Asher was the kind of restaurant that blossomed inside an old Victorian in Roswell, beset with doilies, antique sideboards and an aesthetic menu that turned it into a dining destination.

Becky Stein/special (ENLARGE)
Pimiento cheese fritters are crunchy with bread crumbs on the outside, soft, gooey and piquant on the inside.
Becky Stein/special (ENLARGE)
The peach pies are dusted with sugar and paired with ice cream.
Becky Stein/special (ENLARGE)
The staff works its magic behind the scenes. One neat trick is the peach pies, dusted with sugar and paired with ice cream.
MOST POPULAR STORIES LA judge rules in favor of Notorious B.I.G.'s family Study of 'Daily Show': It's a lot like O'Reilly 'CSI' star Gary Dourdan charged with felony drug possession Sweet Auburn, Jon Stewart, Mother's Day treats Top 10 summer shows
EMAIL THIS PRINT THIS MOST POPULAR

Opened by husband and wife Andy and Jennifer Badgett in 2000, the restaurant offered the suburbs a big city-style four-course prix fixe menu of beauties like beausoleil oysters in a velvety gazpacho with ruffled balls of avocado and pork loin encrusted in panko with artichokes and picholine olives. The Badgetts served the kind of food that created a buzz, and people came from the other side of town just to see what the fuss was about.

The events of 9/11 and a downturn in the economy forced the couple to make changes in June 2003. Just as quickly as it had risen, Asher was gone. The couple decided to concentrate on their growing family, and opted to keep open the Fickle Pickle, a beloved ladies' lunch spot (also in Roswell) noted more for its chicken salad and red velvet cake than cutting-edge cuisine.

Last August, Badgett somewhat quietly arrived back on the dining scene with Relish, a Southern-inspired spot that, for lack of better explanation, combines the exalted efforts of Asher with the casual comfort of Fickle Pickle — with a strong slant toward the latter.

Set in the old Roswell Funeral Home on Mimosa Boulevard, the expansive space has been transformed into several smaller dining areas (though the rooms grow with every visit). High ceilings and the lack of much upholstery make lunch a high-pitched ladies din of dining. The rooms, though bedecked in warm photographs of traditional Southern produce, never seem to warm up.

And lunch (or brunch) is the best way to enjoy Relish. Din or not. The food is fresher and the space less austere in daylight. Service is speedy, but not in an interrupted way. The pace is set just right for those who may have something besides Oprah to do for the rest of the afternoon.

Night or day, the pimiento cheese fritters are little fried balls of yum — crunchy with bread crumbs on the outside, soft and gooey with piquant pepper and cheese flavor on the inside. Add a feisty tomato chowchow to the mix, and — presto! — a signature dish is born.

Bits of nibbles — cheese straws, spiced pecans and an excellently baked sour cream corn bread — are an odd way to start things off. They seem like dainty bridge table offerings that are out of place on a menu that is otherwise pretty hefty with fried catfish, oysters and heavy-hitting mac-n-cheese.

Many offerings end up too heavy. The noted restraint of Asher's former kitchen is unleashed at Relish — catfish laden with too much batter, BBQ nachos leaden and lumpish with pulled pork, sweet sauce and cheese. Some dishes are downright weird: I tried a pan-roasted chicken breast on separate visits, and each time it was a spongy mass of white meat with the texture of processed luncheon meat. Delightful pillows of soft sweet potato ravioli cavorting with spinach sautéed in brown butter are completely upstaged by the overwrought chicken. What a lovely vegetarian dish this would make without the meat.

Shrimp and grits lighten things up, but only a little; mouth-popping shrimp make a mad Creole-like mix with red peppers and onions in a brown roux with smoky tasso over hearty grits. It's a little ponderous, but it works.

Bacon-wrapped trout, by comparison, is downright blithesome. Laced with hints of rosemary over a simple hash of sweet potatoes and gingerly sautéed green beans in an ethereally light lemon butter sauce, it is one of the most delicate offerings on the menu.

Some of Relish's best recipes are served at the bar. Fresh-squeezed lemonade laced with cucumber is a refreshing sip, but when combined with Jack Daniel's and Grand Marnier, it becomes an even more refreshing nip. Frankly, this spritely lemonade would make Everclear taste good.

At dinner, it's nice to linger with coffee and dessert, though the latter is, like the rest of the menu, a mixed bag. It's hard not to opt for Kripsy Kreme bread pudding, simply because, well — where the heck else are you going to get this darling Southern oddity of doughnuts? Relish's version is thankfully less sweet than most; ignore the gloppy coffee crème anglaise and enjoy. A trio of tiny fried peach pies is best: hand-crimped, filled with sweet dried peaches, fried lightly then dusted with sugar and a whisper of cinnamon, they tasted a lot like my grandmother's.

Which is where Relish shines most — expanding on a stable of simple dishes that are part Southern bistro, part grandma's house. If you head to Roswell hoping for another Asher, you're not going to find it. But stay and sit a while anyway. There's plenty at Relish to enjoy.