Restaurant Review: Homecoming Southern Kitchen & Bar 

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Even when the restaurant space on the corner of West Temple and 200 South was an Olive Garden, it was still a pretty cool place to grab dinner. You've got the Capitol Theater to the north, Gallivan Plaza to the east and the Salt Palace to the west. As metropolitan as this particular Olive Garden was, something always kind of felt off about a gargantuan national chain restaurant having its mitts on such a primo piece of downtown real estate.

The space hasn't been much of anything—until the BonPatt Restaurant Group snagged the spot and turned it into Homecoming Southern Kitchen & Bar, which is a concept worthy of this dope locale. For starters, the cornerstone of Homecoming is Southern food. Fried chicken, barbecue, banana pudding—it's all here. As good as all that Southern comfort is even when it's served in a red basket lined with gingham tissue paper, Homecoming's goal is to put a downtown gastropub sheen on things. The space has been totally renovated since its Olive Garden days—it's a much classier spot with velvet upholstery, a hip bar space and a spacious patio.

The menu is also a far cry from that of the chain restaurant thinktank. It's simple, Southern and made for guys like me who crave the comfort-food aspect of meatloaf and fried chicken, while appreciating a bit of sophistication on our palates. It's the kind of food that tricks you into thinking you've had it before, but surprises your tastebuds with new flavors, textures and aromas.

Whether you visit Homecoming for lunch or dinner, you've got a menu that accommodates your dining needs. For those who are after a good bang for their buck, the build-your-own combo is a versatile option. It lets you choose two ($37) or three ($42) options from mains like baby back ribs, catfish, crispy pork belly or fried lobster if you're getting crazy, along with sides—mac and cheese, slaw and collards—and dessert.

My needs were different during my lunchtime visit, and I started things off with the eggrolls ($13). I find traditional eggrolls nigh irresistible, but a barbecue fusion variation? Sign me right up. The eggrolls at Homecoming are filled with chopped barbecue pork and collard greens, accompanied by a pile of coleslaw and some ranch dressing.

Now, it's not necessarily hard to make a combo like this taste good—it's a mix of fried and barbecued food, after all—but I have to give a special shout out to the collards in this dish. You've got the pork which is juicy, smoky and rich, and the eggroll wrapper that is crunchy and fatty, but the collards add the exact right amount of cruciferous funk to the mix. The eggrolls come slit diagonally, which makes them excellent spoons for the ranch dressing. I like to give them a dip and then scoop some of the coleslaw on top—it sticks to the dressing, which keeps it from spilling all over the place just in case you're a little clumsy.

Next on my list was the Nashville Chicken Sandwich ($16), because no matter how many fried chicken joints pop up around town, I just can't quit the stuff. The version at Homecoming is slathered in a tangy sauce that veered a bit closer to Buffalo than Nashville, but it was tasty all the same. The chicken inside was perfectly battered and fried, and the more-than-two pickles on top helped balance things out nicely. Hand-held eats are also served with monstrous shards of steak fries that really make you wonder how shoestring fries became so beloved.

Homecoming's dinner menu has a few similarities to lunch as far as appetizers go, but the entrees are simply bigger, and feature more bacon. I'm talking of course about the bacon wrapped meatloaf ($21), which is quite the steal considering its caramelized bourbon glaze and fried egg. This one is excellent for your diner who wants a lot without spending a lot.

Those who dig seafood will want to try the fried fish plate ($36), a golden, crispy mélange of deep fried oysters, catfish, shrimp and a fried lobster tail. It's got plenty of tartar sauce and some hot honey mustard for dipping—and it's really a beautiful moment when it arrives at your table.

When a menu is filled with such elegantly executed comfort food favorites, you can't help but fall in love with a place like Homecoming—especially considering the fact that it occupies a crucial piece of downtown real estate that just happens to be ideal for convention-goers or theater patrons hanging out on 200 South. I've always liked seeing a local restaurant take over a spot that was once owned by a national chain, but something feels particularly gratifying about Homecoming's new digs. It's the kind of concept that was always meant to be on that particular corner—and we're oh-so-happy it's there.