The Mustard Seed Restaurant

My boyfriend is from MS, so I figured he might like here. I had never been either.
They do serve alcohol but no happy hour. We went at 2 in the afternoon. I suggested it would be a great idea considering the beer was expensive. They do not have a drink menu yet.
We were the only people in there besides one other table.
We ordered the appetizer of fried okra, green beans, and fried green tomato. It was ok. Although I LOVED the tomato! It was not soggy at all.
We got burgers. Both were over cooked and burnt. We were not asked how we liked them cooked, but they were VERY over cooked. The sweet potato fries were good.
I noticed the owners were there. One sat at the bar the whole time, (not drinking) and the other one came in while we were finishing up. For it not being busy, and a fairly new restaurant, I would have liked to see the owners mingling and at least asking the customers how their meal was. I think that goes a long way!
Some items are over priced I believe.
I am not sure if we will be back.

Good food. Good service. My girlfriend and I love the chicken fried steak and candied yams.

Portions were expensive, but pretty small. Not something you’d anticipate from a Southern restaurant. Overall the staff was very friendly, but something was lacking. I would try again in the future as we went during a slow Wednesday afternoon, just not exactly what I expected.

Pretty solid and fairly priced. The fried green beans are awesome. I had the fried chicken, crispy, tender and perfectly cooked. The chicken fried steak is fantastic. I don’t know much about southern food, but with food this good, don’t think that matters.

The Mustard Seed purports to be «Reno’s Only Southern Restaurant». I can name a couple establishments that might take umbrage with the claim, but there’s no mistaking the southern roots in the cuisine to be had at one of Midtown’s newest eateries.
On our server’s suggestion we tried an off-​menu, deep-​fried veggie plate that included a couple green tomato slices, a handful of onion rings, a decent portion of okra, and a huge pile of green beans. Though I really enjoyed the crunchy breaded beans, I would have traded half that amount for another slice or two of that tender tomato. Served with a side of ranch and a powerful housemade wasabi sauce, the plate fit the definition of guilty pleasure ($ 7.99)
The ladies made a face when I ordered «Mama Bessie’s Hog Head Cheese», but how could I not with the menu’s challenge, «Don’t knock it till you try it!» Available in mild or spicy, my order featured several spicy triangles of what is essentially pressed and pickled meat loaf/​sausage made from chopped bits of pig noggin, served with multigrain crackers and parsley ($ 7.99). While superficially similar to processed meat products I’ve – unfortunately – previously tasted, this housemade recipe is entirely something else. The spice and seasoning did a lot to enhance the experience, and the snap of vinegar really pulled it all together. Perhaps not for everyone, but I enjoyed it.
A cup of Pattsy’s Dirty Gumbo featured a very authentic broth thickened and flavored with filé powder, to the point where it’s more like gravy. Exactly as it should be. Though the menu indicated a classic blend of sausage, chicken, and shrimp, I mostly found sausage and a couple bits of chicken. Shrimp might have been in there, but I could neither see or taste it, and there was a lot more rice than I’d expect. The flavor was pretty good, though essentially a cup of rice and gravy accompanied by the occasional appearance of meat ($ 5).
Dinners come with a choice of two sides and either a roll or cornbread muffin. My wife and daughter both chose muffins and declared, «It’s cornbread.» My wife’s catfish dinner included a whole filet breaded and fried in seasoned cornmeal, with coleslaw and loaded mashed potato on the side. The slaw dressing was very light, not sweet, and had a little bit of spicy kick. The potato mash was a little dry, but loaded indeed with bacon, cheese, and fresh chive, again with a hint of spicy heat. The fish was flaky, moist, and crunchy with the same seasoned coating used on the okra and tomato ($ 13.99).
My daughter’s rib tip dinner – with greens and mac and cheese on the side – was a lot more food than expected ($ 12.99). Three tender tips with plenty of meat were slathered in a tangy, sweet sauce with just a hint of smoke. I prefer more spice and vinegar, but the hungry college student enjoyed it perfectly well. The mac and cheese was akin to a pasta cake bound with cheese, but the collard greens were among the best I’ve tasted. Instead of being cut into strips and cooked near-​to-​death, squares of greens that still resembled leaves were sauteed with a perfect blend of bacon and spice. Spectacular.
More than one dessert beckoned, but we narrowed it down to just two: classic bread pudding with vanilla caramel sauce ($ 4.99), and an apple landslide ($ 6.99). The former definitely had the classic texture with plenty of raisins, two things not on my list of favorites. «Bomb,» was all my daughter murmured as she polished it off. The «landslide» was essentially an apple chimichanga with a cinnamon sauce drizzle and salted caramel ice cream. The housemade pie filling was tart and tasty, and the ice cream pairing put it over the top.
The lunch menu includes a lot of things I’d like to try on a future visit. While not the only soul food option in town, The Mustard Seed definitely has its own take on Southern cuisine and a few items you won’t find elsewhere.

