Best grits challenge!!!

originally posted September 4, 2007, updated October 3, 2009

I’ve tried several iITP establishments in search of Best Grits. Contenders include Thumbs Up, Highland Bakery, and Stone Soup. (Worst include West Egg. Stop trying to be fancy; it’s NOT working.) Where have you eaten your favorite grits?

Ria’s Blue Bird has runner-up-worthy grits, but these are white. White is not my color of choice since its not guaranteed that these are made from the natural state of the corn. Yellow grits are made from unhulled corn; white grits can be made from hulled corn. (White hominy grits are the staple at places like the Waffle House. Hominy grits can be made from corn soaked in lye to remove the hull and the outer germ. MMMmmm! That sounds delicious… lye!) This is why I tend to like some yellow in my grits. However, it should be noted there are many reputable restaurants that use premium white grits made from white corn, like South City Kitchen.

What makes good grits? I like course grit pieces, like biting an actual corn kernel. They need to cook up creamy, by themselves, not that cream and/or cheese are insipid additions-- quite to the contrary!! Grits need to be hot and without lumps.

Favorite brands? Anson Mills in South Carolina is marketed as the king of grits. They appear on menus across Atlanta. The Lee Brothers (www.boiledpeanuts.com) promote Guilford stone ground grits. Can’t say I’ve tried them. There’s a Georgia brand, Logan Turnpike, sold at the Dekalb Farmer’s market and Whole Foods (where at opening had an extremely poor grits selection). A strong national premium brand seems to be Bob’s, but these are also labeled polenta. That doesn’t seem Southern and thus ungrit-centric to me. Carolina Plantation grits need to be soaked overnight. I haven't yet tried this to test them against the others.

The interesting observation is that our local restaurants are not promoting Logan Turnpike’s in-state product. Is that because Logan Turnpike’s grits are inferior to our neighboring state’s grits or are we observing the power of marketing? (I need to get some Anson Mills and cook them at home.)

Sorry- that was a long winded way of saying I LUV GRITS and what iITP (that's INTOWN inside the perimeter) establishment in your opinion has the best grits??