Restaurant Review - Mama Day at geraldine’s fish and grits

The older you get, it seems, the more eating simply stops being just eating. Food becomes loaded with memory, from beaten biscuits that summon memories of a deceased grandmother to fried chicken with a unique seasoning spookily similar to Mom’s recipe. Geraldine’s Fish and Grits is the sort of place that no Southerner could visit and escape unscathed by nostalgia. Plastic trout and fishing lures in shadowboxes, wallpaper borders depicting fly-fishing scenes, and a menu that reads like a Dixieland storybook evoke childhood days and family meals in a welcoming atmosphere.


wing it: In the corner of a Kroger shopping center in Stone Mountain, some distance from a view of that famous natural landmark and not nearly as far out as it feels, I found fried chicken wings almost exactly like my mother’s. Mom paired hers with steamed rice; at Geraldine’s, the chicken is best had with waffles ($6.95). Dredged in flour and fried to a lacy, shatteringly light crunch holding moist, tender meat within, the texture of the wings at Geraldine’s is exceptional, but it is the seasoning that makes them stand out. Geraldine’s wings are kicky with garlic and almost too salty to eat alone. An odd yet appealing hint of ground ginger gives the wings an Asian flavor. Were the chicken graced with a touch of sesame seeds, they would be identical to my mom’s.
Coconut trove: Coconut shrimp ($6.95) in a combo special with fries and hush puppies are a superlative example of their kind. Sadly, the norm has become thick, doughy batter and burnt coconut. Here, the coating is only as thick as a shred of the golden coconut. The fries can be ignored as filler, while the small, dense, oniony hush puppies with crisp, nut-brown shells pop in the mouth like candy. They aren’t sweet, cakey or crumbly. They’re as close to hush puppy perfection as I’ve ever tasted.
gone fishing: Few Southern specialties create tides of memory like fish and grits. One need look no further than the annals of hip-hop culture, where the dish features in almost as many songs as Cristal champagne. The fried catfish and grits breakfast ($6.95) is quite a spread, complete with a puffy, spongy biscuit and an egg to round your cholesterol count right up. A buttery catfish fillet is deftly coated in cornmeal. No trace of grease remains from the frying, and each bite is light to the point of seeming insubstantial.
You can go home again: We’ll certainly revisit and save room for the thick slices of triple chocolate cake under a glass dome on the counter, or try the fried oysters that appear as occasional specials. Service is fleet of foot and utterly gracious. Dining at Geraldine’s might give you that warm, squishy feeling you haven’t had since your mom treated you to your favorite meal on a school night. There’s little doubt you’ll lick your plate clean.Geraldine’s Fish and Grits