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Soul-inspiringHumanity senses intuitively that, after a great undertaking, it is wrong to just go home, run the dishwasher, and feed the cat. No less than the great Terry Pratchett gives the example of woodsmen felling a huge tree; in the moments after it crashes to the ground there's an almost soulful pause as they stand around and think, bloody hell, that thing totally isn't up anymore! Which goes a long way to explain the reverential silence at our table at the end of a meal at Crème Cafe. This meal was a true work of art, staggering in size and scope, and now it was no more. I'd read about Crème in the recent Washington Post article where they introduce it as the new Soul place for cool kids to be (but warn against the deserts). The U-street space is done up in warehouse-chic, airy and loud, and there was no line despite the online warnings. We sat down to hot bread with herb humus. I was sold. Our server was the perfect antidote for a soul bruised by one hundred "Hi-my-name-is-Jenn-and-I'll-be-your-server-today" 's. She was sweet, friendly, and fast- the type of server that makes you wish you had a brother to set up. In this order she brought: Crab cakes made of pure crab mixed with a buttery herb sauce. No I mean it, pure crab. Amg, who originally ordered it, only ended up with a bite as the whole table scrambled for a forkful. Then a buttery grits with prawns, flavored with anduille, scallions, and happiness. There was a fragrant lamb done both as a piece and ground with cumin. But the pride of the table was a brown-sugar roasted pork shank with beans overflowing the plate. It fell off the bone like a caramel string cheese. Our plates were brought by a jovial guy in an apron who made cracks about our crab-eating habits - who turned out to be the chef. Despite the long line now forming outside the door, he stopped for a few minutes to swap his food philosophy - treat 'em like family. We asked to be adopted. Even the deserts turned out to be trippy: coconut cake like a moist Jamaican afternoon. Either they read the critique in the Washington Post, or the reviewer was insane. If I was going to start a religion- which I may- I can think of worse inspiration. Crème Café Lounge (Creme Cafe) Trackback PingsTrackBack URL for this entry: CommentsNot personal to the reviewer, but why on Earth does Creme, or any restaurant with a black American chef, keep getting called a "soul food" restaurant. With the possible exception of coconut cake, I challenge anyone to pick a dish on the menu that would qualify as soul food -- or even Southern for that matter. Not picking on anyone or race-baiting, but seriously, what gives with the soul food shit? Posted by: Eric at June 27, 2006 4:50 PM Eric, Seriously, not to be a kill joy, but have you a) looked at the menu? The menu includes: - Shrimp and Grits Certainly reads like soul food-inspired cuisine to me. I think you seem to be taking "soul food" in a negative connotation. It's anything but - in this case, it's a label of joy. Think of this as soul food in the way Tenpenh is Thai. High-end cuisine rarely is rooted in a single ethnic origin. Instead, it's a fusion, based on a theme. I think even the Chef at Creme would agree that the underlying theme here in Southern/Soul cuisine. And believe me, it's damn good. Posted by: Amg at June 27, 2006 5:01 PM I eat there twice a week and I know the menu by heart. I also know soul food --and that's not soul food. It is very good sophisticated versions of what you might find on any American dinner table.- Shrimp & Grits is a South Carolina low country tradition. Southern, but not soul. Mama Laura's chicken? Soul because he uses the word mama? Even spotting you on a Creole/Gullah origin of the dish --one does does not make a restaurant a soul food joint. Crab cakes are a Baltimore tradition, as much a result of German and Irish fishermen. Just because he's black doesn't make it soul food. Pork & Beans? About as lily white midwestern (or you could even say Bostonian) as you can get and Chef T does it with a pork shank and lima beans not navy beans and bacon. The origins of soul food are the castoff ingredients from white households that slaves and washer women elevated to great homespun cuisine. Sorry, but Creme's mushrooms with truffle oil and manchego, crab salad in a wonton, burgers with kimchee, salmon and shrimp, or surf and turf don;t pass the soul food test. Nor does the vast majority of the menu. How does a Capital Q - which sells ribs, greens and corn bread get off being "American" and not soul when you can find the same dishes at Florida Ave. Grill? Is Vidalia a soul food place? You'll find all Vidalia's dishes in a soul food joint, but does the fact that a white cook cooks it not make it soul but Southern? I'm not disparaging soul food or Creme, I'm just asking for a definitive standard of measure of what is or is not a soul food joint. Posted by: Eric at June 28, 2006 12:33 PM Post a comment |
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