As someone from the south… the actual south, where this is the comfort food you get, I was so excited after I left this place.
I hadn’t had fried green tomatoes in probably 5 years cause you just can’t find places that have them.
The atmosphere was nice… very simple but I liked it. It is a sort of limited menu but I’m expecting that once they’ve been around for awhile they will expand.
Our server was great, got us our drinks right away and took our orders quickly.
I started with the FGT and they were perfect; came with a ranch sauce drizzled over it. Not soggy and limp, but very well breaded and just delicious! I had the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy, came with roll. It was fantastic! The seasoning was spot on — in both the gravy and the breading for the steak. Ended up having to take half home with me cause it was such a big serving.
During our meal the chef came out to make sure everything was to our liking which I always like about places – shows they care a little more.

May 19, 2016 Thursday — 7 PM for dinner
2 Adults
Atmosphere — 3 stars
Food — 3 stars
Service — 4 stars
Background — Was at Craft and needed some dinner after that.
Atmosphere — The place is new but things are not right. The color scheme in the place is vibrant but does not match a Mardi Gras theme or mustard. Pencil marks on the walls where art work should be lined up. Speaker wires exposed in the upper corner. The walls are already taking a beating from the chairs. We sat at one of the high top tables and I question its stability. It squeaked and moaned with the slightest touch. Tacked to the wall was a piece of paper with the warning of consumption of raw meats blah blah blah. This is typically a menu item item. The high top tables had signs on them stating that eight people or more have to pay a gratuity, again another menu item. Their logo is a mustard tree, what is that? Mustard seed comes from a plant
Food
Drink — Water.
Dinner — The dinner menu is very limited which is fine. I ordered the two piece southern fried chicken, both pieces were dark meat. When it takes 40 minutes to bring out to pieces of chicken you should have a warning in the menu or the waitress should tell you. The thigh was boneless. I have never seen that in a restaurant, but I am fine with that. A little surprised. Bones in chicken are one of the reason you have to cook it longer. So what happened why did it take so long? Did my potatoes and gravy get plated right away as mine and my wife’s were cold. My wife asked for more gravy from another waitress and that was best at lukewarm. Our waitress came over and we got another side of potato and gravy that was hot. My side of yams were very screaming hot. So hot that you did not want to touch the bowl they were in. So temperature control is an issue, a major issue. The chicken was extra crispy and loved that but the breading was bland. The chicken meat was nice and moist. The corn bread muffin was dry.
Service — Our waitress was great but I wonder what is going on in that kitchen. Love that you get 10% off if you show your driver’s license if you are an organ donor.
Future — Depends

3.5 stars.
Thought we would try dinner here since we were in the area. I ordered the catfish dinner. The cornbread was good, a bit on the dry side but good. The catfish was hot with very nice cornmeal crispy coating. I enjoyed it a lot. I had potato salad and mashed potatoes with country gravy for my sides. The potato salad was very tasty. It reminded me of my moms. I would order it again for sure. The mashed potatoes left something to be desired. They were real potatoes which was nice; however they were cold. The gravy was a country gravy but it was really like water. Not much flavor a super thin and runny. I want country gravy to be thick with lots of pepper. The waitress did bring me new hot potatoes but still not tasty.
Our waitress was nice, it did take a long time to get our food. Overall an okay dinner. I would try it again.

