What type of city would Dallas be without some good ‘ol Southern cooking?  Comfort food is all about feeling good and at Julia Pearl Southern Cuisine there’s no way you will feel anything but good after you have eaten there.  Well, good and satiated after a serving of deviled eggs complete with crispy chicken skin or maybe the balsamic-honey glazed pork belly with sweet potatoes shaved with apple Cole slaw — and that all before you even dig into the best part.

Sure, there might be other southern style kitchens around, but Top Chef contestant Tre Wilcox isn’t involved in those restaurants, is he? Neither is Julia Pearl Chef Jermaine Brown who is officially helming the kitchen. Both chefs hail from Chef Kent Rathbun’s Abacus Dallas, but they have a long list of successes otherwise on their resumes. Chef Brown began his days at Brennan’s in Houston and has worked his way up at some impressive award-winning restaurants in the area. As for Chef Wilcox, he also spent time at Loft610 and Marquee Bar and Grill before landing at a place that even your granny would approve.  

Actually located in Plano, Wilcox created the menu at Julia Pearl with a nod to southern family recipes, and it is a tribute to and inspired by the lives of Darcy Dudley and his wife, Vivian’s family matriarchs, Julia and Pearl. The Julia part of the menu is traditional southern cooking, but the Pearl part of the equation cooks in a more modern taste for folks to enjoy.

Entrees are rich in flavor, like the Julia Pearl’s Southern Fried Chicken, cornmeal crusted catfish and there is even grilled king salmon. Add to that a smattering of biscuits, fried okra, whipped potatoes and collard greens, just to name a few sides and you have a full-on down home meal.

The dessert of choice is Pearl’s Red Velvet Cake with white chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream to top it off, but the lemon pound cake or the banana bread pudding are also worth saving room for too. In the 6,000-square-foot space the dining room is charming, but the bar will also be calling your name.  Special southern-inspired drinks rate high like Pearl’s Old Fashioned or Julia’s Ruby Red Cocktail.

Located at 2301 N. Central Expressway off I-75 and Parker Road, Julia Pearl has opened in the last month and you can count on a meal that you will definitely be inspired to try and  recreate at home.