Mia Stainsby Loves Chicken Skin, Hates Taxidermy at Mamie Taylor's

The Vancouver Sun's Mia Stainsby hits up Mamie Taylor's this week awarding it an overall 3.5/5 score. The food, she says, "...doesn't pretend to be anything but really good versions of what the owners love to eat themselves and it comes down to modern American style food. Cornbread, biscuits, really good chicken, pork chops, a burger, and so on."

Warming to a regular animals-in-reviews theme (recently it was chef's cats) this week Stainsby lays it on the line about the trend of taxidermy:

The vibe is sincere and friendly. It's supposed to feel like your satellite living room and it works. ... There is, however, one aspect of the restaurant I really don't like and don't get: taxidermy as décor — animal heads of all sorts in this case. I can't help but anthropomorphize. Mamie's is one of several places trending with trophy taxidermy and every time, it paralyzes my heart. And yes, I eat meat.

And meat at Mamie Taylor's seems to be anything but dry: the fried chicken is "juicy with crunchy skin" and pork chops are "thick and juicy" although she's "tasted better burgers (juicier, perhaps fattier)." The grits may cause discord Chez Stainsby as her husband "pronounced the grits... 'as good as or better than' mine." A cocktail from co-owner Ron Oliver "goes down smoothly" but desserts disappoint:

A banana pudding with malted milk ice cream wasn't attractive (beige and darker beige) and pudding, to me, suggests a gelled quality but this was soup. As for apple pie, it was an individual tart. What's wrong with a well-made slice of traditional apple pie, I say, with a tall heap of good apples and light, flaky pastry.

· All Mamie Taylor's Serves Darn Delicious Modern American Style Food [Vancouver Sun]
· All Mamie Taylor's Coverage [~EVAN~]
· Mamie Taylor's [Official Site]