It’s a small pink house sandwiched between a paint store and a carwash. You might be forgiven for missing it, but you might not forgive yourself for missing this Southern cooking gem at the intersection of Walton Way and Druid Park Avenue.
The Chef’s House is run by owner Chef George Darko, and his wife, Tammie. When you walk in, you realize how appropriate the name is: Tammie is usually out front with her beautifully styled hair, high heels, and jewelry to welcome you to a table, or George himself comes out from the kitchen to usher you in and ask if you’d like cornbread (and the answer should always be yes!).
Open only from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, the Chef’s House features a daily buffet of Southern dishes cooked with a lot of flavor. On the day we went, I called ahead to make sure fried chicken was on the menu. The other entrée options that day were BBQ beef brisket and tilapia; sides were mac and cheese, roasted potatoes, collard greens and green beans, plus a cold salad bar of lettuce, tomato and cucumber, and a variety of toppings and dressings, and hot peach cobbler for dessert.
Inside, the restaurant doesn’t have a lot of frills, but it’s homey, bright, and welcoming, with pictures and sayings on the walls, floral window treatments, and vases of red and yellow flowers on every table.
“You want cornbread?” a staff member asked and flashed a grin when we said yes. We ordered water (other options are sweet tea or sodas), and after pulling on disposable gloves, helped ourselves to the buffet. “Let me know if you want a fried chicken breast,” George called out after popping his head out of the kitchen.
I chose a fried thigh, then added scoops of green beans, collards, mac and cheese, and potatoes. By the time we sat down, our hot, fresh cornbread with sweet butter was waiting, and we dug in.
There’s an art to frying chicken, and the Chef’s House’s fried chicken is prepared by a master. The seasoned coating is crunchy, flaky, and not greasy at all, and the meat inside is so tender and sweet.
The other stars of the plate were the green beans and the collards: Surprisingly, the green beans aren’t cooked with pork, but however George seasons them, he somehow enhances the flavors so they still taste like green beans but so much better. Likewise, the collards were incredibly tender and sweet (not a single bite of the stem) and came already spiked with vinegar.
Before it got cold, I also took a bite of the cornbread, which is dense, almost cakelike, with a slightly salty crust that’s tempered by the sweet butter. It’s delectable, and I didn’t hesitate to pop my head in the kitchen to ask George for one more slice.
I also went back for a couple of other small plates just so I could sample the other entrees. The BBQ brisket is strips of beef with an edge of fat, stewed in the light and sweet BBQ sauce, and the tilapia is glazed with butter and seasoned with just a hint of spice. Both, like everything else, had so much flavor.
As Tammie came by to clear the plates, we chatted about her son, Saxel, who’s in college now but still comes by to help in the restaurant when he’s home. She chatted to the other tables too, giving other diners hugs or asking about mutual friends. And that’s the thing about the Chef’s House: You may come for the food, but you come back because the restaurant welcomes you like you’re at home.
Make Your Reservation
Chef’s House
1729 Walton Way
yelp.com/biz/chefs-house-augusta
Buffet cost (dine in or takeout): $16.95
