9 South Char

Like the organizer of an eternal neighborhood picnic, 9 South Chargrill mixes together a bounty of Southern-style barbecue and comfort food with a homey ambiance created by red-painted brick walls and deep-navy tablecloths to draw friends together. This combination has worked on such devotees as Jeff Korbelik of the Lincoln Journal Star, prompting him to place the eatery atop his 2010 list of the Top 5 Neighborhood Restaurants, where he called it his "favorite out-of-the-way place." Although the chefs embrace homespun cooking by churning their signature barbecue sauce and chipotle aioli in-house, many of their entrees look beyond regional and national borders. Texas-size loaded potatoes, certified Angus steaks, and Memphis-style pulled-pork sandwiches feature a range of distinctively American flavors, but lighter continental alternatives, such as an Italian-inspired spinach fettuccine dish, spotlight the chopped tomatoes and fresh basil found in Old-World favorites and inventive toddlers’ Easy Bake Ovens.