dining out
Good Ol’ Southern Cooking
The Wooden Spoon brings Southern comfort food to Bloomfield
WRITTEN BY JOYCE VENEZIA SUSS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS PEDOTA
NASHVILLE HOT CHICKEN
I
f y’all have a hankering for
some Southern fried chicken,
hush puppies, collard greens
and flaky biscuits — washed
down with a glass of sweet tea
— then run along now to The
Wooden Spoon Southern Kitchen
and Saloon, where y’all will enjoy
some good comfort food.
Apologies to true Southerners:
It’s hard to duplicate the delight of
an authentic drawl in print. But The
Wooden Spoon, a new restaurant in
the heart of downtown Bloomfield,
made me fondly recall some great
home-style meals I’ve had in states
from Virginia and heading south.
60
HOLIDAY 2017 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE
Appetizers
warm cheddar
at The Wooden Bloomfield
cheese sauce
Spoon feature
enlivened with
specialties from
green chil-
several key
ies. Southern
cities, includ-
cooks discov-
ing Charleston
ered a long
285 GLENWOOD AVE., (973) 743-0099
Cheese Dip,
time ago that
WOODENSPOONSALOON.COM
Memphis
green tomatoes
Nachos, and chicken wings with
can still end up on the dinner table.
Nashville hot sauce. Taylor Ham
We demolished an order of fried
Fries are a successful “southern”
green tomatoes — crunchy batter on
transformation of New Jersey’s leg-
the outside, tangy and firm on the
endary pork roll. The ham is sliced
inside — served with spicy Sriracha
thickly into “fries”, coated with
ranch dipping sauce.
crispy panko crumbs, then deep
If you can’t get enough fried
fried until golden. They come with
food, Nashville Hot Chicken is a
THE WOODEN SPOON
SOUTHERN KITCHEN
AND SALOON