let's talk about soul food and where we go to get it

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As a southern boy raised on some of the finest, I feel I've some expertise.
In NYC, the only downtown place I know of is the Pink Teacup. Anybody wanna point me some directions?

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 06:46 (twenty years ago)

Soul food's becoming some kind of weird luxury for me lately, since the two good spots for it in my neighborhood are both pricy/fancy. Actually: one of them is unfancy but overpriced, at like $15 an entree, meaning there's no reason not to just go to the other one, Melba's, on 114th just east of the Morningside park -- nice room and high-quality fancy-delicious, at a corresponding $20 per entree or so. They have some ridiculously good ribs and greens.

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 07:00 (twenty years ago)

I never get that far uptown, but I might if given a "tennessee boy, you will like this bbq, cornbread, peas and greens" recommendation.
'Bisco, you done the teacup?

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 07:02 (twenty years ago)

i can recommend a few great bbq places if those count as soul food. virgil's (near times square) is prolly the best, also brothers bbq on varick st. and pig 'n out bbq on henry st. in brooklyn.

― danielle the animal steel (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 08:01 (twenty years ago)

the food ed at my paper is on me to review a new and reportedly very good bbq place, I need to jump on that asap. especially in Seattle, there aren't too many around, much less really good ones.

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 10:39 (twenty years ago)

mama's on 3rd & b has good fried chicken and turnip greens, as well as other delicious not-so-soul food stuff. $10 gets you a massive plate with two sides.

― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 10:56 (twenty years ago)

M.M., that's kinda funny, as one impression I got of Seattle was that the whole downtown area smelled like really good barbecue. It was the best smelling large city I've ever been to.

― truck-patch pixel farmer (my crop froze in the field) (Rock Hardy), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 13:06 (twenty years ago)

Why don't you make it yourself? Not so hard. . .

Most of this stuff I rarely go out for. But one of the houses we're looking to buy is around the corner from a place called "Phat Daddy's" so I might have to reconsider.

― Miss Misery xox (MissMiseryTX), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 14:55 (twenty years ago)

Seattle has several good southern comfort and soul food restaurants down around 23rd and Cherry - Catfish Corner, Thompson's Point of View, etc. Ezell's Fried Chicken, of course. Miss Helen's Soul Food used to be around there, but their building was damaged in the 2001 Ash Wednesday earthquake and I don't know if they ever re-opened. There was a General's Bar-B-Que down on 23rd and Union that was supposed to be good, but all the time we lived near it, we never saw them serving food.

― Jaq (Jaq), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 15:32 (twenty years ago)

The District of Columbia has an embarrassment of riches, but Oohhs and Aahhs on U St. is a newish standout--greens in spicy vinegar, not-too-sweet cornbread, and mac-n-cheese that tastes like both macaroni and cheese.

Huge portions at low prices. They're open for lunch, but usually not 'til after 1, because the cook's just not a morning person.

― Stephen X (Stephen X), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 15:44 (twenty years ago)

Brother X, I am SO going there for dinner very soon. That sounds amazing. Do they do any barbecue of note? I am big on the pig.

― Big Loud Mountain Ape (Big Loud Mountain Ape), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 15:50 (twenty years ago)

They're open for lunch, but usually not 'til after 1, because the cook's just not a morning person.

haha, i need this job.

― jbr, Tuesday, 17 January 2006 15:52 (twenty years ago)

Ape, I don't know if they serve the swine, but I've heard good things about the beef ribs, fried chicken, and turkey chops. Until recently the only seating was five stools along the counter, but now there're three tables upstairs.

Go hungry--each single order would easily feed a college linebacker and his cheerleader girlfriend.

― Stephen X (Stephen X), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 16:03 (twenty years ago)

Thanks for the info. Its been a while since I've had some good greens and chicken. mmmmMMMM!

― Big Loud Mountain Ape (Big Loud Mountain Ape), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 16:07 (twenty years ago)

BODEANS.

― Mestema (davidcorp), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 16:32 (twenty years ago)

one of them is unfancy but overpriced, at like $15 an entree

I have to rise to Spoonbread's defense. All I ever want is their crispy fried chicken smothered with gravy ($10), which comes with sides of collards, mashed potatoes, and cornbread, but since there's a $15 minimum for delivery, I always have to pad out my order with more greens or candied yams ($2.50) and either banana bread pudding ($3.95) or sweet potato pie ($3.50). It's a lot of food.