I tried hard to fight my southern upbringing to give this spot a unbiased review. I failed– we visited this spot to eat last Saturday by happenstance; two chicks was super packed and this spot had no one in it so we decided to give it a try.
Placing my hand on the door handle to enter the store the subconscious said this is a long way from Nawlings (New Orleans) don’t get excited.
The good:
The server was really good. Big smile, came around just enough for us to know we were important, but not enough for us to feel crowded.
The prices were ok. We spent give or take 30.00 without any special or alcoholic drinks.
The gumbo was 6.5 on a scale of 10. Which is good actually; gud gumbo is hard to come by so I was pleased.
The restaurant was clean. It was easy to feel comfortable in the place.
The not so good:
My burger was dry and over cooked! Without any mustard, mayo or ketchup on the table or offered. The fried okra was not cooked long enough to get crunchy on the outside and be moist on the inside.
A sign on the door said they would be closed soon for deep cleaning… This is alarming as I write this review. What was I thinking? The place has not been open that long and they are deep cleaning already? What? Why?
Why 3 stars you ask?
Reno is so far from the culture that provides what The Mustard Seed offers… Being from the south I’m willing to deal with providing more instructions to the waiter to ensure I get Cajun food in Reno!

«He said, «What is the Kingdom of God like? To what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and put in his own garden. It grew, and became a large tree, and the birds of the sky lodged in its branches.»
Thank you Google for showing me this verse when I Googled The Mustard seed today… I may be more of a spiritual rather than religious person, yet I think it fits my experience there perfectly!
As my hubby and I landed in the branches of the Mustard Seed Restaurant, we were tired and we were hungry… We had been ‘flying’ about town all day Geocaching…(A ground speak project you should look up if you don’t know what it is, it’s a blast!) and by the ¹⁶⁄₁₇^th Geocache our stomachs were growling and our legs were beat.
Our phones were barely alive enough to take pictures of our food and check in or we would have gotten a bunch more pictures of the restaurant itself which I can attest is adorable with a Mardi Gras theme.
The restaurant promises good olé’ homemade southern food and I concur that’s just what’s being offered… Fried Okra, Fried Green tomatoes, (Which I’ve wanted to try since seeing the movie as a little girl…) and Fried Green Beans too… wilted bacon greens… I’m getting hungry…
I ordered the Shrimp Sandwich at first and my hubby got the pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw and fried green beans as an appetizer… but I couldn’t help but have a lingering feeling for the Fried Green Tomatoes! I changed my order before they began to make it and all to the Fried Green Tomato BLT… (I hate being a pain in the ass) but the staff was very gracious about it! The waitress was nice and quickly told the kitchen of the change, who flew through the change easy breezy no problem. Our Green Beans arrived first and the were pretty good. They could have used a lemon quarter and maybe some kind of aioli for dipping instead of the regular ranch that’s comes with but they weren’t bad either.
Lunch arrived and we dug in! My hubby said his pulled pork was really good! Better than most the places he orders it at regularly… which recently has been a lot of places! And my BLT was delicious! I was slightly disappointed to see my fried green tomatoes were red… not green… therefore not as firm as I originally thought they’d be… But the flavor was on point! The fries were great, yet again I was longing for some kind of homemade aioli to dip them instead of just ranch.
All in all the food was great, and besides wishing I had some creative homemade dipping sauces… we definitely enjoyed our food and plan on coming back to try the dinner menu and different lunch items as well in the future… I am for sure ordering the Fried Green Tomato appetizer next time so I can try them on their own!

Let me start by mentioning that this place has soooooo much potential… But seems to be having a very rocky start…
Southern comfort food! Reno needs a few of these places, and this place seems to be getting alllllll of the Unilocal attention. So we stopped by for lunch during the week. As anyone could assume, a midday lunch during the week means it must be a quick service. Well, this isn’t exactly what we got.
After being seated, one waitress took our drink orders. I was disappointed to see that a southern-​style restaurant, with New Orleans décor, didn’t have sweet tea prepared. Instead, they bring simple syrup to the table to make your tea sweet. Just isn’t the same folks… I had to go through several of those little simple syrup servings to get it to a desired taste.
Our drinks were refilled 3x before being served our chow… With a total wait time of 1 hour and 30 minutes. Of course the waiter ordered us free appetizer after an hour and 15 minutes and was very apologetic. Instead, we received our food shortly thereafter… But we didn’t even get the sorry appetizer! So really, the apology felt like it was rehearsed and convenient and ended up causing us to actually stay to wait for our food instead of leaving angry. It felt like a ploy to me.
So, we finally got our food. We were starving at this point, and anything that went into our mouths would have been heavenly. However, I did notice that the chicken salad I ordered was pretty tasty.
When we received our food, the family of 5 next to us had not. They ordered about 10 minutes after we did and ended up walking out of the restaurant still hungry as we were walking out full.
It seemed like a hot mess of an ownership, little training by the waiter and waitresses, and mediocre food is really hurting the outcome of this business. I hope they get it together. I think they have a lot of potential. But it all comes down to ticket times and a decent meal for customers who come in on the weekday for lunch.

