I was afraid Cecily was going to take me up on my request, so we went to dinner at Automatic Slim’s tonight. I wish I had gone sooner.

We started with the Coconut Shrimp appetizer, which was delicious. So much so that we devoured them before we remembered to take a pic, here’s the aftermath:

The we had some bread while waiting on our food. It was also great, we had already devastated about half of it when we remembered to take a pic. Perfectly warm and soft and the oil and pesto for dipping was great too.

I opted for the sassafras chicken. It was absolutely spectacular. Perfectly seasoned, perfectly cooked, and well presented. I ate every bit of it, even though I was painfully full 3/4 of the way through. I specifically ordered this dish because it’s similar to the last thing I got from the old Slim’s. The old version was bland, dry, and tasteless. This is the absolute polar opposite. Honestly some of the best chicken I’ve had in a very long time. It’s a regular menu item, so I can certainly see it being my go to dish here if I don’t want to try a special. I very highly suggest it. If you don’t like it, your opinion is stupid and wrong.

Cecily opted for the Voodoo stew. It’s not on their menu on the website, so I’m not sure if it’s a seasonal item or just a new edition. The presentation was very cool. The stew itself was also fantastic, the base was very unique, with distinct cajun flavor. It was served with Sriracha on the side of the dish so you can increase the heat to your liking. The stew consists of (from memory) crab, shrimp, mussels, rice, crawfish, and probably other things we’re forgetting. I’ll check the menu next time and edit this post if I missed anything.

Here’s a pic of the stew, in all it’s crabby glory:

Overall, I’d say my predictions were accurate. The food is greatly improved with Michael Patrick in the kitchen. Slim’s is certainly worth checking out now, and has instantly become one of my favorite restaurants. Give it a shot, you won’t be sorry.

http://www.automaticslimsmemphis.com/