James Roberts knows when to leave well enough alone.
At Toutant, his broadly Southern restaurant next to Maureen’s Buffalo Wholesale Flower Market on Ellicott Street, iconic dishes comprise nine-tenths of the menu. When Roberts decides to serve hush puppies, jambalaya, or collard greens, he starts with the classic recipe, then searches for tweaks to amp up its deliciousness.
Not every recipe needs improvements. Toutant’s pimento cheese spread hews to the time-honored trinity of cheddar, mayonnaise, and pimentos, a kind of roasted red pepper. Its straight-outta-church-supper luxuriousness is especially moving when arriving with a basket of still-crackling freshly fried pork rinds.
Toutant’s Nashville chicken ($22) is another matter.
