Southern Kin

If you're craving good, old-fashioned, let-your-jeans-out Southern cuisine in the blistery New England season, then I'd recommend heading over to Southern Kin in Somerville to get your filling fix. Situated in the slightly commercialized, but secretly loved (at least for me) Assembly Row, Southern Kin is a unique eatery featuring those decadent and savory treats like homemade buttermilk biscuits, fried chicken, and Southern greens. AKA not really diet food, but that's OK because it's delicious!

Start with the Devilish Eggs - three deviled eggs whipped with creole mustard, cayenne, and truffle, which basically are the base to hold perfectly fried oysters. Wow, so many amazing flavors in this dish. 

A fresh basket of biscuits with jam and honey butter is also a great way to whet your appetite. Flakey, light, and savory these puppies are pretty good. 

We loved the Fried Green Tomatoes, topped with a sweet pepper relish and drizzled with a hearty green goddess dressing. The dish holds together nicely - the tomatoes manage to be juicy and the breading is not too dry or overpowering. A very nice balance of a fried vegetable. 

The Southwestern Chicken is an entree of fresno-maple fried chicken with chipotle street corn, charred andouille sausage, and spicy hot blistered shishito pepper. This was a win. The chicken was succulent with a nice coating of crispy skin and juicy meat. The plate is absolutely packed with the fixings and it's easily shareable. 

If you need something a bit lighter, you can opt for their Green Goddess Salad - also a huge portion and great for sharing. This salad arrives with charred romaine (which I absolutely love and am surprised more restaurants don't serve salad this way), pulled chicken, bacon, capers, egg, and cornbread croutons finished with green goddess dressing. So many nice textures in this salad - I loved the crunch of the croutons, the acidity of the capers, and the mountain of pulled chicken. 

Marin even loved the Collard Greens, and was eating the savory greens cooked in bacon fat by the handful. 

This restaurant is very child-friendly and definitely fun to go with friends as well. It's fun and delicious even if it's not necessary January-diet approved. That's OK.