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Was conversing with Ed, my official black friend (I think I should give him a certificate along with my nemesis and law clerk, (some roles are still open) and he volunteered to do a collaborative post. Ed suggested soul food, though I was a bit taken aback Ed would be so cliche and given his urbane defense firm sophistication I doubted his qualifications to review soul food even if he is my official black friend.

In the first part of David and Ed?s soul food adventure we went to Alcenia?s on North Main near the cook convention center. Prominently featured for Jams and desert it was nearly deserted for lunch. Soul food being a cuisine that thrives on volume and expecting at least some crowd at twelve noon at a place open for lunch, I braced for a mediocre meal.

I ordered the pork chop lunch with yams and lima beans. The beans were quite good firm but not hard with some boiled okra that complimented well. The Yams likewise had a great texture with a not over the top sauce. The pork chops were a perfectly done fried pork chop without the often unnecessary gravy.

Also had a hot wing appetizer while waiting that was quite good with a hot syrupy but not overly sweet sauce. The wings were well done but not cut into separate pieces (ie the whole wing not drummies and wing) which I find offputting though its suppose to feel more authentic.
Overall, a very good start. The place should be packed.

Went to the Fourway Restaurant with Ed next. Ed got yams and beans along with meatloaf. He also got some fried green tomatoes. I had fried chicken which was solid if not great along with yams and greens. The greens were solid, I wasn't overly impressed with the Yams which were good but not great. The cornbread was okay, Ed seemed to enjoy his more as he wrangled some dunkin molasses out of the waitress.

The hood was a bit sketchy and Ed noted spiffy ride was still intact.

Ed's Take

Before I begin, I must express my doubts that my ?official black friend? status qualifies me to perform soul food reviews. Initially, I was taken aback by David?s expectation that I had some innate knowledge concerning such matters. Yet, I cannot deny that I was weaned on what some people call soul food.

Alcenia?s on Main

When I arrived for lunch, David was already seated. The proprietor hugged and then seated me. Having never experienced a restaurateur?s hug, I was a bit uneasy. I immediately wondered if she had also wrapped her arms around David when he arrived. A colleague later informed me that the hug is standard practice.

My Beverage: ghetto aid
My Entrée: Fried catfish with a side of cabbage and yams.

If you think haven?t tried ghetto aid, imagine the very first time you made a glass of kool-aid. If you added sugar until the drink was syrupy, you?ve experienced ghetto aid before. It was refreshing as a kid, but as an adult, the extra sugar made me queasy.

The fried catfish was excellent. I liked the seasoned breading. There was nothing special about the cabbage. I don?t mean this as an indictment, as I have yet to find any cabbage worthy of accolades. Unless my serving of cabbage comes with a big piece of pork fat in it, I count it as my mandatory vegetable and dowse it with Tabasco. The yams were cooked just like I like them.

Lunch was served on plastic plates like the ones that my grandmother ordered after saving the UPC?s from ten bags of the flour with the dishrag sewn in the seam. I didn?t particularly like that memory and it reflected in my perception of the ambiance.

I was disappointed by the size of the lunch crowd. There were two people there when I arrived. A few more trickled in for carry out. All appeared to be Obama supporters.

I?d definitely eat here again if I can opt out of the plastic plates and cups.

Four Way Grill

David played chauffeur, collecting me just outside my building. The new ride is quite spiffy. I couldn?t believe the navigation system forces the driver to acknowledge that the car does not drive itself. David instructed me on the finer points of leasing on the way to the grill.

My Beverage: sweet tea
My Entrée: meatloaf with fried green tomatoes, mashed potatoes and yams.

I didn?t like the tea. It was drinkable, but brewed slightly longer that required. I had to request each refill. I would have preferred my yams a little softer. These yams had the consistency of apple slices. The fried green tomatoes were delicious. The breading was a balanced flour-meal mixture, perfect for absorbing hot sauce. The mashed potatoes were as expected ? mashed potatoes. The potatoes were partially covered in brown gravy, which I thought was a major problem. I like my potatoes smothered in gravy. When I mixed the gravy with the potatoes, I found that I was better off without the gravy. They gravy didn?t seem authentic. I didn?t get that real meaty taste in expect in soul food brown gravy. It was then I realized that either my potatoes were really hot or my meatloaf was less than warm. Who eats lukewarm meatloaf? I dipped the meatloaf in the potatoes to split the temperature differential, which worked out in the end.

I?d eat here again.

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