Mouth of the South
10800 Alpharetta Highway, Roswell, 770-650-1365

By BOB TOWNSEND 


A GUSSIED UP TAKE on the kind of catfish joints you find in Mississippi and Louisiana, Mouth of the South, on the corner of Alpharetta Highway and Mansell Road in suburban Roswell, looks like a chain. But its Cajun-spiced entrees and down-home sides have a made-from-scratch flavor.

BAYOU BRIGHT: Tucked into the corner of the Roswell Market Place shopping center, the cypress-sided restaurant announces itself with a big-mouthed neon catfish over the front doors. Inside, the look is neat and surprisingly spare. There's a bit of corrugated tin over the covered entryway to the dining room and small bar area on the right; there's more rough-hewn cypress barn-board and faux shutters on the walls, with crawfish traps and Cajun country photos; and a black polished cement floor. Tables are set well apart, and equipped with serve-yourself napkins and silverware in small galvanized buckets. Oddly, the very bright lighting and hard surfaces give the dining room an unexpectedly sterile and hollow feel that even the piped in Cajun and jazz music fails to enliven.

OPEN WIDE: Fortunately, the food is exactly what you'd expect and want from a place like this. Recently, I happily treated a friend to her first fried dill pickle experience. She declared Mouth's version "salty, tangy, crispy and wacky good," perfectly summing up this Southern delicacy of breaded and deep-fried pickle chips, served here with a bowl of ranch dressing for dipping. We particularly enjoyed them with the malty-sweet taste of Louisiana's Abita Turbo Dog beer.

We forged further into the fried food chain with the "super combo," featuring catfish and crawfish tails, which were very fresh and perfectly golden with a super light and crispy cornmeal coating. Four good-sized fillets and a mess of popcorn-style tails proved plenty to share. But the platter also came with excellent corn bread, served in a cast iron skillet, seasoned French fries, creamy coleslaw and hush puppies, making it a gut-busting extravaganza. We also ordered a side of what the menu calls "kettle squash" — essentially baked squash casserole that was nicely crusty and cheesy.

NOT QUITE LAGNIAPPE: The menu describes the longstanding Southwest Louisiana tradition of lagniappe, or giving the customer a little something extra. We certainly felt everything we ordered was served in more than generous portions for the price. But not only did we not get any special gifts, we had to remind our server (who seemed generally confused) to bring out the sides that came with our platter. And the slaw, and tartar and cocktail sauces arrived well after the catfish and crawfish. And why, oh why, no hot sauce on the tables?

TO WASH IT DOWN: Those on a sodium-restricted diet should note the gratuitous, if utterly traditional, use of salt in this style of cooking. But drinks are plentiful. Besides beer, there's a short wine list by the glass and bottle, and a full bar serving up specialty drinks, such as the Bayourita and Proud Mary (with Cajun spices).

THE VERDICT: Spiffier than the usual catfish house, the Southern-fried fare here more than lives up to the tradition, with a bit of a Cajun kick.

HOURS: 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays; 5-10 p.m. Saturdays; 5-9 p.m. Sundays

PRICES: Entrees $9.95-$15.95; sides $1.75-$4.50; desserts $3.45-$4.45

RESERVATIONS: For large parties

RECOMMENDED DISHES: Fried catfish, crawfish tails, fried dill pickles, kettle squash

CHILDREN: Kids' menu

PARKING: On site

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes

SMOKING POLICY: Nonsmoking

NOISE LEVEL: Moderate

TAKEOUT: Yes