Soul Cafe

Visited 27 May, 2016.

When the not very good live music was not playing the noise level was not too bad. Why, oh why, do restaurants bring in live music. I do not want nor like live music when i go to a restaurant; it is different if I do a bar or some other venue but I prefer my restaurant experiences to be about the food and my conversation with my dining companions.

We chose to add a small plate course to the beginning of the restaurant week menu; a fried green tomato Caprese salad. The salad was two stacks of 3 tomatoes with mozzarella for each layer and basil pesto sauce on the plate; it was an interesting idea whose flaw was the oiliness of the fried green tomatoes.

My second course was a lovely smooth creamy avocado soup topped with a bit of sweet prickly pear sauce and corn relish. I really enjoyed this dish. C selected the grilled flatbread with duck comfit, cherries, jalapenos  and cotija cheese. This was also very tasty but a bit too sweet due to the generous portion of cherries.

C chose roasted pork belly accompanied by collard greens, anasazi beans, and a sweet barbecue sauce. an excellent dish. My perfectly cooked, delicious,  pumpkin crusted duck was accompanied by a very nice blue corn waffle, and a too sweet peach sauce.

We both chose sweet warm fritters with dipping sauces for dessert. The fritters were very small, about the size of a brazil nut, but tasty. Each of the three pieces was set atop of a dipping sauce; ginger blackberry, chili chocolate, and balsamic espresso. The sauces were very interesting, tasty and not too sweet.

I found the menu to be quite imaginative and most of it was very well prepared. I enjoyed the creativity and the flavors. I will definitely find my way back.