Not so fast

Newk’s looks like a chain, tastes like homemade

By Wendell Brock | Photos by Sara Hanna

I discovered Newk’s Eatery as I was driving through Mississippi a few summers ago, famished. Pulling off I-20 at Brandon, just east of Jackson, the cheerful brick-and-mustard storefront looked like a novel experience.

And as it turned out, the big red bowl of fresh greens with boiled shrimp and rémoulade dressing was fast food worth slowing down for. I won’t name names, but I felt much better about it than the politicized fried-chicken sandwiches, Dorito-shell tacos and tiny square hamburgers that are the mainstays of Southern highways.

Recently, I was thrilled to discover that the 10-year-old Oxford, Mississippi-based chain has expanded into the Atlanta market. And when I stopped by the Town Brookhaven location, I was reassured to see that just about everything that seemed so fresh on that sultry Mississippi day had made the journey to my hometown.
Here’s why I’m smitten with this quick, casual concept:

I like the made-to-order philosophy. Should you have time to sit a spell, the staff will give you a number to place on your table so they can spot you when your toasted sandwich, “California-style pizza” or just-tossed salad is ready.

I like that while you wait, you can pick up a little snack (bread sticks!) or soup and salad fixings at the condiment station (capers, croutons, shaved Parm, cherry peppers, bread-and-butter pickles!).

I like a fast-food place where the salads don’t look like they were made yesterday (or the day before), where the kitchen uses quality ingredients, where the portions are abundant enough to share, and where opportunities exist for healthy eating. (And if you happen to be thirsty for a glass of wine or beer instead of the usual iced tea or soda, no problem.)

Newk’s is that place.

Sure, you can load up on entrée-size portions of mac and cheese or pizzas piled with meat and dairy. But you can also enjoy a grilled salmon salad that clocks in at 300 calories or a “Black and Bleu” salad (grilled steak and Gorgonzola) that comes in at 420. (Both calorie counts exclude dressing.)

The Newk’s menu is so expansive that it can be hard to make up your mind. Let me recommend you begin with one of the big salads. The shrimp rémoulade remains my sentimental favorite, and you’ll see why when you dig in. It’s a heaping bowl of 12 tender shrimp, sliced boiled eggs, grape tomatoes and just enough of the cool, tangy, mayonnaise-y dressing to moisten every leaf.

Newk’s offers at least nine other salads, including old standbys like Chefs, Caesars and Cobbs. I like the Southern (topped with a scoop of delicious chicken salad that reminds me of my grandmother’s) and the aforementioned Black and Bleu (which mixes tender slices of beef with salty bleu cheese, tomatoes, red onion and pecans).

Arriving for a late lunch one day, my friend and I shared a Cobb and a sausage-and-pepperoni pizza. The cashier graciously agreed to have the kitchen split our Cobb on two plates and we chowed down. As I nibbled, I found tasty little bits of bacon, grilled chicken, blue cheese, green onions, grape tomatoes and croutons.

The 10-inch, crispy-crust pizzas are also perfect for sharing, though they are so good you may not want to. You can get the pies with spicy shrimp, spicy or barbecue chicken,
vegetarian style or loaded with meats and cheeses. We loved the gooey and delicious sausage-and-pepperoni version—and had a couple of slices left over to box up.

Considering that a good chunk of Newk’s business is probably takeout, I decided to give it a test one night. The verdict: While salads and sandwiches travel well, I might recommend eating the pizza while it’s hot and dripping. The classic Margherita (tomato sauce, mozzarella, Roma tomatoes and basil) was competently executed if not revelatory. (But, then, it’s not the restaurant’s fault we let it get cold.)

The shrimp po’boy came with boiled (not fried) crustaceans on a toasted baguette and was dressed submarine style: olive oil, lettuce, tomato and red onion. Our Newk’s “Q”—grilled chicken with applewood-smoked bacon, Swiss cheese and white barbecue sauce—was tasty enough. Even better were the sides: I was crazy about the creamy, slightly peppery coleslaw and the so-called “Tippah County Caviar,” a zippy little black-eyed pea salad.

In the confectionary department, Newk’s offers decadent looking Southern layer cakes, brownies and krispy treats (as in the rice cereal). The brownie was forgettable; the $3.79 slice of caramel cake OK though nothing special; but the chocolate and peanut butter Crispy was a wonderful guilty pleasure and, at $1.79, a bargain, too.

In the end, I found the Brookhaven Newk’s to be not quite as ship-shape and polished as the Mississippi counterpart I visited but still a very welcome option to the scene.

If I hadn’t peeked in my bag when I dropped in for carry-out, I would have driven across town without my caramel cake! And the first I heard about cocktail sauce for the po’boy was when I checked the online menu for this review. (The kitchen forgot to give us any.) To be fair, these are minor quibbles: Our large, complicated order was pristinely packed and presented.

As the weather cools down for fall, I’m looking forward to switching from salad to soup mode. (How about zesty black bean or lobster-crab bisque?) And I’m dying to try that mac and cheese—a bubbling white cheddar, Asiago, Parmesan and Swiss cheese tease that can be supplemented with pimento cheese and bacon.

With nearly 70 locations in 13 states, and plans to expand to 200 restaurants by 2019, Newk’s is a brand to watch. (Already in Atlanta, you can find them on Briarcliff Road in the Druid Hills neighborhood and at the Metropolis condominium in Midtown.) Personally, anything that saves me a trip to Mississippi is a good thing.

Recommended dishes: Shrimp rémoulade salad, “Black and Bleu” salad, Cobb salad, Southern salad (chicken salad). Sausage and pepperoni pizza. Sides: coleslaw and Tippah County Caviar. Peanut Butter Crispy.

Bottom line: Fresh salads a standout at this casual chain

Newk’s Eatery
305 Brookhaven Avenue, Suite A1100 | Atlanta 30319
678.365.4410 | www.newks.com

.