Lunch Drunk Love

Brunch for the self-medicating football fan.

by Trey Popp

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Published: Oct 9, 2007

If the Eagles' start tells us anything, it's that Birds fans may need to double their beer intake every Sunday for the next three months to cope with this season. With all of the 1 p.m. games on the schedule, that makes for a lot of early drinking. All the more imperative, then, to hit the couch with a full stomach.

While Sabrina's and Honey's are by no means skimpy with their brunch portions, dishes like stuffed French toast are just too celebratory for the potential misery ahead. What you need is a prescription for privation, a salve for suffering.

What you need is soul food.

Ms. Tootsie's may be the place to get it. After expanding their operation into an adjacent storefront on South Street late last year, the restaurant/bar/lounge side picked up some props from Black Enterprise magazine, whose editors named it the nation's best soul food joint. On a subsequent evening, I found the place overflowing with customers in outfits as sharp as the handsomely refurbished interior, and decided to come back for a Sunday lunch at the Soul Food Café.

Apparently, when it isn't jammed, Ms. Tootsie's is near empty, as I found it half an hour after its noontime opening. Entrées run about $15 and come with two sides. I grew up in the South, where this kind of fare is known as meat-and-threes, but there was no reason to lament the absence of a third vegetable or starch on these piled-high plates.

It would be hard to best the fried chicken, which boasts a crispy crust free of superfluous grease. The meat is moist, and the leg and thigh I got suggested a hen big enough to strike fear into the heart of the proverbial fox. A heap of collard greens carried just the right level of salt, and a bowl of black-eyed peas was stellar in its straightforward flavor.

It pays, however, to choose your combinations with care. Barbecued pork ribs were tender beneath a sweet dark sauce, but paired with a pile of candied yams, the sugar was overwhelming. I'm not knocking the yams — these babies are so rich that they probably take more than a day from start to finish — but "candied" is the operative word. (And watch out for the tea, which is tasty but only comes sweetened — drastically.) Mac and cheese, on the other hand, is good no matter what it accompanies. Not overly crusty, yet not too runny with milk or cream, this rendition was a high point of my meal.

And for the Iggles faithful who believe in superstition, there may be another fringe benefit. My visit ended with a spirited denunciation of Donovan McNabb by Ms. Tootsie's personable general manager. Later that day, McNabb scorched Detroit while notching the highest possible passer rating. In other words, when I eat at Ms. Tootsie's, the team is undefeated. Which may be even better than a full stomach.

(t_popp@citypaper.net)

Ms. Tootsie's Soul Food Café, 1312 South St., 215-985-9001, Appetizers, $3-$10; Entrées, $12-$24, Hours: Mon.-Thu., 5-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., noon-2 a.m.; Sun., noon-10 p.m.

 

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