Sally’s Southern: A Taste of Southern Comfort Food on St. Patrick’s Day
- Rayna Pajares-Held
- Apr 5, 2024
- 3 min read
The St. Paddy’s day parade on Staten Island took flight all along Forest Ave. Some restaurants participated in a pre-fixed menu and others had good deals going on for the holiday. Sally’s Southern was one of the spots that took advantage of the potential crowds that could’ve filled up the room and posted their four course meal menu weeks prior to the event plans. With the implementation of Irish dishes like corned beef & cabbage and their everyday favorite, fried chicken I knew I couldn’t pass up on this opportunity.
Rainbow pride flags and Irish themed flags filled the room to create a lively interior. Earlier this day, I saw crowds booming inside the restaurant and mostly crowding the bar, but most likely since I went to eat there on a Sunday night, most families were probably home by then preparing for work the following day. My party and I were greeted by such a friendly waitress named Anne who was very attentive and always made sure my table had what they needed. The former Juicy Lucy’s waitress said: “The food is awesome or I wouldn’t be working here. There’s lots of things you can be worrying about but you can’t worry about the food in a business. This is a homey spot and everything is made to order.” It sure does feel like you’re sitting in a southern style kitchen with the way the place is decorated. I’ve always loved the red themed walls and table setups. After all, it is said that the color red increases people’s appetite.
A majority of my table participated in the four course meal special and we all got to try each other’s dishes. Sally’s started us out with Irish soda bread which had a slight crisp on the outside and was buttery on the inside. For the appetizer, I got the baked potato soup which was the perfect amount of creaminess and reminded me a lot of their mashed potato consistency, except this was loaded with bacon and cheese. My boyfriend Gio and his mom got the fried shrimp and corn fritters which also tasted delicious. But it doesn’t end here. By this point, I was already getting full but I was trying my best to save my appetite for the actual entree. When the salad came out, I tried a sample of mine and wrapped the rest up. Whoever thought of an apple vinaigrette as a salad dressing was genius because it had such a sweet, creative flavor to it. We ordered lobster mac and cheese to come out with the entrees, which was absolutely necessary. The crumbs it was coated in had a sweet flavor that reminded me of a pie (may have been ritz crackers) and the actual mac was superb. For the actual entrees we ordered, Gio got a chicken pot pie, his mom got the fried chicken and mashed potatoes and I got the shepherd's pie. Everything had an immense amount of flavor to it, but as always I’d have to say the fried chicken wings from there will always hold a special place in my heart. As for the desert, we all got to try the two options they offered: the party nut pie and peach cobbler bread pudding. Normally dessert is my favorite part of the meal but because I was so full I couldn’t enjoy it as much.
Peter Botros is the owner of this restaurant and many others on Staten Island such as: The Stone House at Clove Lakes, Violette’s Cellar, Rustic Pizza and Pasteria, Sofia’s Taqueria and now the expansion of some of these already known businesses. A new Sally’s has opened up on the island taking on a different name: Sally’s Smokehouse and co owned with Phil Farrinaci. Sally's is named after Phil's mother, Sally Curtis Farinacci, who passed away from cancer. Comfort food such as peach cobbler, mac 'n' cheese with crushed Ritz crackers, and zucchini casserole are among the menu items honoring her recipes. Dining options for food travelers in the Urby apartments complex now include Sally's in addition to Wynwood Street Eats, Pastavino, Seppe, and Cafe Americano. With Daddyo’s and Juicy Lucy’s out of business, Sally’s has brought bbq back to the island. Will it be as successful as his other restaurants?