A Little Taste of Heaven

, at 3343 Parker Spur, serves up great plates of soul food. Like the tagline printed on its window suggests, the flavorful food truly is a "taste of heaven."

On the day my friend Olivia and I went, it had a variety of dishes available to fill our plates, including a few vegetarian-friendly items: macaroni and cheese, green beans, sweet potatoes, white rice and cornbread.

I ordered a plate with all five of those options. Olivia ordered macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, cornbread and greens (which are not vegetarian). The portion sizes were generous, and we both left the restaurant full.

The cornbread muffin was baked perfectly. It was moist and had just the right amount of sweetness, not dry and brittle like cornbread can sometimes be.

The baked macaroni and cheese (of which I am a fan in general) was delicious. It was creamy and cheesy, in addition to being well seasoned.

The green beans were also very tasty. They were cooked with flecks of red peppers, which, along with the seasoning on them, made the beans very flavorful.

The slices of sweet potatoes, which were candied (meaning they were made with butter, sugar and other sweet spices), were baked to perfection. They were the perfect burst of sweetness to complement the savory flavors of the green beans and macaroni and cheese.

The only thing that disappointed me was the rice, which was a little overcooked and on the mushy side.

My friend Olivia said the greens (which, again, are not vegetarian) were good as well.

The cafe is only open Thursday through Sunday, from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Vegetarian or kids' plates are $4.99.

For meat-eating adults, a lunch plate (before 4 p.m.) is $7.99 for chicken (or whatever entrées they have available that day) and two sides. A dinner plate (after 4 p.m.) is $9.99.

You can dine in or get carry out at Café Rhema. However, the friendliness of the staff only makes the experience of dining there better.