DINING RECAP

Rising Son is helmed by Hudson and Kathryn Rouse, a husband-and-wife team who leave their homespun touch on everything from heirloom tomato sandwiches to meat-and-three meals served on vintage cafeteria platters.

The restaurant, perhaps, owes a little debt to Home Grown, where Hudson ran the kitchen before he and Kathryn went out on their own. Rising Son’s menu can look a little similar to Hudson’s previous employer. Whereas the charms of Home Grown sometimes lean toward Paula Deen-esque indulgent comfort food, Rising Son is putting the flavors of fresh, local produce in the foreground.

Tomatoes show up not only sliced on toast, but also cooked down into a rich, thick gravy perfect for cornbread dipping or diced atop eggs and breakfast tamales or fried in green medallions. Lady peas come shucked fresh from the shell. Watermelon slices make for a sweet, palate-cleansing finish to a meal, but the pickled rinds also show up on a plate of battered and fried chicken livers.

Speaking of fried, Hudson has his technique perfected here. Whether you’re ordering fried trout or chicken or Vidalia onions, the batter comes out dark golden brown and shatter-crisp, flecked by black pepper. The most indulgent options might be the chicken-fried steak or the “spicy chicken sammy.”

At its best moments, Rising Son hits what I think defines Atlantan food. Hudson sources so many ingredients from nearby. The menu is affordable without being cheap, broad without pandering, and clever without ignoring the classics. The meat-and-three menu has always been about having something Southern for everyone. Rising Son does exactly that.

BECKY STEIN PHOTOGRAPHY Rising Son offers chicken-fried steak, collards, heirloom tomatoes, white acre peas and cornbread.