the word.

I have been there for lunch and brunch. Everything was delicious. The serves is hit or miss for refills on drinks, but it has not deterred me from eating there ofter.

Outstanding service, even better food. We’ve tried several different things but my favorite is chicken Chesapeake! It’s cooked perfectly, and the crab sauce is amazing. Love the soups, sides, and the chocolate chip bread pudding with peanut butter sauce is heaven!

I don’t use Unilocal much anymore but for those who still live by it need to know this place is absolutely fantastic! My mother, son, nephew and I went for lunch, my mother ordered the shrimp n grits w/​fried okra & sweet potatoes, I the catfish n grits with bacon roasted brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes. While we waited for our food one of the owners came by and entertained the boys for us, he didn’t have to do that but they really enjoyed and were laughing so hard!
Our waitresss who was the other owner was equally as fantastic, her hospitality was unmatched. So polite and friendly! Our food came within 10 mins, nice and hot! Everything is fresh and made to order with no preservatives and it shows in taste. Everything was spot on and delicious.
Oh almost forgot, the boys had delicious homemade chicken tenders, some of the best I have ever had!
Please if you get a chance, make sure you stop in for some serious fine southern food!

Impressive First Visit
Had the fried oysters as an appetizer: tasty, hot, and cooked just right. I followed that with the Fried Chicken dinner:
*Fried Chicken: moist on the inside, crunchy on the outside. Some white gravy added flavor. Perfection.
*Collard Greens: served with red pepper infused vinegar. Another winner.
*String Beans: drizzled with crumbly bacon … dang, that was good.
*Cornbread Muffin: this was a little strange since this item is listed in the restaurant’s name, but the muffin was just sort of OK … a little dry with just an average flavor. Go figure.
I’ll be back!

This restaurant is pretty good but a bit quirky. I stopped in for lunch and ordered the Fried Green tomatoes for an appetizer. The flavor was good (although I prefer ketchup/​mayo based remoulade sauce over their mustard based) but the tomatoes were pink vs. green. The waitress asked the kitchen and they told her the tomatoes had just started to «turn».
I also ordered the «Southern Catfish Supper» and asked for the fried version, but before I completed the order I asked the waitress what they used to coat the fish (cornmeal is what I expect for «Southern Fired Catfish»). She said it was Fish Fry coating and it indeed turned out to be the type you buy off the shelf which, while good, is mostly flour vs. cornmeal. The fish was rather tasty with a firm and flaky texture vs. mushy like catfish tastes when over-​cooked.
I also ordered the «Homemade Creamy Coleslaw» as one of my sides that come with the dish. It wasn’t at all creamy and I tasted something odd about it. I added some mayo the waitress brought me but, while that made it creamy, the odd tasted was still there. Finally after tasting it several times (I couldn’t finish it because of the taste) I asked if what I was tasting was Thyme, She confirmed with the kitchen that it was indeed Thyme that they added. Again while some recipes for Cole Slaw call for Thyme it seemed odd when included on what appears to be a southern/​Cajun themed menu.

This is a well hidden gem. This was my third visit and I was impressed every single time.
First, the corn bread is awesome, always fresh and home made, served with sweet butter. Second, the barbecue sandwich is the best I’ve had in years. It goes down so easily and the creamy coleslaw is the perfect side dish. Today I had the ½ Chicken with BBQ sauce. Absolutely succulent. The staff is super attentive and fun to chat with. A true down to earth, keep it real dining experience. The only thing missing is the caviar. It isn’t on the menu, but who cares. I’ll be back soon to explore more items on their creative menu.

Warning: not kid food friendly.
Great interior, friendly staff and wonderful food. However my son was unable to order any kid friendly meal. There is no kids menu but they offer to size down an adult order and charge less. This did not fix the problem. A po boy sandwhich or grits are not on the top of my kids will eat list. Just an fyi for parents.

My husband and I stopped here after a long day of driving. I was looking for «not fast food!» A Unilocal search turned up Cornbread and Caviar close to the Interstate, so we stopped in.
After looking over the pictures and the menu, I ordered the fried chicken dinner with the gravy on the side ($ 11) with bacon green beans and turnip greens. A bacon cheese biscuit was served with the chicken as well.
My husband ordered the three sides ($ 9.50) and selected cornbread, bacon green beans and cheese grits. I shared one of my 3 pieces of chicken with him. He enjoyed all his food.
My chicken was Maryland style, very hot with a satisfying crunch to the breading. The bacon green beans were very sweet, they were still good, but I don’t think I’d ever put that much sugar on veggies. My turnip greens had whole garlic (hooray, I love it) and was seasoned with vinegar pepper sauce (another favorite of mine). The gravy was good I guess, I’m not really a gravy fan and it didn’t change my mind. Last, the heart shaped bacon biscuit wasn’t as tender as a biscuit should be, but the flavor was there.
We didn’t have anything from the bar since we were tried and still had two hours to go to get to our hotel. Maybe next time.
This place is a great alternative to the chain food you usually find next to the Interstate!

Was served raw catfish while clearly 8 months pregnant. Besides my raw dish, my husbands chicken came out lukewarm. The supervisor came over and spoke to us saying «he’d take care of it». When we got the bill the raw item was still on the check. We didn’t bother, paid the bill, and just won’t come back.
We had high hopes for this restaurant. We did go early on so hopefully things get better.
(Just a tip that customer service means not arguing with a customer when they are not satisfied.

