Ferguson’s Favorite Food Fare: Cootie Brown’s

Taste: Cootie’s has a vast variety of food options from traditional barbecue to authentic tamales. This visit was delicious. I chose their Jamaican beef pastry, a muffaletta sandwich, key-lime pie and a peach cobbler hard cider. Everything was hot, well seasoned and exactly what I would expect with the menu’s descriptions. The house-style chips that came with the muffaletta were under seasoned but perfectly cooked. The Jamaican beef had a crisp pastry and came with a jerk sauce, which I found to taste like barbecue with a jerk spice blend. My muffaletta was hot and crisp with enough meat and cheese to share with a couple friends. The cider came cold and carbonated and my key-lime pie was decadent to say the least.

Service: I arrived just after opening, so my service may have been more expedited than usual. During my meal many patrons came in and service never slowed down. I never felt disregarded or left alone for an extended period of time. The only issue I had was food timing. My appetizers and entrees were brought out at the same time so I was having to choose between the two for that first taste. Outside of this, I couldn’t be more satisfied. Even at the end of my meal, when servers can often slow down their service, I was checked on every time the server came through and was given another water or offered the bill. 

Presentation: Cootie Brown’s has a presentation I’ve found common in most barbecue locations. I was served on a large platter, with serving sizes fit for sharing, all lined with checkerboard wax paper. It’s rustic, but not unexpected from a small-chain southern restaurant. There isn’t much to the presentation of southern-style food, so I found the sandwiches were presented very neatly alongside their double portion of house chips.

Atmosphere: This is Cootie Brown’s largest selling point. It’s unassuming from the outside with a simple storefront and nothing flashy to the logo. Their interior decor fits in with the modern barn-style. Open rafters, wooden bench seating, slow-moving fans on every other ceiling beam and sports playing on every other television. You feel right at home the moment you walk in.  

Overall Impression: This is a restaurant I could recommend to anyone that enjoys a filling meal at a reasonable price. The portion sizes were built for leftovers and you’ll want to have more of this food later. All the entrees were between $15 and $30, with the more expensive items being their full-sized pizzas and their sandwiches being some of their cheapest. Like I mentioned in the presentation section, their portion sizes are fit for sharing and the amount of food you can get for just $15 is astounding. My waitress was extremely helpful, giving me a personal recommendation for my entree and dessert, and remembering that I like to have an extra lemon wedge with my water. I will be returning to this restaurant in the very near future to further explore their menu. I give this place a firm stamp of approval. Look forward to an update for Cootie Brown’s where they only serve real food. 

Overall Score: 9.3/10