It’s been about two months since we had dined at Dixie (click on link to view initial post). We’re still waiting for them to pop open the Pappy van Winkles, but we thought we would return to see how the menu has evolved.
We ordered a couple of whiskey cocktails at the bar: a Dixie Old Fashioned (Jim Beam Rye, Smoked Sopchoppy sugarcane syrup, muddled oranges/cherries, Angostura bitters) and a Preakness (Ballantine’s Scotch, Benedictine, black tea tincture and bitters):
There was a slight delay with the reservation so the restaurant provided us with some complimentary glasses of rosé bubbly:
Their unique bread service of the herbed lavosh and creamed black-eyed peas is really more like an appetizer:
In our initial visit, we had ordered addictively good pork cracklings off the snack section of their menu. At that time, we had thought that these would probably go away since not many people like to eat fatty pork; unfortunately, our prediction came true and the pork popcorn was nowhere to be found. Luckily, they still have the deviled eggs topped with fried chicken livers and grated horseradish (click on any of the eggs to check out the refocusing capabilities of the Lytro living picture):
Another snack was the house-made charcuterie plate which was a country-style pâté served with mustard and bitter pickled kale:
There were also a couple of new snack items on their menu: the smoked cod rillettes and the pimento cheese curds. The cod rillette is very similar to a brandade and the cheese curds (cheese, mayo and sweet peppers) is an upscale version of the classic Southern spread. Both items were easily spreadable on the buttery brioche toast points provided (click on either of the dishes to refocus):
Their wine list has improved a little since our last visit and we ordered a bottle of a Nebbiolo to pair with our entrées:
The halibut came with a sea urchin rémoulade pured table-side:
The halibut dish came with a side of sassafras, fennel, orange, and sugar snap salad. The fried hush puppies added a nice crunchy textural contrast to the soft fish:
We had seen Chef Joseph Humphrey post this beautiful photo of vermillion snapper, and when we saw it on the menu, we had to order it. The snapper filets were served with a red miso-bourbon smear, farro, lobster mushrooms and buttermilk foam:
Our server had highly recommended that we order the coconut layer cake for dessert. He did not steer us wrong. The slow roasted pineapple chip and candied macadamia nuts brought memories of our recent trip to Hawaii back to us:
The yogurt and lime semifreddo was served with a melon salad, rum granité and a crunchy almond tuile
Dixie is a large, cavernous restaurant that seats more than 100 with space for 40 at the bar. The restaurant was full the night we revisited. Since they are only 4 months new, tweaks have been made to the dishes since our initial visit, but it looks like the off-the-beaten path restaurant in the Presidio is attracting the crowds despite some perplexing reviews from critics.
Aug. 28, 2013 Update: Chef Humphries has left Dixie and has temporarily been replaced by consulting chef Chef Erik Hopfinger. For more information, read the InsideScoopSF article.
April 9, 2014 Update: Dixie is now closed
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Southern Inspired Dining at Dixie (Jul. 23, 2013)
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