Me Oh My O's is spice of downtown

Some like it hot, and that some would be me. If I'm in the mood for spicy food, I want it to be fiery. I don't want it to be palatable, I want it to challenge me. Spicy food, as chauvinistic as it might seem, is a test of my manhood and my ability to stand it.\nSo, for my father's birthday, we went to Me Oh My O's, 106 W. 6th St. The restaurant, open for all three daily meals, offers a unique blend of Southern American cuisine ranging from the bayou of Louisiana to Savannah, Georgia.\nWhen we entered, I had not expected the decor that I saw. Instead of the nitty-grittiness I anticipated from a place that boasts fried green tomatoes and jambalaya on its menu; what I saw was a classy '90s cafe look. The ambiance didn't seem to fit the food. In fact, I almost felt wrong eating the dishes we ordered in that sort of atmosphere.\nNevertheless, food was ordered. To start, my father and I shared a cup of chili blanco, fried green tomatoes and alligator eggs. The chili was neither as spicy as it had boasted on the menu, nor as hot as our server had told us.\nThe fried green tomatoes did not look very green; in fact, many looked red, but underneath the batter in which they were fried, it did not matter. They came with a hot dipping sauce (probably cayenne and vinegar) and two cornbread silver dollar pancakes to help with the heat. I must say, they were very tasty and did warm me up for the rest of the meal.\nThe alligator eggs were by far my favorite of the appetizers. While many now know of the jalapeno popper craze, Me Oh My O's takes it to a new level. They were stuffed with crab and served with two unique sauces (one looked very much like cracked mustard seed) which not only tested my tongue's heat scale, but were also incredibly tasty.\nNext came our entrees. I ordered the blackened shrimp over dirty rice and my father had the coconut shrimp over garlic mashed potatoes. Now, the kitchen did apologize because both menu items were supposed to come with dirty rice, but they ran out. As compensation, they offered to take 50% off of both entrees, which was very generous.\nThe shrimp came in a seasoned cast-iron skillet with a bed of rice and shrimp swimming in a zesty beer-based sauce with red onion and red pepper. The taste sang in my mouth and the heat came, but mildly. The fun part was that it did not leave.\nMy father's coconut shrimp was a healthy serving of dipped shrimp served with a butter dipping sauce. While not as zesty as what I sampled, it had a nice zing that did not overpower at all. It would be recommended for those not wanting something very hot.\nOther menu choices that looked very appealing were the jambalaya, the asparagus crepes and the extended version of the fried green tomatoes with pasta. Crab cakes (which was one of a few major menu items not available that night) also looked attractive.\nMe Oh My O's is a very interesting dinning experience. I would question as to why certain regional dishes (such as gumbo) are not included on the menu and why such a cultural presence has to be mild even in the Midwest. But, Me Oh's has plenty of time to rework and improve on what looks to be a very spicy start. Look for their fall menu changeover in mid-September.