NIKKI SKINNER | CONTRIBUTOR
Frog Hollow Tavern brings southern-style cuisine to downtown Augusta.
By Ron Hickerson, Cheif Report
A few weeks ago, in order to celebrate my wife’s birthday, she and I decided to try out the Frog Hollow Tavern on Broad Street for a night of culinary entertainment.
After securing a reservation, we entered the dimly lit restaurant that was occupied at first by a young couple in the corner and a three-person party in a nearby booth.
The hostess seated us at a table in the center of the restaurant, complete with a white table cloth that dared me, not the deftest consumer, not to spill a molecule of food on it. Looking up and down the length of the restaurant, I could see the kitchen through a window, which revealed all of its stainless steel glory, a stark contrast to the deep warm browns and greens of the dining area.
Within minutes, my wife and I were greeted by Darby, our waiter. Friendly and knowledgeable of the restaurant’s menu and specials, Darby introduced us to the restaurant, seeing as how this was our first time. He explained that all of the food that we would be eating was locally farmed and all meats were free-range and cage-free. The restaurant staff made all of its syrups used in the kitchen and at the bar in-house. Even the aged spirits it offered were aged in barrels at the bar.
So, aligning with popular sentiment, my wife and I decided to get to know our food as we began our meal with a small plate of Kentuckian oysters.
While we waited for our oysters, more people began entering the restaurant, filling it with the sounds of conversation, which mingled with the old-timey folk music that played softly in the background.
The oysters arrived on a rectangular porcelain plate, sitting rustically on a bed of rock salt. Oven roasted with parmesan cheese and rosemary, the oysters were rich and salty, making us thirsty for the cocktails we were drinking.
When it came time for me to decide on a main course, I became deaf to every other choice when Darby listed a half rack of lamb ribs as one of the night’s specials. My wife, on the other hand, had her heart set on a braised pork shoulder to be served with a side of Gouda macaroni and cheese and locally harvested greens.
Waiting for our entrees, even more people poured into the restaurant, filling it with the buzz of human communication.
Then the moment of truth came as our food was delivered to us. The presentation was flawless. I looked down at my plate to see four ribs artistically stacked on top of each other beside a square of potatoes and goat cheese gratin and a mound of local rainbow shard. Beside the dish was a drizzling of a port wine reduction as a sauce for the lamb.
The lamb was rich and salty, which paired nicely with the potatoes and goat cheese. But when drawn through the port wine reduction, the richness of the lamb was brightened significantly by the sweetness and acidity of the sauce matching the brightness of the greens.
I watched in amazement as my wife proceeded to take the first bite of the pork shoulder. The braised meat was so tender that it fell apart, not even needing a knife to cut it. Taking a bite of her macaroni and cheese confirmed Darby’s claims of this being the best macaroni and cheese he’s ever had. My wife, who normally hates greens, remarked at how delicious her greens were.