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Powell's
Place lost a soul food trial versus Gravy's
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Powell's
Place
511 Hayes Street/Octavia
St., SF
Map
This Restaurant
Pretrial
hearing at Place Pigalle
10/26/01
Vardigan
Well,
I lived a few blocks from Powell's for over a year but never, ever ate
there -- and I can't explain why. I'd been there years before, and quite
enjoyed everything except the very slow service.
This
time service was prompt and very friendly, and the füd was better
than I remembered. I enjoyed the fried catfish (three large pieces), with
mashed potatoes and corn as my two sides. I forget the price but I know
it was under 10 bucks, and that's a good deal for this much stuff. The
mashed potatoes were the surprising weak link -- I'm pretty sure they
weren't real. No lumps anywhere and a taste suspiciously reminiscent of
KFC. But, hell, I enjoy KFC mashed potatoes.
A mysterious
man named Stron joined us for the meal. I'd like to say he's some reporter
or documentarian shadowing the judges in order to make us (even more)
famous some soon day. But that's not the case.
Powell's
is swell. For a fine evening, get a drink at Place Pigalle, cross the
street to Powell's, eat, and then go right back to the bar. That's what
we did.
McClure
 This
wasn't my first time to Powell's Place and I'm sure it wasn't my last.
There is definitely enough about the place to enjoy. The ambiance is homey
and the folks are friendly. Friendly to the point of inviting us in off
the street to come on in and sit a spell.
If fried chicken is
what you want then Powell's will give it to you. I have to say that the
chicken is all I've ever had. Next time I'll be a little bold and try
another dish. My dinner was a nice portion of chicken and two sides, plus
corn muffins. The chicken is good -- crispy skin and a tasty flavor. I
have to say that some bites were a bit dry while others were moist and
juicy, but altogether, YUM. The sides: Mashed potatoes were great, but
of the flake variety so if you don't like that and want the real mash,
steer clear. Baked beans were bland but you can splash some of the hot
sauce provided over 'em and that does the trick.
I recommend a trip
to Powell's Place. They serve a respectable plate of food at a reasonable
price, but don't ask how much 'cause I can't remember.
Turner
Fried pork chops.
What more do I need to say?
Not much, I guess,
except that they were some fine fried pork chops. But we're talking about
fried pork here -- kind of hard to go wrong. They go right at Powell's,
and the crispy coating sticks right to the pork chop. Which is nice. I
imagine that's the same batter they use for the golden fried chicken that
my cohorts had.
I chose red beans
and rice for my two sides with my "dinner." Sadly, red beans and rice
are considered two sides, when everyone knows they go together. But they
were pretty good, and plentiful, as were the chops. I lucked out and got
three chops as two were kind of small, but you can expect to get two big
ones. Well fried, these chops. Crispy and noticeably non-greasy outside,
and just maybe slightly dry inside. But still, good ol' rib-sticking food.
It was a pretty hearty
meal for $9.25 and that includes two buttery sweet corn muffins. Cold
can of Budweiser with your meal? That'll run you $1.75. That's 11 bucks
(not including tax) for a good soul spread, and that's fine by me. You
could get out of there much cheaper if you don't get a dinner deal or
the cold can of Budweiser. Stop on by and see what you think.
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