I love, love, love southern food. What's not to love about fried chicken, corn pudding and sweet potatoes drowned in brown sugar?

A big part of soul food is "Meat and three." Meat and three, which has roots in Nashville, is essentially a plate that consists of a main meat (fried chicken, meatloaf, pork chop, country ham), and three side dishes (vegetables, potatoes, macaroni and cheese).

Arnold's Country Kitchen is the iconic meat-and-three restaurant. Once we parked in the Arnold's lot, we walked inside restaurant and were met with the large, open dining space. Long communal tables ran the length of the room, with few open seats spaced out in between. We added ourselves to the back of the line and waited as people filed up to the cafeteria-style counter.

The menu changes a little bit by the day. And, fortunately, we were there on a meat loaf day (yum!). You can get a main and just one or two sides, but what fun is that? I wanted the full meat and three experience. So, I got the meat loaf, candied yams, macaroni and cheese, and corn pudding. I probably should've thrown something green in there, but ehhh...

We just so happened to find an empty booth along the wall, so we hunkered down there before we began devouring these plates. My god, I wish this blog had tastebuds, because that meat loaf killed the game. So flavorful. So moist. So hella good. The macaroni and cheese was a delicious baked mac with some nice dark spots along the top. Sweet candied yams bathed in brown sugar were sweet as a dessert, and the corn pudding had more of a spice factor, but it was perfect for this plate of food.

Just, go. Immediately. Go hungry and eat all these things. You're welcome.

Grade: A

Soul Brothers Chicken & Seafood, located at 236 Walnut Street, recently opened as the town's only true soul food restaurant. The restaurant is another endeavor in part by Ray Glymph, the young entrepreneur who also has a hand in 4th & Goal, Morgantown Taco Truck and Liquid Lounge.

Soul Brothers has been pretty active on social media, ramping up excitement for their grand opening. So, when they announced a soft opening, I gathered up my coworkers and headed there. We were the first people in line.

It's in the former "Are U Hungry/Sandwich U" location on Walnut Street. Walk up to the counter, read over the menu on the TV screen and choose your meal. They have a "soul wrap," which is a chicken wrap, chicken and waffles, chicken strips, shrimp meal, fish meal, po-boys and more. Plus a ton of sides, like macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, collard greens, red beans and rice, yams, biscuits, cornbread and more.

I ordered the 3 piece chicken strips meal with macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes as my two sides. Oh, and a brownie. They have a few desserts made at the counter. It also came with two sauces. They have a ton of sauces to choose from - ranch, buffalo, garlic parmesan, soul sauce, sweet baby rays BBQ, Franks Red hot, Carolina tangy BBQ.

I got a BBQ and the garlic parmesan. My food was out pretty quickly; I think the chicken strips may have been just made and were ready to go. A coworker ordered the wings and had to wait a bit on his. But we were able to pick up our meals at the pick up side along with some plastic forks, claimed a booth and dug in while watching the TVs around the restaurant.

The chicken has a nice peppery flavor, and I alternated between the BBQ and garlic parmesan sauces, but ultimately stuck with the BBQ. It was pretty good. The macaroni and cheese was also tasty - very soft but a tiny bit of crunchy breadcrumbs on top, and I love that the mashed potatoes had the skin in there for flavor. The truth is, this is the kind of food I would love to live on. It's hot, crunchy, creamy and comforting. I love that there are a ton of sides, and I really want to try the fish soon because I've yet to see a decent fish sandwich in town.

Coworkers liked their wings, collard greens and fries, too.

My brownie was super rich and soft. I wouldn't have minded a little crisped edges, to be honest. But that's just personal preference.

My only real negative is I wish the refills were accessible to customers. I'm not going to bother the workers to refill my cup because they're busy, and that's annoying.

I know Dirty Bird across the street is another option folks find for soul food. They do have decent chicken there, but I just liked this place. It felt homey and comfortable. And, I know people will be mad I got boneless chicken strips. Well, suck it. It was delicious. I LOVE having a ton of sauces to mix up and choose what I'm feeling that day. I LOVE the tons of sides and wish I could've tried them all. They're making fried food and comfy sides. And I don't hate it.

Grade: A

The Seoul of Charleston – what kind of restaurant do you think that might be? Korean? Soul?

Both are right. The Seoul of Charleston – which is actually now called The Heart and Seoul Bar and Grill – serves both Korean and soul food. Heavenly.

Seoul – because it’s the capital of South Korea. And the homonym “soul” as in, soul food.

It was located on Washington Street West, but is now located at 1634 6th Avenue. They’ve only been there for a few weeks, they said, and it’s because they wanted a liquor license to sell a Korean drink.

It’s in a VFW building that has seen better days, so a little hesitant walking in. Once we got inside, it seemed to cater more toward a bar crowd than a restaurant crowd. Lots of red, cement walls with a few black tables and a bar along the right side. It’s a little dark and looks like it’s seen some long, rough nights.

A few “limited” menus were in a clear casings on the bar top. Because they just moved recently, they said they didn’t have a full menu quite yet. We quickly looked over the menus, and I asked about one item. A worker checked with the kitchen and found out most of the full menu was actually available. Score!

Since half of the restaurant is focused on soul food, they have fried chicken, fish, ribeye, short ribs, bake beans, macaroni and cheese, cornbread and sweet potato casserole on the menu.

The Korean menu has beef and chicken bulgogi – Korean BBQ; chicken, shrimp and vegetable eggrolls; kimbap – Korean-style sushi; kalbi – Korean-style beef short ribs marinated in brown sugar, soy sauce and spices; kimchi - homemade, hot, pickled Napa cabbage with special spices, mandu – fried vegetable dumplings, and fried rice.

