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Decatur: Kitchen Six

it's opening night at Kitchen Six and the place is buzzing. It's located on Lavista Road in the Oak Grove neighborhood. The décor is that of the dining room of a nice, comfortable house. The staff was firing on all cylinders and service was both very efficient and extremely gracious. The menu has a Southern slant---chicken, pork, vegetables---but is not didactic.

I started with some hush puppies. Not only were they excellent but they had little knobs that made perfect handles for the dipping sauce. I'm not sure if the handles were deliberate but they are a really great idea, particularly given the quality of the sauce. It was a remoulade with just enough tang.

For my main course, I ordered the bone-in pork chop. The meat was tender and juicy with just the right amount of toothiness. Pineapple pieces on top gave it some zing; several small carrots and some kale gave us the Southern vegetable touch. The slaw was superb; I think it had cardamom, but whatever spice it was made a great complement to the meat.

For dessert, I ordered the chocolate raspberry cake. It may have been flourless but I could be wrong about that. It was very rich, dense, and moist. The mercifully small piece was the perfect way to end an excellent meal.

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