RESTAURANT REVIEW
Worth The Wait We were in the heart of the Poconos in early January when my girlfriend and I both had a hankering for Southern cooking. After a morning of skiing, the taste of something hearty and homemade is what we craved, and we stumbled upon a spot that fed our souls. I ate biscuits and gravy; she had chicken and waffles. While those dishes were good, my appetite for great, Southern-inspired food wasn’t quite satisfied. So when Sweet T’s Southern Eatery scheduled the grand opening of its Teaneck location for early February, I immediately made a reservation. I quickly learned that many others had too. Owners Dre Perrin and Tonza Houston opened Sweet T’s Montclair restaurant in 2021, and they’ve operated a ghost kitchen in Teaneck for the past year. The debut of the new brick-andmortar spot was widely anticipated—it’s not every day a restaurant pledging authentic and healthy Southern food opens in Bergen County. My girlfriend and I had a corner table on the Sunday of opening weekend. The restaurant was packed, a positive sign for any new business, but it made for a tight squeeze as we made our way to our seats. There were also several folks crowding the entryway as they waited for takeout orders. (Having been a ghost kitchen for a year, Sweet T’s already had a loyal following.) After we browsed the menus for nearly 20 minutes, our server, who was occupied with other tables, finally took our order. Sweet T’s is BYOB, but we opted to enjoy a mocktail and, of course, sweet tea: A peach cobbler sweet tea for her, the Blu (lemonade, muddled blueberries and seltzer) for me. I’d ordinarily imbibe either a cold brew or cocktail during a night out, but boy, was I right to go with the Blu. Both beverages, in fact, were outstanding, neither too sweet nor overly fruity. We were sure our food choices would be just as pleasing. But the reality was that Sweet T’s hadn’t anticipated the large turnout, nor had it expected the influx of takeout orders for opening weekend. That meant that much of what we wanted from the menu wasn’t available for our 6 p.m. seating: no Sweet T’s barbecue chicken, no catfish, no cornbread, no collard greens, no candied yams, no sweet potatoes, no banana pudding. To make
SWEET T’S SOUTHERN EATERY 166 W. Englewood Ave., Teaneck, 201.942.3030; sweettseatery.com BERGENMAG.COM
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matters worse, the kitchen fell behind. We—like the table next to us—didn’t get our first taste of food until well over an hour had passed since we’d ordered. Yikes! (Note: Some who’d waited just as long canceled their orders and walked out. For the sake of this review, we stuck around, and the owners kindly extended their apologies by comping our drinks and dessert to-go.) Fortunately, our experience was about to turn a 180. They say good food heals the soul, and our spirits were quickly mended. Our first appetizer, Georgia-style okra, was an overflowing bowl of the golden fried green. The breading was perfectly seasoned and crisp, while the okra itself had a healthy snap. An accompanying spicy aioli wasn’t very hot, and we used it sparingly because the okra on its own was to die for. Our second appetizer, Sweet T’s fried shrimp, had the same breading as the okra and was just as palatable. We’d ordinarily avoid two fried dishes, but our other options were sold out. I got exactly what I wanted out of my entree: Sweet T’s 1-pound Texas braised beef short rib. One can taste the care that went into the 12-hour process of seasoning, searing and gently braising the massive rib. The meat was fall-offthe-bone tender and delicious, easily one of the best short ribs I’ve tried in a long time. It comes with a side of Sweet T’s famous macaroni and cheese, and I also opted for black-eyed peas with chicken sausage as an additional side. Both were exceptional, and I’d consider a full-sized mac and cheese in the future. My girlfriend settled for the Birmingham salmon (she originally wanted the barbecue chicken), but she quickly learned the fish was a worthy choice. The baked salmon had plenty of flavor thanks to the light barbecue-sauce glaze, and the fish itself was cooked well. Her two side dishes, coleslaw and some of the thickest-cut potato wedges we’d ever seen, also scored high marks. The quality of the food almost made us forget the regretful start, and we’re certain this location of Sweet T’s will iron out the early jitters. Even if it takes a while, I’ll still come back—great Southern food is worth a wait. —Darius Amos
Photos by Darius Amos
Even on a too-busy night, Sweet T’s Southern Eatery in Teaneck comes through with the delicious taste of Dixie.
MARCH 2025
2/18/25 11:02 AM