By: Ashley Lee
Sometimes, I ate Southern and barbecue food once in a while thanks to my dad. Because he liked barbecue, I was exposed to brisket, baby back ribs, grits, etc. Thanks to him, I know their style of food.
Well, I’ll admit to you that I’m not hugely into barbecue food- especially the sauce.
As I mentioned in a previous post (the Le Paris Brest Cafe entry), I have throat problems (tonsillitis) when it comes to eating sweets. So if I eat something with a sweet sauce in it, I would have to find something savory before my throat gets sore.
However, recently, I had softened towards barbecue (still not the sauce, and I don’t think I’ll try it again). I’m still giving it a chance, and what better way to start by reviewing a local restaurant that serves Southern and barbecue food?
Mama Bird Southern Kitchen has been around for over two years and serves the kind of Southern and barbecue food you need.
I heard about them recently and glanced at their reviews which are positive. So after taking some time to think about it, I decided to make a trip there to see and taste for myself.
Once my loved one and I arrived, we were greeted by friendly staff. Since we were taking out, we ordered from the catering menu. The staff was so nice to offer their take on what tastes good from their menu. Their opinions helped since we didn't know what is the best there.
After waiting about twenty minutes for the order to finish, we arrived home to see how everything was packed.
I was impressed to see how well they prepared everything. From putting the chicken in a big white box to storing the brisket in a small brown container, they made everything easy for us to carefully open up.
However, the thing that concerned me the most was if they poured the barbecue sauce on the brisket.
Preparing for the worst, I was willing to accept it even though I don't like barbecue sauce.
Luckily, when I opened the box, the staff placed it in small containers, relieving all of my worries.
Speaking of brisket, I found it to be incredibly succulent.
It had a smokey taste to it (hence the title "Smoked Salt + Buttered Beef Brisket"), and it was not that dry. It really tasted like it had been marinated for a long time.
This is probably the best brisket I had, because all of the previous briskets I tried were dry, lacked flavor, and did not impress me.
In the big white box comes an aluminum container with the chicken and biscuits inside. This was a smart move on the restaurant's part, because when I opened the boxes, the food was still warm.
Upon trying it, I found both the chicken and the biscuits to be flavorful.
The chicken was juicy and fried just right. This chicken looked like it's from KFC or Popeye's, but the flavors of each of these chickens will be different from each other.
Although I cannot decipher what kind of spices they utilized, I can say that they marinated the chicken in seasoning and batter for hours (just like the brisket).
As for the biscuits, it kind of reminded me of the Red Lobster cheesy biscuits they served, but they don't put sesame and poppy seeds. Mama Bird's biscuits tastes cheesy and bread-y at the same time. Plus, it's a little crunchy with the sesame and poppy seeds. I won't compare which biscuits are better here (even though I briefly compared which brisket tasted the best), but I will remain impressed with both of them equally.
As for the sides, I picked their grits along with the mac and cheese.
Their mac and cheese was prepared with saltine crackers on top. This dish was not prepared outside of their restaurant; rather, it was cooked on the skillet. It was very cheesy and creamy simultaneously.
Their grits had cheese and green onions which I had never seen before. I mean, I ate grits in the past, but I never saw a restaurant (until Mama Bird's) mix green onions and cheese there.
I would say though that this is one of the best grits I've had in a while. The cheese, green onions and grits blended well, giving it a good kick of flavor.
Mama Bird also provided us with pickles and onions to complement the chicken and the brisket. I really enjoyed the combination of the pickles on both the brisket and chicken. Eating the chicken with the pickles reminded me of eating the Popeye’s chicken sandwich.
As for the onions, it seemed to me that it’s pickled, but it could also be that that's the way the onions were. I didn’t think it was bad, but at the same time, I’m not familiar with it. Nevertheless, I think it’s a good alternative to the brisket and chicken if you run out of pickles.
Overall, my experience with Mama Bird Southern Kitchen has been a positive one. This is probably one of the best places to get a taste for barbecue and Southern food. I know I am going back there again in the future.
I would give them a 4.5 out of 5 stars. The remaining 0.5 stars was deducted due to some of the plates I tried and didn't like, but I want you to know that this is based on my own taste buds. You will have a different opinion than mine, and that's definitely fine!
Mama Bird Southern Kitchen is located in 10550 Southern Highlands Parkway- Suite 140 in Las Vegas, NV.
Click here for more information including their menu.
Photo Credit
First photo: https://www.mamabirdsk.com
The remaining four photos are originals. Please do not use without my written permission.
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