Simp McGhee's — Restaurant in Decatur

This place has a lovely upscale vibe and friendly staff. My friends liked their food but unfortunately mine was not that good. Overall I was pretty disappointed in this place so let me tell you why.

For appetizers we tried the fried crab claws which were okay, the batter wasn't that good, the tartar sauce was mainly mayonnaise with mustard seed. It was served on a plate of lettuce even though we told the waitstaff about the allergy.

We came here for the crawfish cheese sticks and were told that they didn't exist and had not for a very long time, now they are some sort of egg roll?

The entrees come with salad which my friends say were good, they looked fresh to me. I tried the andoullie grits which were fine and a bit spicy.

I personally had the lobster ravioli and shrimp which was recommend by the waitress, but unfortunately it turned out being awful. The dish was not as described as they added squash and bell peppers to the blurre blanc. On top of that, the onions that were in the beurre blanc were black and burnt making the entire sauce disgusting and bitter. The shrimp that came with the dish were way over cooked and tough to eat. The inside filling was completely bland. For the price they're charging it was an absolute disgrace.

I tried the grilled tuna which seemed to have a steak seasoning on it, it was actually quite delicious and tasted like steak. The let down to the dish was that it was suppose to have carrot and shallots but there was just a few small savings on the green beans.

As for the Pontchartrain, my friend enjoyed it, I didn't personally try it. The shrimp and fish looked cooked correctly. But as the reigning theme here, they added rice to the bottom of the dish and that was not stated on the menu.

I did try three of the drinks, the blueberry lemon drop was very good and sweet. The tropical dream was okay but also had the wrong ingredients in it as they added either a orange or mango juice that was not in the description. Lastly we tried the momma's cool aid which was also tasty...

My wife and I ate at Simp McGhee’s Wednesday, June 19th shortly after they opened. It was a mixed experience.

Appetizer: The crawfish eggrolls were wonderful. The veggies in them popped with flavor. They really do them right.

Main Course: I had redfish over fettuccine with some light sauce and veggies, it was very good. Elisa had petite filet and seasoned mashed potatoes which were also very good.

However other aspects of this experience weren’t so good.

See the photo of the salad oil and whatever that dark stuff is? Look how filthy it is. I told my wife they need to pour that stuff into new containers each day and put the old one to wash! Good grief. If I owned a restaurant and my employees did something like that, I’d be absolutely livid! Never give a customer something so filthy!

But that’s not all.

I asked the waitress for virgin olive oil and some fresh lime or lemon juice with which I intended to make my salad dressing. She enthusiastically affirmed that she could do that. Then, she brought that atrocious stuff out. Look at that photo.

I asked her “is that olive oil?” she replied, “it’s olive oil” nodding her head in affirmation. I tasted it . Ugh! It was rancid old oil spoiled like it had too much heat or too much time. Obviously it was too old and it was not olive oil. Did she knowingly outright lie to me? I had her take the salad away since I poured oil on it and tasted it with my finger. Ugh!

The table.

This place has a wonderful ambiance. It’s an old two story house with oak tables and Windsor chairs. I had to roll my sleeves down because the table was terribly sticky. Yuk. Who wants to sit at a sticky table?

I don’t know if I want to go back there or not. The food was good except that atrocious rancid salad dressing in the filthy containers. If they treat those salad dressings and their containers that negligently, what else do...

Just to start out. I'm Chicago born and raised. My great-uncle started a restaurant in Chicago in the early 70s that still exists and has become a sort of icon in the Chicago Pizza world. I, myself, became a truck driver delivering brand new cars around the country. In my travels I like to experience different foods and experiences. This is definitely one of those experiences that left an impression.

Simp's is a restaurant/bar set in a relatively old tavern in Decatur, AL. I've traveled around the South. I live in North Carolina now, but this is truly the Deep South. The South one reads about in books. The charm, Southern hospitality and all that goes with it. First, the food was fabulous. I had the Lobster Ravioli and Shrimp which had plenty of both plus beautifully cooked vegetables and sausage. The veggies were cooked perfectly- bright, colorful, crunchy,and delicious. For dessert, I had their version of Southern Peach Pie and ice cream. A glass of Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale to complement my meal. The meal was wonderful. I highly recommend Simp McGhee's. The experience was the people. I got there on a Saturday when they first opened (5pm Central time). I'm sure the younger crowd showed up later because almost everyone there was 55 and older. So am I, so I should have fit in. Unfortunately for me, this is the Deep South. Everyone was well dressed as if eating out is a very special occasion. They take pride in their appearance. Me, a nice, clean, t-shirt style shirt, tan cargo shorts and a pair of running shoes. Damn Yankee. Next time, I'll know better. Anyways, if you're passing through Decatur, Alabama, stop and have a great meal at Simp's!...