Memaw’s Southern food worth the trip to the west side

What happens when someone from a long line of excellent cooks goes to culinary school? You get Memaw’s at LG’s Restaurant, a little dive of a place on Mumford Road that serves up some of the best Southern food I’ve ever had.

Memaw has a stockpile of secret recipes, passed down from generations of women who knew how to cook. She took those recipes, learned innovative cooking techniques and business acumen from Helm’s Culinary School here in Macon, and created her own restaurant just off of Napier Avenue.

She’s decorated it similarly to Helm’s lab restaurant, Edgar’s, with a large modern light fixture over each booth, separated by glamorous drapes. In a concrete building with no air conditioning, you won’t be confused as to where you are, but the decor gives it a feeling that somebody really cares about making things nice for you.

I had two large slabs of meatloaf smothered with a sweet tomato sauce, mashed potatoes with so much butter you could still see it, and mushy black eyed peas. We also had the house-smoked pulled turkey, the fried chicken, the thick fried porkchop, and the masterfully baked rosemary chicken. She may have new techniques to keep things organized, but she doesn’t experiment with perfection.

The macaroni and cheese consistency was well blended, and the larger-than-usual pasta held the sauce well. We also enjoyed the fried okra, butter beans and rice with meat-laden gravy.

By far the standout, though, were the desserts. We happened to get there right as the buttermilk mini-pies were pulled out of the oven. Creamy on the inside, a bit crunchy on the top, and all in a perfectly flaky crust — I’d come just for the pies. The fresh sweet potato pie was excellent, too.

Don’t let the address keep you from trying this hidden jewel. Memaw will be glad to see you.

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This story was originally published May 5, 2016 at 3:27 PM with the headline "Memaw’s Southern food worth the trip to the west side."