Queen G's

By Billy Curtright

I hit the Midtown area again to check out a place I had not been in years. As a matter of fact, it’s not even the same restaurant. In what was once the classic Rebel Queen, Queen G’s has been serving excellent down-home, Southern-style lunches since the late ‘80s.

My companion and I arrived on what might have been the loveliest spring day of the Millennium. Queen G’s outside seating was just the ticket. The front “veranda” consisted of white tablecloth dining near a rocky asphalt parking lot. Luckily, there was a lattice wall to separate us from Bubba and Old Shell Road debris.

We received a basket of excellent cornbread squares as the server arrived. These squares were crunchy and perfect with extra butter. We had to get the traditional sweet tea as we scoured the menu. The fresh-brewed tea was served in a two-hander, industrial-sized glass. No dehydration here.

Queen G’s has a limited menu, and that’s a good thing. They focus on what they do well, and “Queenie” herself told me that when I asked for a to-go menu. Their menu is basically made up of veggies, poboys and seafood. Long, extensive menus at other places are a feeble attempt to please every palate. Take Ruby Tuesday’s, for example. Their menu is now poster board-size with food photos (actual size) and everything from ribs to fried shrimp to pasta alfredo. Pu-leeeeze! Of course, Mexican and Chinese restaurants also have a 1000 choices, but at least the theme remains the same.

After ordering, our house salads came out and were just right. Served with a homemade thousand island dressing, the crispy greens were mixed with julienne carrots and zucchini. The salad bowl was cleaned so well by my fork, that it could have easily been put back in the clean rack.

My entrée of red beans and rice ($6) came out with collard greens and classic zipper peas. The beans were solid after I added a touch of hot sauce. Queenie added a nice local touch by using Conecuh County sausage with the red beans. Same hot pepper sauce treatment on the collards made those greens divine. The zippers were the real hit for me. Imagine creamy garbanzo beans with a southern flair.

My companion’s entrée featured fried catfish ($7.30) with a side of mac & cheese. A spicy & crisp batter was fried up nicely on the twin fish filets. The accompanying side dish had a down-home, made-from-scratch flavor.

The incredible thing about their lunch entrees besides the flavor is the price. Both of our meals came with the house salad, ice tea and a scoop of ice cream. How’s that for a little lagniappe.

Let’s recap. We had a great lunch on a beautiful day. We spent all of $16 including the tip and met the Queen herself! I’ll be back this hot summer, but save me a table by the window unit.

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