Met up with another Unilocaler Brian and we both thought let’s try the new spot The Mustard Seed. Walking in was a pleasing surprise. There was a nice Nola feeling. The music was soft but loud enough to enjoy. We were seated very quickly and drink orders were taken. Our waitress was very friendly and knew the menu very well. Looking over the lunch menu I decided to try the Cajun Shrimp Skewers. WOW!!! The sauce that comes with these is sooooooo good.
The lunch was awesome. I choose the Grilled Bacon and Cheese with the house fries. The whole time I was enjoying my skewers, our drinks were being refilled and they were on top of everything. So out comes the Lunch and it was very tasty. I Like to try something so that it can only go up from there. They have a great lunch menu and as we were paying we were offered a menu with all of their meals. My eyes were drawn quickly to the Deep Fried Pork Chops.
There are such awesome sounding other things on their menus that I can’t wait to try. Catfish sandwich, Poboy and so so so many other things. This is a spot that will be on my list to go back and try a lot of different things.

I enjoyed a nice meal here this evening first time I’ve been there with a friend of mine.
Marshall was our waiter he was very attentive and helpful the inside of the restaurant is very colorful and clean.
This located in the sticks area of Reno Midtown and there was parking out front which made it easy to enter the restaurant.
I had the fried pork chop which was pretty good and the macaroni and cheese which the waiter said was epic I didn’t quite find it epic but it was good.
My friend enjoyed the baby back ribs and she let me sample one and it was very very good. We both chose salads as sides and they were tasty also.
We split the bread pudding for dessert but it was full of raisins and I’m not a fan of raisins but otherwise it was a nice dessert.
May try it again for lunch in the summer.

A taste of NOLA comes to RENO!
Located in The Sticks strip mall in the former spot of Uncorked. Unfortunately I never made it to their old location. Based on the reviews, I was ready to dive into some southern comfort food.
The meal:
Red wine options — Cab or Merlot — I drank water.
Fried Green Tomatoes — The tomatoes were red and a bit mushy.
Fried Chicken — WOW I’ve never seen a leg and a thigh that big. THANK YOU for making a fried chicken plate with just dark meat. The chicken was tender. Not greasy. Fried crispy. A bit bland for my taste but they’re was hot sauce from Louisiana on the table that did the trick.
Collard Greens — This was the first time I was offered Malt Vinegar with my collards. I figured I’d give it a shot. The green were tender with a spicy kick; no malt vinegar needed for my taste.
Mac & Cheese — It’s a vegetable in the south. This is not fancy artisan mac & cheese. It is macaroni and cheese baked till the top is golden brown the cut like lasagna and served. Good stuff!
Cornbread — They do offer rolls but for me cornbread is the better option. Nice and dense served with butter and honey.
No room for dessert and took a doggy bag home. The service was nice, poor guy it was his 6^th day on the job but he was on point.

Went out to dinner with my sister and daughter. Thought we’d try The Mustard Seed… everyone seems to like it. I thought my dinner was okay… I was expecting more.
I had the baby back ribs (which were actually full size ribs), mac and cheese (it was cold) and coleslaw. The ribs were quite tasty. ($ 20.99 for 6 ribs… a little pricey for ribs) Deb had fried chicken (good), collard greens (which she really enjoyed) and mac and cheese. My sister had the fried catfish (had to add hot sauce to give it flavor), baked beans (on the sweet side, very good, nothing special) and potato salad (very good). Before that we shared an order of fried green tomatoes. but they weren’t green. A little on the red side and mushy. We didn’t eat them all.
I think we were all disappointed in the corn meal breading on the tomatoes, chicken and fish. It was kind of dry and tasteless, Needed the hot sauce to give it taste.
I’ll give it another try to try to bring it up to at least 4 stars. And, everyone’s tastes are different. I’d say give it a try. Limited wine list.

