Cheap Eats - Feeling a mite peckish

Home cooking at Scott’s Rotisserie Cafe



Roosters and chickens line the room of Scott’s Rottisserie Cafe. They’re on the wallpaper and in pictures. Ceramic ones boast anthropomorphic grins. But that doesn’t stop Scott Mulju from serving them day in and day out. Mulju’s restaurant opened quietly at the end of last year in Rock Spring Plaza, the strip of shops near the corner of Cheshire Bridge Road and Piedmont Avenue. Despite the busy intersection, the place has a small-town feel. Simple, country decor, an unfancy menu, and friendly banter between servers and guests combine for a charming respite from the hustle and bustle outside. Scott’s is open only until 6 p.m. and relies mostly on a stable lunch and takeout crowd. But that may change once the restaurant is approved for a liquor license.

What we ate: Rotisserie chicken is the staple of the menu with a whole roaster going for $10.59 and a quarter of white meat only $5.89 (dark meat, $5.69). You get two sides and a choice of a roll or cornbread. Meat-and-threes sink or swim on the quality of their sides — and this particular assortment of veggies and carbs is hit or miss: barbecue beans, French fries, potato salad, collard greens, etc.

If you want to forgo the cluckers, a vegetable plate with three ($4.39) or four ($5.89) items is available. A bowl of the Brunswick stew made with ground beef warmed me up on a chilly day. Although it wasn’t necessarily an original recipe, it hit the spot. But the day’s featured selection of mixed vegetables and sweet potato souffle was a big let down. The souffle was nothing of the sort, but rather chunks of sweet potato suspended in a rich, syrupy sauce with strawberries. The mixed vegetables were supposed to include an assortment of squash and other spring offerings; instead they were mostly green beans and strips of red pepper.

A barbecue chicken sandwich ($5.89) served on a sesame seed bun was OK but nothing extraordinary. There’s also a small selection of non-chicken sandwiches, including burgers ($5.79), fish filets ($5.99) and pork barbecue ($5.89). The restaurant claims to be a home-cooking joint, and it is — including those days when mom didn’t feel like cooking all that much.

Service: Mulju and his friendly staff bus the tables, take orders and make sure everyone is happy. There’s only a few tabletops, so you’re never forgotten.

Brunch: A weekend crowd shows up for Mulju’s brunch selections of French toast, eggs and OJ. There’s not the kind of wait you find at some of those “to-be-seen” locations, and you get solid food fast.

Expanding the brood: While dining one afternoon, I see a man walk in with a porcelain rooster and bargain with Mulju for a meal. “He probably picked it up in someone’s yard,” Scott says once he leaves. But another bird has been added to the clutch.

jerry.portwood@creativeloafing.com??