I’m a purist when it comes to collard greens. They should be cooked with a ham hock, plenty of pot likker (juice from the greens) and cornbread (preferably with cracklings and–God forbid–not sweetened).
Then I heard about this conglomeration of a sandwich that incorporates braised collards, Alabama white sauce, gooey melted Swiss cheese and cole slaw dressed in a peppadew-seasoned Thousand Island dressing. All of this is stuffed between three slices of caraway-seeded rye bread and toasted on a grill top with lots of butter.
At first I was disgusted, then I was intrigued. What in the name of all fine Southern cuisine could make someone create such a glorious mess? God only knows. Nonetheless, I ramble over Red Mountain from Birmingham, AL, into Homewood to Lucky Cat Rolled Creams to see what this craziness is all about.
From ice cream to collard greens
Lucky Cat Rolled Creams opened in 2018 after owners Greg and Hannah Slamen became intrigued by a Thai technique of creating frozen ice cream desserts. It’s difficult to decide what’s more fun, watching the staff make your treat or eating it. I’m lying. We know it’s more fun to eat it. Since opening, they have expanded their menu to offer lunch, with rotating dishes that include locally sourced ingredients. My mission today is to explore this deviation from the collard green norm.
Savor the flavors
My plate arrives and the sandwich drips with Alabama White Sauce, a drooling of melted cheese, a hangover of coleslaw with flecks of red peppadew. It’s topped with a tiny state flag affixed to a toothpick. I close my eyes to take the first bite and try to discern the explosion of flavors.
Collards, cooked tender and seasoned with onions, garlic and hot sauce have enough zing to trigger some tear ducts and titillate the tastebuds. There’s the crunch of the coleslaw, a mild heat from the combination of hot sauce and peppadew, the zest of the caraway seed in the rye bread, and the sweet creaminess of the melted butter on the toast. The texture, the flavors and the aromas meld, prodding all my senses to sing like a chorus of angels.
After the first bite, I dissect each layer to sample the components alone. Everything has enough flavor and texture to be served on its own, but, combined, offers a TKO for my mouth. I’m a wimp when it comes to heat, but the sandwich has just the right amount to keep it from being bland. No worries if you like a bit more intensity. Your server delivers hot sauce so you can season to your specification.
Sticking to my strictly Southern roots, I opt for sweet tea (is there really any other option) for my beverage. I can pronounce this drink as the nectar of the gods. The predominant taste was sugar, with a little tea flavor in the background. And it was poured over the good kind of ice, the chipped, flaky crystals. If you’d prefer something with more kick, Lucky Cat also offers a selection of libations such as sake, beer and wine.
So, would you?
So what do you think? Are you a collard purist? Or would you venture out and have this vegetarian delight?
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