The whole family had eaten virtuously for weeks: lots of brown rice and beans, Indian stews and broccoli stir-frys and pasta. We craved fried things. So we turned to the South.
They understand catfish ($8.99) at Georgia Peaches, a 6-month-old Southern homestyle restaurant in Aurora on East Colfax.
The cornmeal crumb on the fish was tight, the crust taut. We inhaled it with a smoky side of baked beans. I’d return to Georgia Peach for the catfish alone.
But I would come back too for the fried okra ($3.99), little bombs of green goodness swabbed in hot sauce.
A slightly sweet batter encased the fried green tomatoes ($3.99). They didn’t match the fried okra’s excellence, but still pleased the tongue.
As with all things fried, the shorter the trip from the fryer to the mouth, the better the flavor. We went for take-out, so the green tomatoes, for example, were slightly soggy by the time we dug into them. Next time, we’ll sit in the small space, decorated with record albums from the Motown era, where we can watch the cooks season the big pots of gumbo.
Then we can eat that okra-rich gumbo and heighten the happiness. We tried the chicken-and-sausage version ($7.99), and while it wasn’t the best gumbo ever to ride down my throat, it ranked well. I’d give it a B. They also sell a shrimp-and-crabmeat version.
The side of collard greens ($4.99), flavored with neck bones, were tender and very spicy. I could have devoured a bowl of them.
Do order the cornbread ($1.99) – dense, rich, sweet and warm. My daughters ate it down to the crumb.
My oldest daughter, a french-fry aficionado, proclaimed Georgia Peaches’ fries ($1.99) “awesome.” They did have that right combination of jacket crunch and internal cottony warmth.
What they called the “Cajun-style pork ribs” ($11.99) didn’t work for any of us. I like my ribs smoked – chewy things ribboned with crunch. These were boiled, then finished in a frying pan with barbecue sauce. There was lots of meat, but it was soggy – more like pot roast than my kind of ribs.
And there was nothing special about the fried chicken breast in the chicken sandwich ($5.99).
One bonus: To walk off the Southern meal, drive just a block or two west of Georgia Peaches, on the same side of Colfax, and stroll through one of the metro area’s larger Mexican markets, an explosion of dried chiles, tiny and redolent limes you can buy by the sack for cheap, shelves of hot sauces, and much more.
Staff Writer Douglas Brown can be reached at 303-820-1395 or djbrown@denverpost.com
Georgia Peaches
Southern homestyle|11697 E. Colfax, Aurora, 303-364-1984 |$1.99 – $11.99|Open Mon-Thur, 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri and Sat, 11 a.m.-11 p.m., and Sun, 11 a.m.-8. p.m. Visa, MC, Amex, Discovery
Front burner: Good Southern food, from gumbo to fried catfish to collard greens.
Back burner: The room can be cramped and disheveled.
