THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Larkin's

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Larkin's Restaurant Review:

Chef Larkin Mackey and manager Joshua McBride renovated a 1911 Craftsman, transforming a used car shop into a “contemporary soul food joint.” There’s a wraparound porch, while the interior décor includes stained-glass windows and original doors used as tabletops. The menu is more befitting of New Orleans than blue collar Eagle Rock. Every meal begins with spicy black-eyed pea “caviar,” served with pita chips, and a basket of warm miniature cornbread muffins. There are satisfying stews of slow-cooked chile verde, gumbo and jambalaya, along with several barbecue options. Fork-tender smothered pork chops are served with Cajun-influenced red beans. Sides include spicy sautéed collard greens and twice-baked macaroni with three bubbling cheeses. At lunch, a mean fried chicken salad with buttermilk dressing and a catfish po’ boy with spicy tartar mayo are available. For Sunday brunch, Aunt Pookie’s pancakes are a crêpe-pancake hybrid, biscuits are smothered in vegetable gravy, and the hot links are truly hot. Drinks include fresh-squeezed Meyer lemonade, mint julep soda and sweet tea served in a Mason jar. For dessert, Mama’s banana pudding is creamy and cool, loaded with Nilla wafers, and the "black & blue" cobbler features blackberries and blueberries, simmered in cinnamon and brown sugar, baked with a flaky biscuit crust.