A Surprising Experience at Sole II Soul

When I tried to convince my roommate to come to with me, she was hesitant, and eventually decided she wouldn't go. Unfortunately for me, my case was weak since I've never tried soul food before. The best argument I could conjure up for her to come was: There will be cornbread.

And despite the obvious (and disappointing) lack of cornbread at the Ridge Avenue restaurant, the dining experience was a good one that my roomie truly missed out on.

I told myself to go in with an open mind, but preconceived notions seemed to cloud those thoughts. The tidy and well-decor'd restaurant was not at all what I was expecting—neither was the friendly and welcoming wait staff. I did not expect to actually enjoy my meal, but indeed, I did. 

Upon entering the corner spot, a waiter immediately greeted and seated my dining partner and me. A few flat screen TVs are strategically set on the "Soul II Soul" Music Choice channel, where tunes by artists like R. Kelly and Jazmine Sullivan stream throughout the night. Soon after being seated, our waiter brought us our menus and took our drink orders.

The menu also surprised me: There's much more to soul food than I thought, and it also includes many common seafood dishes. To my benefit, I did not give Sole II Soul nearly enough credit it deserves.

First off, I had to try the mac and cheese. This is a food that is hard to do wrong, and always tastes so right. Sole's mac and cheese tastes just like Mom's homemade mac—it does not compare to any that comes from a box, bag, or frozen plastic container. Their mac and cheese is gooey, crunchy and crispy on top, and in short: It is the real thing.

For my meal, I chose the fried shrimp entree with broccoli and roasted red bliss potatoes (all entrees come with your choice of two side dishes). My meal was a risk for me—I barely order seafood unless the joint is known for their seafood, and I am skeptical about ordering broccoli because I often find it is either grossly over- or undercooked. Being Irish, potatoes are always a win for me. Mash them, fry them, bake them—I'll eat them.

Sole surprised me once again: The shrimp was awesome, the broccoli was well cooked, and the potatoes were my least favorite item. These potatoes have lots of seasoning, and have almost an orange hue to them—not your typical potatoes.  

My dining partner decided on the typical soul food meal: fried chicken, corn on the cob and potatoes. The chicken was a large portion that was cooked perfectly—not greasy, but moist on the inside. The corn on the cob was no more than mediocre, but as she mentioned, Sole is most likely not known for their great vegetables (except maybe the collard greens, which I didn't have an opportunity to try).

We were too stuffed to try the dessert menu, but we didn't see what we wanted on there anyway. Where was the banana pudding?! First the disappointment in the lack of corn bread, and then we were hit with the absence of banana pudding. Thankfully, my dinner made up for the missing menu items.

In one word, I would describe my visit to Sole II Soul as surprising. I walked in skeptical, and came out satisfied. I don't think I'll be a regular at Sole, but I will go back when I'm looking for a good diverse meal (or on "Soul Food Sundays," an all-you-can-eat deal for $19.99). Maybe now, with my newfound knowledge of soul food, I can convince my roommate to join me next time.