I have long been a fan of Brenda’s French Soul Food for brunch so when a friend told me there was a spinoff restaurant called Brenda’s Meat and Three I had to try it. Choosing one meat and three side dishes is apparently a southern culinary tradition. (At least their website says it is, haha.) The opportunity arose when I swung by The Independent to buy concert tix, super conveniently located just down the street.
![Fried catfish, mac & cheese, biscuit, and okra & tomato maque choux](http://www.pandasbelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Brendas-Meat-3-1.jpg)
Meat
So many delicious options to choose from. The 3-piece fried chicken tempted me. The waitress said to the party next to me that you can request dark or light meat which is great bc I always go with dark meat (chicken breast can be so bleh!). I was also tempted by the chicken fried steak, one of my favorite brunch items. But since my appetite felt smaller that day, I decided to have the fried catfish which sounded delicious as well. The sizable piece of catfish was fried well. I liked it but I’ll say it didn’t knock my socks off. I’d try one of the other meat choices on a future trip.
Sides
I thought it was hard enough to choose my meat but then I saw the list of sides and that was even harder! Wound up picking the mac & cheese, biscuit, and okra & tomato maque choux. I really wanted to try the cheese grits but I figured I should have at least one veggie side dish haha. The biscuit was decent but I’ve had better. I probably wouldn’t choose this as my side again when there are so many other good options to try. The mac & cheese was bomb.com, definitely a must to get again on my next visit. That crusty cheese on top was a key aspect and every bite was cheese heaven. The mac was al dente and not soupy at all, which are also ideal qualities for me. I love okra and tomatoes and the two stewed together was a great pairing. Felt like it added a bit of health to my dinner haha. ;o)
Final Thoughts
Meat & three sides is a great concept. I felt like it made for a balanced meal (depending on your choices) and good variety. The price might seem a little high but the portion sizes are good. I wound up boxing up some leftovers. This restaurant is in an ideal location for pre-concert dinners if you’re going to see a show at The Independent.