I was really excited to try this place. I lived in New Orleans for over 2 years before moving to Reno. I did not expect the shrimp poboy to be the same as I have had in the past of course, but I was disappointed nonetheless.
The entire sandwich literally had 4 pieces of shrimp… a classic poboy is supposed to overflow with shrimp. The bread was also different and not on a French roll. Although, that would be ok if the shrimp was accurately measured. I placed a to-​go order and was the only person in the restaurant, so I’m not sure how they were so far off target.
Very nice staff and atmosphere… I would not expect a southern cuisine experience.

If you spend $ 12 on a sandwich for lunch, you should budget in a stamp to write home about it. I had high expectations, and I hope they’re just working out the kinks.
Super friendly service, but understaffed during the lunch hour. They had under 10 customers, but service was slow, albeit enthusiastic, throughout.
I’m sort of a Southern Food newbie, so I was disappointed with the high number of menu items I could order at your typical pub/​brewery in Reno.
The fried green tomato BLT was delicious and flavorful, but the included avocado was far from ripe. When I commented, my husband said «I like firm avocado», but after a sample, agreed that it was way too hard to eat.
I hope to go back in a few months and write a stellar review. For now, disappointed overall.

This is a new spot in midtown. It has been a while since I have had southern food. The first thing I noticed on the menu was crab cakes and fried green tomatoes. I love crab cakes, so that’s what I ordered. It came with 2 burger size patties on a bed of greens. The dipping dressing was very good. I used the leftover sauce to dip fries in too. The server forgot to put out appetizer plates, but no biggie. It is more intimate to share from the same plate.
I shared the Blacken Bleu burger and the fried tomato BLT. They were both good. Both sandwiches came with fried green tomatoes, which is also why I chose the crab cakes appetizer over the tomatoes starter. I liked the fried tomato BLT more than the Blacken Bleu burger because the BBB tasted like a regular Bleu cheese burger. It was good but not as «southern» as I was expecting.
I chose the potato salad as one of the sides. The dressing has more mustard taste than mayo taste. Tasty!
I wanted to try the collard greens, Mac and cheese and catfish, but I can only eat so much for lunch. Will try it next time. Service was friendly.

I was so excited for real Southern Food in Reno per the online chatter. Perhaps they need some more time to work out the kinks.
Pros: Midtown! Fried green tomatoes were very flavorful and cooked well. The waitress was very attentive, fried chicken was cooked well.
Cons: Took for-​ever! And there were only 3 tables in there. Cornbread, dry & overcooked. Baked beans — super sweet for our taste. Waitress brought us both the wrong thing (it happens) so we were there a really long time. Menu said thigh & leg for the fried chicken — we got a breast (not a big deal just not what I was expecting).
Its early — I hope they work through it all. I’ll try again in 6 months.

«It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can Nest under its shade.»
The inspiration for the name of this business is so perfectly appropriate. From a small location at Cal Neva to this slightly larger and more fitting location, the Mustard seed is on it’s way to housing all of the hungry birds that midtown may supply.
The longtime master chef Robert took a second to answer my questions after our lunch. His experience in the Reno food scene started in the 1980s. Working at various casinos and their respective steak houses, opening restaurants in Southern California for well known name brands, and being trained by world renowned chefs, he has developed the chops to run an efficient and successful restaurant. And if my first visit, on the second day open is any indication, he will be giving Reno a great southern menu with a pleasing atmosphere and friendly service.
Our food and service was better than I expected, especially so close to the doors opening for the very first time.
Sam, our waiter was friendly, helpful and ready to make our lunch a satisfying adventure. Admittedly I was a little needy this time around, forgetting to ask for this or that but his response was just right every time. With others staff stopping by the table, it was refreshing to see the newly opened intensity being displayed with such calm.
Our food was very good. Three large fish nuggets held their heat through the whole lunch. Her Bayou Blackened Burger, while being a little light on the «bayou» was super duper tasty on the blackened factor. Robert did mention that if you like spicy just let your waiter know and they can add a notch or two of spice. I also did my usual over order of sides and apps. The fried green tomatoes were of course delicious and the collard greens were solid, less meaty than some places, but still good flavors.
This is a glowing 6 star review for a brand new place. Darn Unilocal for restricting me to only 5 stars. But really it’s no surprise that this place is so good when you consider one of his past posts was a stint at Western Village Steakhouse.
A few notes.
Beer and wine will be available by the end of the week and the liquor license is in the works and looks to be a few months out.