The other, True Grits Soul Shack, less than a year old, features fewer Cajun dishes and more of the foods from other parts of the South. The current chef, Elena Embrioni, oversees both kitchens. And with Frances seated at the bar and a peppy waitress at the door, the welcome is as warm as ever. Better still, two of the mains include your choice of sides. Garlic mashed and bourbon yams are excellent, the latter resembling a mound of the greatest pumpkin pie filling you've ever tasted.
Grits are the corn equivalent of risotto, though without the cachet.
Laced with chiles, the grits served here are far from the blandness found at Swan, for example. With cheese, they're unmistakably rich. Probably too rich. And all of these sides are served in gargantuan portions, each a meal in itself. But they're not.