New Restaurant in Midland
Category: Food... Local...
Posted Sunday, July 08, 2007 at 10:34 PM [GMT-6]

Update (7/18/07): An alert reader visited the restaurant and got some clarification on the name – it is "Southern Velle," not "Southern Belle." The rather unusual title apparently comes from the name of the owner. Thanks, Marci, for the clarification!

I'm a big advocate for locally-owned businesses, and especially restaurants. While there's much to be said for the consistency provided by major chain restaurants, they frankly don't provide much in the way of memorable experiences; one rarely leaves a Chili's or an Olive Garden or an Outback thinking "wow...that was really great!"

So, it's important that for every Outback we have a Wall Street Bar and Grill; for every Olive Garden, we have a Luigi's or a Venezia; for every Chili's, we have a KD's Barbecue or a King and I or a Casa Lopez. It's even better when we have something for which there is no major chain equivalent.

Which brings me to the main point of this post, an introduction to a relatively new restaurant in Midland called "Southern BVelle."* My wife and I learned about it a week ago after a dance class, and we decided to try it out last night, again following a class. And we walked out thinking, "wow...that was really great!"

Southern BVelle is located across the tracks – literally. It's on Terrell Street, just across the railroad tracks that run parallel to Highway 80/Business 20. It's down the block from Birkhead Feed Store, if you know where that is. If you're coming from Odessa and not familiar with the area, take Business 20 past downtown, and turn right at the first traffic light east of Main Street.

It's in a big unassuming block building, painted white; the sign outside declares it to be the home of "Taste of the South with a Touch of Jazz," [Ed. – Slogan corrected] and it lives up to the billing on both counts.

Inside, the place seems as big as a football field, nicely decorated with well-spaced tables sporting white tablecloths. The centerpiece of the restaurant is the large stage at one end, fronted by a spacious dance floor. A few tables are available on the dance floor itself; the remainder of the tables ring the floor, and more are in a separate dining room for those who want a somewhat quieter dining experience.

The restaurant features live music on Friday and Saturday nights. The band last night was Millennium Jazz, and it was excellent. (We recognized the name as it was the featured band for one of the Ballroom Dance Society's monthly affairs that we'd missed due to other commitments.) The band played a mix of jazz and pop standards, from Peggy Lee to Stevie Wonder.

But this is primarily a restaurant, not a dance club – the food is the main attraction – and it didn't disappoint. The menu is eclectic, with the obligatory chicken fried and ribeye steaks and fried catfish, but also featuring items like brown sugar pork chops and homestyle fried chicken, fried cabbage, collard greens, cheese grits, and cornbread that just begs to be drenched and eaten with sweet milk (however good you think the Cracker Barrel is going to be, I assure you their cornbread won't hold a candle to Southern BVelle's).

I had the aforementioned pork chops (you can also get them grilled, without the brown sugar glaze, although I can't imagine why you'd want to); my wife tried grilled chicken breast served with cornbread dressing. We were both quite impressed with the quality of the food, and the Milky Way cake we split for dessert was, simply, delectable. Entrées range in price from about $8 to about $18 (I'm basing this on my imperfect memory, so don't hold me to the exact details).

The service was solicitous, and a bit leisurely, but we didn't mind because the music was so enjoyable. Total cost of the meal, excluding tip (and we just had water to drink) was about $26, and worth every penny.

I'm making a big deal out of this for a couple of reasons. First, as I said at the beginning, I think it's important for Midland to cultivate home-grown businesses, and I hope you'll at least give Southern BVelle a try, and pass the word along if you enjoy it. I especially like the idea of a new business flourishing in a location that hasn't always enjoyed the best of reputations (and even now, it sits adjacent to a less-than-toney nightclub).

Second, there are darned few nice places to go to dance in this area, where the music doesn't showcase a steel guitar and songs about longnecks (neither of which are bad in and of themselves; we just need a bit more diversity, sometimes), and where you can get a good meal in a non-smoking environment. Whether you want to sit and listen to the music, or practice your rumba or foxtrot, Southern BVelle may just be what you've been waiting for.

Give it a try and let me know if you agree with my assessment. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner (including Sunday lunch).

*Update: There seems to be some confusion as to the name of the restaurant. Here's a scan of an ad that ran in the 7/11/07 edition of our local newspaper:

The stylized text of the restaurant's name matches that on its sign. Perhaps my brain is interpreting the name according to context and past experience, but I read it as "Belle" and not "Velle," even though the font is ambiguous. However, you'll note that the ad proclaims the appearance of the "Southern Velle Jazz Band." So, either the copywriter misinterpreted the name, or I've misinterpreted the sign. I'll have to wait until we return to the restaurant to clear this up, unless some alert and inquisitive reader can do it for us. (And if it is "Velle," I'd really be curious to know what it means. Because as far as I can tell, there's no such word.)