My friend Amber likes going to restaurants that are out of most people’s comfort
zones—hole-in-the-wall joints with brusque service, little atmosphere but really
good food.
But it was my turn to choose. The good food part I thought I had covered, but this time, I was going for atmosphere.
Sweet Azalea Gourmet Shop & Catering recently opened its café—and it was time for these two ladies to lunch.
The café is only open Wednesday to Friday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., so make sure to plan
accordingly. For several years, Sweet Azalea has offered to-go lunches, both hot and cold, as well as to-go casseroles, and recently added café dining in its charming building at the corner of Central Avenue and Monte Sano.
Walk inside past its small, but beautifully curated selection of gifts—including cookbooks, planters and home decor—to the café area to the right. The walls are painted green and are adorned with brightly colored paintings of natural vistas. It’s a vibrant backdrop to the wooden tables and chairs, each with its own vase of fresh flowers.
The menu is brief: There are a selection of sandwiches—a Reuben, a chicken salad,
and a Neptune seafood melt—served with chips and your choice of baked potato salad, fresh fruit or pasta salad. There are two salads: the Telfair Trio (chicken, shrimp and pasta salad) or the Create Your Own with your choice of chicken salad, egg salad, pimento cheese, shrimp, pasta salad, fresh fruit and baked potato salad.
The hot lunch specials change daily and are your classic meat ‘n’ two, typically featuring three entrée choices with two possible sides: butter beans, classic potato salad, squash casserole, stewed tomatoes, green beans or glazed carrots, plus a corn stick or biscuit. You can also choose a plate of three or four vegetables.
We decided to each order something different so we could share and taste as much as possible. For my plate, I chose poppy seed chicken, plus butter beans and squash casserole, while Amber went for the meatloaf with carrots and green beans.
Although the Southern meat ‘n’ two is a staple, no place ever does it quite the same as another. Sweet Azalea’s comes beautifully presented on thick and ornate creamy pottery plates. We immediately portioned out our choices and, forks raised, took our first bites.
My first thought was “delicate.” But my second thought was “rich.” These might sound like they’re opposing. But the meatloaf was mixed with such a light hand and was so tender yet meaty, glazed with a sweet and tangy ketchup-based sauce. The green beans were smoky and rich with pork flavor, but they still held their own and were not overcooked at all. The glazed carrots were sweet, but not overly so, and
still firm and fresh.
Then, the poppy seed chicken was like eating a fluffy cloud with some lovely crunch
from the breadcrumbs and poppy seeds. The butter beans were truly buttery, yet
not heavy or greasy at all. And the squash casserole was layers of the delicate
vegetable, with a consistency that was almost whipped, and topped with melty
cheddar cheese.
If I could think of another word to describe it, it would be “fine dining.” Sweet Azalea
offers a more modern take on the classic meat ‘n’ two, lightens it up, but still makes
sure it’s really good food—with a whole lot of atmosphere.
Make Your Reservation
Sweet Azalea Gourmet Shop and Catering
2569 Central Avenue
Find them on Facebook
Entrée cost: $8.95 to $11.95
