Dining Divas Get Their Southern Fix at Juniper

Once I’d tried out Juniper on Boyle in the Central West End, I knew I’d be back again with the Dining Divas. The vintage Southern charm and all around hospitality immediately made the list of restaurants I wanted the girls to try. And when I first mentioned it to the Cultured Diva, she was thrilled because it was on her list, too.

Unfortunately, Dining Divas was on a night that conflicted with several other events. We moved our monthly outing back to the original day of the week from years ago. We had to change it to accommodate Grandma Diva’s weekly grandson get together. But that day has changed so we moved it back to Thursdays. It will take a while to get everyone back into the swing of things with this day, but Thursdays were always preferred.

Rarely does anyone complain about the smaller group atmosphere. Conversations are easier. Of course, we had to talk about the recent violence in the metro area and that during the week of our last Divas outing there were a couple murders. On a lighter note and fresh from another trip, the Traveling Diva shared photos from her latest adventure in Tahiti while the Honeymoon Diva still talked about her European vacation over a month prior.

We immediately ordered the Breadbasket which included a variety of breads like hush puppies, biscuits, cornbread, buttermilk, and even Sally Lunn, which was something new to me. It’s more of a sweet brioche-like bread. They were tasty, but as one Diva mentioned, it’s still hard to get used to paying for a breadbasket.

We also shared a plate of Country Ham. I don’t believe I’d ever had an appetizer of ham before, but I guess it’s a southern thing. It was just okay according to this group. I really had hoped someone was going to order the Deviled Eggs. Although I’m not a hardboiled egg eater, I know from my previous visit that they are fantastic. So perhaps skip the ham and try out the different flavors of the deviled eggs.

Juniper has a unique way of presenting traditional southern dishes with a twist. Their menu changes regularly but they may offer Country Ham Carbonara or Florida Frog Legs or Fried Pickles. The Delta Style Tamales were tasty but ordering the appetizer as your dinner isn’t going to fill you up. It came with five tamales, but there wasn’t much to it.

Many of us settled on the Fried Chicken which was juicy and crispy with good flavoring. One Diva pointed out she thought the breading had something sweet to it. We’re not sure what, but we liked it. Combined with real mashed potatoes and green beans, what a feast! The sides could have been warmer. so that was a little disappointing. And, of course, almost any menu that has Macaroni and Cheese on it, we have to give it a try. Prepared with layers of different cheeses and crunchiness on top, Juniper’s is another good recipe.

The Double Cut Pork Chop served with creamed chard, fingerling potatoes, and an apple cider sauce is another menu favorite and one for which the Cultured Diva will be making a returned trip.

We were disappointed to see an $11 glass of wine charge on the bill. On the menu, it was $9. Rather than dispute it, the Generous Diva just paid it, but that’s one downside to Juniper. It’s trendy and a typical city restaurant, and with the quality of their food comes higher prices. Hopefully that doesn’t keep people from going back. Juniper excels at unique creations, and with the ever-changing menu, there are always interesting and new combinations to try. And I haven’t even begun to talk about their signature cocktails. Which is an added bonus.

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