― Paul Eater (eater), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 16:36 (twenty years ago)

SOUL VEGETARIAN EAST. Ridiculously tasty vegan soul food, which sounds like a contradiction, but whatever: when I say I like soul food, I'm thinking warm cornbread, greens, fried okra, macaroni and cheese, etc. And this place, run by the African Hebrews, has it. Favorites include the BBQ Twist sandwich (made from wheat gluten) or the gyro (which I know isn't soul food, but it also doesn't really taste like a gyro, either), tofu tidbits with barbecue sauce, and always always greens and cornbread on the side. Desserts are delicious, too.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 16:43 (twenty years ago)

i love vegan soul food. if the uptown juice bar (actually downtown on chambers st) is still there, then it's a good bet for lunch. surly employees, but so tasty.

― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 16:51 (twenty years ago)

The Bay Area has got beaucoup soul food places. Two of my favorites in Oakland - Lois The Pie Queen and TJ's Gingerbread House, both on or near the street that runs right past my housee.

― adamrl (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 16:53 (twenty years ago)

Also - Everett & Jones, the best BBQ ever.

― adamrl (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 16:55 (twenty years ago)

In Los Angeles, there's really only two places to consider:

Les Sisters in Chatsworth and Uncle Darrow in Marina Del Rey

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 19:37 (twenty years ago)

Ha, Paul, don't get me wrong -- I like the Spoonbread stuff! And really, if I were going to be eating at one of the two every other day, or something, I'd probably go with Spoonbread -- it's more homey, more everyday-eating. But it costs just enough that I'm always like, hell, why not spend the extra five bucks and get a rich fancy treat at Melba's. (And I doubt I could eat Melba's more than once a week -- it feels more like one of those places you drop by once a month and eat through half a portion between rolling around on the floor making orgasm noises and telling everyone how awesome it is.)

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 19:57 (twenty years ago)

i love that there's a "les sisters" in chatsworth.

― danielle the animal steel (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 20:05 (twenty years ago)

Next time I'm in Tupelo, I swear I'm going to check out the Korner Kitchen, something I've been meaning to do for a couple of years now. In the late 80s it had barbecue as good as any I've ever had in Memphis, but they've changed owners once or twice.

― truck-patch pixel farmer (my crop froze in the field) (Rock Hardy), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 20:06 (twenty years ago)

I wondered what that noise was!

I'm pretty happy with unfancy whopping plates of food. When I do have special-occasion soul food $20s to spend, they mostly go to Sugar Hill Bistro on 145th, or maybe Earl Monroe's.

― Paul Eater (eater), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 20:13 (twenty years ago)

little rock has loads of good places. the two i frequent most are Yancey's Cafeteria and Your Mama's Good Food Diner. Yancey's is on MLK just around the corner from my house. i have to take a nap after devouring that stuff. and if you want water, you get it out of a beat up Gott cooler, the kind you see on the back of construction workers' pickup trucks. Your Mama's is at 4th and louisiana downtown and i get lunch there once every other week or so. they make this cabbage casserole stuff that looks terrible but is incredible and rich. and the rolls are pretty notorious around here. there's many more similair places around town i've yet to try but plan to.

― andrew m. (andrewmorgan), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 20:17 (twenty years ago)

hey, is roti not a big deal in new york? none of my nyc friends know what it is.

― mark p (Mark P), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 20:25 (twenty years ago)

there's also a vegitarian soul food place here called From The Garden. i've not eaten there but here it's excellent. a friend of mine wrote an article on the place titled "in the service of seitan." ha!

― andrew m. (andrewmorgan), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 20:32 (twenty years ago)

Mmm, West Indian roti is hard to find in Manhattan but all over Brooklyn. There's a newish boom in East Indian roti sandwich shops here though.

― Paul Eater (eater), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 20:34 (twenty years ago)

We have roti. It is up-and-coming. It up and came and I ate too much of it for about a month and now I'm off it for the time being.

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 20:35 (twenty years ago)

there's tons of roti places on union st. in brooklyn. i'm sad that i hardly ever get over there.

― danielle the animal steel (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 20:36 (twenty years ago)

man, toronto is a roti haven; you can get sweet potato, squash and butter chicken variations, all from different places. so good.

― mark p (Mark P), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 20:37 (twenty years ago)

Chicago - Fitzee's Ribs, Lawrence's Seafood

Madison, WI - North American Rotisserie, Val's

New Orleans - Broadview Seafood (R.I.P.), Donna's, Rocky & Carlos

Kansas City, Missouri - Gates BBQ

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 17 January 2006 20:48 (twenty years ago)

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