Visited in January 2005 High Cotton is a bustling, first-class, high spirited, dining spot with thick old brick walls and high ceilings which seem to house great jazz in the bar area that can be heard throughout the dining areas.

We got to the High Cotton around 9:30pm on a Thursday night after seeing Seinfeld. It had been a great evening so far, and I was in the mood for some great food. I had eaten at High Cotton once before, and didn't write a review for them, but it was a great meal, with great service. Even at 9:30 there seemed to be quite a crowd still dining. There was jazz spilling over from the packed bar that was pleasing to the ears. High Cotton is a bit on the loud side, but the ambiance is very cozy.

The 2 hostesses seemed a bit put out that we walked in and needed a table, but they promptly seated us.

Our waiter greeted us in a very timely manner and took our drink orders. I voiced my opinions on chardonnay's and he suggested a chardonnay to me at $9 a glass that was right on the money. A little pricey for my tastes, but it hit the spot, and was exactly the taste I was going for. We also ordered a beer, which arrived at the table in a bottle. In this type of atmosphere, I feel that a glass would've been appropriate to accompany the bottle, but we asked for a glass, and got it quickly.

We started off with our drinks and I immediately spotted 2 appetizers I would like to try. It seemed like forever since I'd had smoked salmon, so I was delighted to see it on the menu. We chose smoked salmon and Lobster bisque. We also ordered our entrees at this time. A few moments later I asked my waiter for a salad, since I saw a wedge of iceburg come to the table next to me that looked very tasty. I however chose the house salad. It was ok at best. My greens were very wilted and limp, but I was starving, so I scarfed it down.

By now, some time has passed, and here came out entrees. Hmmm...I wondered what happened to my appetizers. I asked the waiter, he looked a bit puzzled, and then remembered. He had completely forgot to put them in. His fault, and he was very apologetic about it. And he took full blame. Kudos on his honesty. He asked if we'd still like them, and I said no, it was getting late, and 6:15am comes very early with the drive I still had ahead of me. I could tell he felt bad about forgetting the appetizers, so I didn't say anything more about it. Besides our entrees were here, and they looked magnificent.

We ordered "The Classic" at $34 - which included a 7 oz. Filet with mushroom gravy, Maine lobster tail, mashed potatoes and green beans. We substituted the mashed potatoes, and green beans for collard greens, and dirty rice with red eye gravy. Wonderful choice! This meal was excellent. The collards here are fabulous. A perfect combination of flavors. The filet was tender and cooked perfectly, and the lobster tail was sweet and suculent, and tender. The next meal at $28 was a house special for the night and included an 8oz filet, with a Bourbon Bacon sauce, tasso cheese grits, and fried green tomatoes. It was topped with a giant sized onion ring. This meal was also incredible. The sauce for the filet had the perfect pairing of sweetness. The grits had quite a kick to them, but nothing I couldn't handle. The onion ring was a great touch, and the meat was grilled to perfection. Then came our 3rd entree which was "The Maverick" at $32 and included Blackened Rib-eye with bourbon bacon jus, 4 beer battered shrimp, horseradish sweet potatoes, and asparagus. I chose to get my steak "non" blackened, and substituted creamed Vidalia Bacon Creamed Peas for my asparagus. My steak was horribly over cooked. I ordered it close to rare, and it was medium well at best. I did get to taste one of my beer battered shrimp, and they were outstanding, as were my peas. These peas are worth the trip all by themselves. I know, I know, how can you get excited over peas? Well, if you have to ask, then you haven't tried these peas. I managed to get a taste of the sweet potatoes as well, before my waiter took my plate back, and they were also very good. I didn't have time to wait for a new entree to be prepared, so I just asked him to remove it from the bill. He was great about the whole thing, and very apologetic. The manager also came to the table, which is something you don't see often enough. She also expressed her apologies, and asked to at least get me something to eat. I told her my appetizers had been forgotten, so a bowl of the Lobster Bisque would be great. She immediately returned with the bowl. I couldn't wait to dig in. Unfortunately the soup was cold. Not even luke warm. The lobster in the soup was very good however. Our waiter returned several times to check on us, and I told him about the soup as well, and he informed us that he had ordered a praline souflee for the table on the house. When the plates were cleared and the souflee arrived, it was pure heaven. I've eaten my share of souflee's and this one has to be the best. Kudos also on the dessert.

Overall, it was an ok night at our dinner destination. Since I am the one who had all the problems with their meal, appetizers, and cold soup, I felt like all of my part of the bill should have been comp'd. It wasn't. I will be back to High Cotton, to try again, and see how they do next time.

I'm giving High Cotton 3 stars, and recommending you give this a try when you're downtown. If you're looking for a bustling, high energy bar, great jazz, and yet a cozy atmosphere in the dining area, this is your spot.