Traditional Southern Fare is Tops at Cock of the Walk

Any restaurant wishing to channel a theme could be inspired by the vehemence of Cock of the Walk. Echoing its idiomatic name, Cock of the Walk flaunts its Mississippi Riverboat persona with a wide theatrical range.

Located off East Nine Mile Road near University Parkway, the restaurant opened in 1999 on a private wooded lot. Since then, progress has bequeathed a nearby Kohl's, Target and a host of other businesses. Somehow, the restaurant has managed to retain some of its verdant quality.

"We kept the trees and the pond," owner Mike Rickels said. "It still feels like the country." Cock of the Walk originated as a family-style catfish house in Natchez, Miss., in 1977. Now it has 13 locations in five states, with Pensacola as its headquarters.

The "Cock of the Walk" was a sobriquet given to the toughest man on the keelboat, an early 19th century riverboat. The victor earned the privilege of steering the vessel. The restaurant's thematic architecture features rough hardwood floors, exposed beams, and small details like the bathroom paper towels hung on a string. The view of the duck-filled pond in the back of the property gives the slight impression of floating on a riverboat — minus the mosquitoes. The servers scurry about in apt attire, delivering familiar Southern fare.

"We try to be the Cadillac of country cooking," Rickels boasted. The best cross section of this is the Red Feather Sampler, ($16.95 to $17.95), a plate of shrimp, chicken, Mississippi farm-raised catfish, oysters and "Grouper's Cousin," an Asian substitute for the popular gulf fillet. A container of cole slaw and a skillet of cornbread, unassumingly indulgent, are brought out first. Put your server on the spot and ask them to flip the cornbread.

John and Jenelle Kizziah were dining on a weekday with their daughters, Jill Wilson and Jan Thompson, and four grandchildren. "Our waiter flipped the cornbread and caught it in the skillet without dropping it," said Wilson, an Alabama resident who was visiting her parents. "I really loved the grilled flounder," Thompson added.

To some relief, the menu has a varied no-fry zone. The chargrilled shrimp ($12.95-$16.95) fared well, while the wild-caught salmon ($14.95) is unexpected. More unique are such side items as pickled onions, which arrive with the cornbread and slaw, the Pot-of-Greens ($1.95 to $5.95) and the fried dill pickles ($4.95).

Rickels said that although Cock of the Walk built itself on catfish, the clientele have forced it to branch out. But there's still the kitschy décor, the cornbread flipping and, if you've been looking to adopt a duck, the pond has several that are "Free to a Good Home."

Published on Friday, July 4, 2008