Mining the Soul Dining
Though the area surrounding the intersection of 9th and U Streets is commonly known as "Little Ethiopia", the neighborhood's soul food roots have been experiencing a resurgence. First came the much celebrated Oohhs and Aahhs, then the arrival of Brown Sugar, and, just two months ago, A Taste of Carolina entered the soul food fray.
Unlike Oohhs and Aahhs and Brown Sugar, A Taste of Carolina has eschewed the carry-out ambiance in favor of a full-service restaurant and bar. At first glance, the homey menu, which offers no shortage of descriptions for each item, is a litany of fried and barbecued things—chicken, fish, and potatoes. But a closer look reveals a few surprises, especially for those of us who are used to the Virginia interpretation of soul food, or, by contrast, the hardcore soul food offerings of Georgia and Tennessee (relax, folks, we know that quality country food abounds throughout the South).
Nearly every item on A Taste of Carolina’s menu is named in homage to one of the many cities and towns that dot the Carolinas. It becomes clear that the chefs put together a menu of things they themselves love to eat, and frankly, we love this kind of send-up to one’s home state. Although the prices are about double what one would enjoy at other soul food joints, the ambiance, charm, taste, and quality are all there.
We went with the Orangeburg Fried Chicken and the Savannah River Trout. The chicken, which took the requisite 20 minutes to prepare (we were warned by the polite staff) was tender and juicy and was covered in a thin crispy coating. Though it was delicious, there are crispier, more flavorful versions out there.
The standout dish turned out to be the river trout, dredged in an unusual and powerful combination of clearly visible spices and fried just until done. Underneath the coating, the wonderfully fresh fish fell apart at the gentlest prodding from our fork. We're not normally fried fish enthusiasts, but their trout was the best fried fish we’ve had in the area.
As is tradition, we always load up on sides at Southern food joints, as we believe that all such restaurants can be judged alone by their preparation of such things as mac ‘n’ cheese, collard greens, and cornbread, all of which we tried, plus a few more. The mac 'n' cheese was baked (our preference) with ample cheese and a crispy crust, but not too gooey or saucy. The collards were stewed with shredded pork and only required a few dashes of vinegar to add the perfect amount of savor.And the candied yams were out of this world—dense and coated liberally in a thick, gooey mahogany maple/brown sugar concoction. Diners will need to vigorously wash their hands after this one.
In addition to the sides, each entree comes with a choice of cornbread or hush puppies. The cornbread, in muffin shape, was a bit too sweet for our palates; the cornmeal hush puppies, flecked with herbs and spices, should be your starch of choice.
We always opt for a big salad before we pummel our gullets with pounds of fried meat and carb-laden sides, so we started with the their house salad and made sure to throw down extra for their housemade blue cheese dressing. The salad was a traditional amalgam of all of our favorite fresh veggies and crunchy croutons, but a few dollops of the ultra-thick bleu cheese dressing turns this platter into a dream.
After all that grub, we somehow were still keen on dessert. But we were sad to see that cobbler was missing from the standard dessert options. And we were finding it hard to get excited about the homemade pound cake or the sweet potato pie. After grilling our waitress about the dessert options, she convinced us to go for the special chocolate bundt cake in lieu of one of the daily standards. So we rolled the dice, and it was indeed a winner. This bundt cake was more of a hot lava cake, as the inside was so hot and gooey, it was almost ganache-like.
Anyone who enjoys Southern food also knows that Southern beverages are given just as much TLC as the food. Though we always opt for sweet tea and lemonade, the varieties here were a bit cloying for our taste. We recommend opting for the Carolina specialty soft drinks: Blenheim Ginger Ale (we recommend sneezing over the "hot" variety) and the Berghoff Root Beer, which has a creamy finish instead of the typical root beer bite.
A Taste of Carolina
1930 9th Street NW
Washington, DC
(202) 232-5511