New SoNo Eatery: Southern Comfort Food, Southern Charm

Much of the decor at Mama's Boy Southern Table & Refuge has something in common with the food — both were put together by the restaurant staff.

Greer Fredericks, owner of the new restaurant across the street from the Maritime Aquarium (on the first floor of the municipal garage building, says she's proud of her staff for helping to build some of the interior features of the place.

They installed some of the wood on the tables, the bar and the walls. The wood, naturally aged Alaskan cedar, used to be slats from an old water tower in South Carolina.

"It was a labor of love for all of us," said Fredericks, a Norwalk resident and Ridgefield native who frequently visited the South, but worked for the most part in New York City and Westchester County.

Besides the food, Southern hospitality is also offered at Mama's Boy, Fredericks said. How? "Smiles, hugs, thank-yous, pleases, holding chairs, minding our manners, respecting each other — that's it in a nutshell."

The executive chef, Scott Ostrander, cooked in the White House for three Southern presidents: Both George Bushes and Bill Clinton, Fredericks said.

Shrimp and grits is one of the dishes Fredericks is proudest of at the restaurant, but also a fried chicken and waffles combination.

"I found a guy who studied grits," she said of Ostrander, "and who visited all the mills and the farms."

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Mama's Boy Southern Table & Refuge

19 South Water St., Norwalk, CT 06854

(203) 956-7171

Web: http://www.mamasboyct.com

Facebook: mamasboyct

Twitter: @mamasboyct

Email: info@mamasboyct.com