Service 5… quick, friendly, and attentive.
Atmosphere 2.5 …good for a business lunch, not for a family dinner, nor party.
Food –15 …for a place named «Cornbread and Caviar», their cornbread was the worst I’ve had in my entire life. Can’t even begin to explain. Awful! As were the steak strips, onion broth, etc.
Recommend trying their ice water. That’s about it. Cheers!

OMG! I really don’t know where to start. Everything is amazing, everything.
The sweet tea was on point. It was sweet but not overly sweet, it’s a fine line, but here it was perfect. Like a good beer you shouldn’t be able to see through it. Best I’ve ever had.
Everything is made to order, which I believe is why it tastes so good. With that said the food came out really quickly.
The hushpuppies were made with real blue crab, and you could taste it. So good I wish I could have them again, right now.
I also got the fried chicken, and yes, again, it was amazing.
I could go on and on but as I said before everything is amazing. If you want REAL Southern food, look no further, you will not be disappointed.

Solid and unique establishment.
Backwoods Bayou meets country chic? Reclaimed wood chair rails throughout with a tiffany blue paint job above and expertly placed country-​styled decorations with lots of space for sitting down and enjoying dinner/​lunch in a laid-​back family style atmosphere. The bar almost feels Western with a large selection of top shelf alcohol and even some house special drinks.
The menu is deep south home-​cooking with an emphasis on everything being made/​created in-​house. You have to respect that, the attention to detail is spectacular and the flavors are memorable. The cornbread appetizer… the cornbread is perfect, the au jus gets soaked up into the bread without making it fall apart and the brisket is tasty though a tad tough. I would recommend pulled brisket instead of the chewy slice and better vidalia onions, because the ones that came with my dish were flavorless but I could see/​understand where they wanted to go with this dish (they should have been a tad sweet… I think I may have gotten regular white onion). The fried chicken dinner was absolutely succulent and juicy, the lightly fried breading crunchy and paired perfectly with their milk gravy. OMG… the milk gravy, its so damn tasty without being overly thick… go ahead and shoot it into my veins! I had the mac and cheese which was well-​done, not too thick but quite creamy with a smattering of bread crumbs. The honey glazed carrots are a little large and sliced… nice taste just wish they were a bit more well-​cooked but every person loves their carrots in different ways.

Greeted by the owner at the door. Super friendly. It’s a Monday night and not busy. Today’s special is all you can eat fried fish, but I’m hankering southern fried chicken.
I ordered the southern fried chicken, mac & cheese, and smashed potatoes. Also got an order of corn bread with honey butter.
Corn bread was tasty, but definitely needed to be chased down with the sweet tea. The potatoes had a really pleasant taste and were were quite enjoyable. The fried chicken, well, it was delicious, but it was missing a breast. Small order of a wing, drumstick, and thigh… really wished for that extra piece of chicken, it tasted that good!!! Couldn’t peg the spice, thyme, rosemary, something else??? But it was great. Oh, and that little bacon cheddar biscuit hiding on the plate was a nice surprise…
The mac & cheese… saved the best for last!!! This would be any kids go to meal here… whether you’re a kid of 3 or 73 … They don’t need a kids menu with this dish. Perfect flavor, noodles cooked just right… Mac&Heaven!!!
And the waitress talked me into dessert… I was hesitant because of other reviews, but I just wanted to finish my «Southern» meal properly, so I ordered apple pie and a «large» scoop of ice cream. The waitress, Cassie, took care of the scoop of ice cream, huge scoop. The pie was good, made from scratch on-​site, too much clove (for my liking) and the crust was a little hard (must be margarine-​based), but still better than the fast food chains.
I loved my waitress, Cassie. She kept my glass full of sweet tea and treated me like family. She stopped to check on me several times and chatted when she had time.
The owner was around several times and I enjoyed talking with her (even though she is a Washington Capital fan and I’m a Pittsburgh Penguin fan). Since it wasn’t busy, she filled me in on the upcoming «spring» menu. Locals around here are lucky to have a great restaurant like this.
I plan on coming back tomorrow for either the pork chop dinner or the southern fried steak!!! Might just order 2 sides of the Mac & Cheese! And for dessert, an order of Mac & Cheese! And maybe, an order to go too!
This is more like a 4 ¾ star rating… had to knock it down for the lack of a chicken breast!

Disappointed.
I had beef po boy extra spicy, Mac n cheese, cornbread/​braised beef appetizer.
Good: cornbread was great (although not uniquely great), service was perfect.
Bad: Mac and Cheese was runny and blah, po boy was dry and unremarkable.
Nice concept, slightly above average food in general (the Mrs’ chicken/​corn was also unremarkable), flavors were interesting but not worth the uniqueness, probably not worth a visit unless you’re a cornbread nut.
Owner or chef seemed nice as he visited with the 3 other tables (but not ours? must have sensed I was nonplussed).
One caveat… I had buyer’s remorse for not trying the jumbalaya. Maybe in a year or 2, if they make it, I’ll convince myself to try again.
If you go, hope your food is better than mine was!