Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ review

There are so many new restaurants which have opened up that I can’t keep up!  It seems like I’m going to have to plan a lot more visits to be able to try them all, because as it is right now I could take a trip, have all my meals at Disney Springs, and still not have tried them all!  But I was able to sample one of the new ones on my last trip in February.  I’d heard good things about Art Smith’s Homecomin’ and I was able to go with a friend the night before the Enchanted 10k race.

We had a reservation and were able to be seated right away.  The inside is nice and light with big windows.  The emphasis at Homecomin’ is on comfort food made with fresh, local ingredients.  The dishes definitely have a southern influence.  Comfort food isn’t always my #1 choice, but there was actually a lot on the menu that sounded appealing to me, so I’d love to go back and try more.  We skipped out on any appetizers (or fun alcoholic beverages, because of running the next morning!) and went right to the main course.

My dining companion ordered what might already be the most famous dish at Homecomin’: Art’s Famous Fried Chicken (Buttermilk-brined for 24 hours then perfectly fried and served with creamy mashed potatoes, cheddar drop biscuits, and love).

She really enjoyed it and it was excellent fried chicken.  The mashed potatoes made a really great impression too.  I tried some and they were honestly some of the creamiest, most delicious mashed potatoes I’ve ever had.  If you like chicken and potatoes I don’t think you can go wrong with this dish.

I went with a similar but slightly different dish, preferring to have my fried chicken in sandwich form (Buttermilk-brined for 24 hours and double-battered, dressed with hot sauce, aioli, iceberg lettuce, tomato and bread and butter pickles).

I was really pleased with this.  I got the tastiness of the fried chicken but in a form that I find is easier to eat.  The “hot sauce” dressing wasn’t all that hot (some people might prefer more but I was happy with it).  There wasn’t too much on the sandwich so you could really taste the fried chicken.  It was served with potato chips drizzled with a ranch type dressing.  The chips were barbecue and were very seasoned.  I found the flavor strong, and while they were pretty good I didn’t get very many of them because I also ordered a side dish…

Momma’s Mac and Cheese.  I love mac and cheese, and with the 10k the next day the need to carb load was a good excuse to order this!  And yes, in case you can’t tell by the picture, it was everything that a good mac and cheese should be.  Plenty of delicious melted cheese, very rich, soft noodles… mmm.  Yes, I did not finish all of my sandwich so that I could every last bit of this tasty side dish.

Clearly too full to order dessert, we headed out.  I was extremely impressed with Homecomin’ and my meal there.  Comfort food is not always my forte, but what I had here was absolutely delicious and there are other menu items I’d love to have.  Especially appetizers (fried green tomatoes, fish dip), drinks (RumChata Colada, Moonshine Mash), and desserts (Shine Cake, Hummingbird cake, freshly made donuts).  Though there are so many places in Disney Springs I want to try, I hope I make it back here eventually!

What do you think of the food items here?  Would you want to try Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’?