Rather, there's a notable Middle Eastern influence in the tabouli, hummus, falafel and pita bread. It's the daily blackboard specials such as fried trout, corn, green beans, peas and carrots and beans with rice that add the Southern flair to the place, but the regular menu provides reason enough for your visit. I usually have a hard time with veggie pitas, because the vegetables aren't cut into small enough pieces to make the sandwich easy to eat. This one is a soft pita half filled with layers of beautifully diced carrots and purple onion, thin slices of pepperoncini, cucumber and tomato, and shaved lettuce between slices of American and provolone cheeses. Mayo is optional, and the sandwich comes with a tart vinaigrette that brings everything together.
Sandwiches come with pasta or potato salad or cole slaw.
The latter is a finely diced combination of purple cabbage, purple onion and carrots tossed in a sweet, oil-based dressing and sprinkled with paprika. While I love the texture of this slaw and the fact that it wasn't swimming in mayonnaise, it's too sweet for me and needs the balance of a little vinegar. All of the salads at the Southern Grill are big, platter-sized presentations. The feta, olives and pepperoncini provide the salty bite that a good Greek salad should have, and the oregano-flavored dressing is just right. It comes with wedges of pita bread.