I wanted the best of both worlds, so I went with beef bulgogi and Granny’s Sweet Baked Mac & Cheese.

Visiting a friend of a friend freshman year, my friend’s mother made homemade, authentic bulgogi. And ohmygod.

We waited quite a while for our food, but I was okay with it. Sallie Shultz, who is half-Korean, has used her mother’s and grandmother’s recipes in the kitchen. She came out to talk with us and was very accommodating for my vegetarian companion and me.

Co-Owner Donald Williams and Shultz started the restaurant after making too much food after a party once and setting up shop. They noticed it was selling and the rest is history.

After a wait, she placed our plates in front of us.

Mine had half of it covered in pieces of beef, the other half, a square of pasta goodness.

This is some of the best bulgogi I’ve ever eaten. Bulgogi is essentially Korean BBQ. It’s thinly sliced beef, which has been marinated in brown sugar, soy sauce, and a special blend of spices.

The beef is of superb quality – no gristle, fat – only quality, moist, perfectly seasoned beef. It has just a hint of sweetness with a little tang. No condiments necessary – good pieces of meat. Just amazing.

Granny’s Sweet Baked Macaroni and Cheese was also a recipe handed down to Shultz. The macaroni and cheese was cut into a hunk and was also slightly sweet, but in a way that just makes it taste authentically southern. It was full of cream and butter and all those things that make macaroni and cheese a legitimate side dish, rather than something from a box. Indulgent. Delicious. Fantastic.

They have specials each day of the week available after 2 p.m. Tuesday is cook’s choice, Wednesday is Ox tail, Thursday is pepper steak, and Friday is curry chicken.

They’re open until late in the night – I asked what time they closed on Wednesday and they said 2 or 3 a.m. So that’s an option for late night eating. Some menu items aren’t available after a certain time.

They also deliver. Call them for details.

They’re typically open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday 12 p.m. to 4:30 a.m., Saturday 4 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. and closed on Sunday and last two Mondays.

They accept major credit cards. (304) 421-7685 for more info.

Just go there. And eat some of the best food Charleston has to offer.

Grade: A
 

How could you not be interested in a place called "Sistah's"? A friend and I went over the West Side (gasp!) to check out the Queen of Ribs' place. Upon arrival, I realized there really isn't a dining area inside. They do, however, have a couple of like - wooden spools? - outside to dine at.

So, we placed our order for a rib dinner, complete with two sides. I opted for macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes. You gotta order at least $10 worth to use a credit card; luckily, my total came to $10.60

They told us to come back in a half hour or so to pick up our food. A half hour goes by, and we come back. They tell us they had an issue with their smoker, so it'd be another 20 minutes. We waited this long, we figured, so we might as well stay. Another 20 minutes goes by, and they tell us it'll be another 20. Again, we figured, we already paid so we might as well stay.

Repeat this scenario for three hours. Three hours total, that is. We asked at least for our sides around hour two, and they gave them to us. They were delicious. The macaroni and cheese was homemade and slightly sweet. The potatoes, creamy and doused with brown gravy. Delicious. The cornbread was also the perfect consistency between crumbley and moist. If the ribs were this good, it would've been worth the wait.

But by the time three hours went by, I was just unhappy. I tasted the ribs once I got home, and I was just completely let down. I know they had a problem with their smoker, so that may be the culprit. But they were fatty, and it didn't look like they were cooked through. That worried me, so instead of risking it, I ended up throwing away most of my dinner.


I feel like if their smoker was working correctly that this may be a completely different review. But, I just can't get over that wait and then being let-down by the taste. I waited forever, then was still hungry. And while I really enjoyed the Queen's personality - she was super sweet - if you REALLY want your customer to give this place another try, you comp their meal.

Grade: C

I've had my eye on The Soul House Bistro in Star City for quite some time. It was originally supposed to open up back in April, but like many restaurants, that date got pushed back. They just opened recently, and I went to check it out at the beginning of the week.

The restaurant is located at 3329 University Avenue across from the gas station, and there is plenty of parking along the side. When we walked in, we instantly saw a sign that said "cash only." If you know me, you know that means I'm out of luck. However, we wanted to try this restaurant so bad, we went back across town to an ATM to get cash to eat here. I think this is temporary (hope) because it is so new.

When we walked in, we weren't quite sure what exactly to do. There were a couple of tables that were arranged pretty close together and the front had two buffet-style islands. We took a seat and discovered the menus on the table. Essentially, you get one main meat dish and two side items. As I perused the options: BBQ ribs, pork chops, meatloaf, fried fish. Really, I wanted to try everything. But the meatloaf was jumping out to be. For the sides, I opted for mac & cheese and candy yams. All the dinners also come with a side of corn bread/biscuit. When I was done ordering, I sat down and waited for them to prepare the dish.

It's cafeteria-style. You can see all the food right there, but the workers behind the counter get it prepped for you and bring it to your table. It's fairly tight inside - I assume they're going to have to take out some tables at some point. There were a lot of two-person tables, and I'd much prefer a couple more larger tables. The walls are covered in famous African-American politicians, artists and athletes. They even have two small TVs on either wall that we have the option to change channels.

I can safely say when my plate came out, I think it was probably the biggest portion of food for the price anywhere in Morgantown ($8.99). The mac & cheese is homemade, so you get those small chunks of cheese and the ooey gooey creaminess. The candy yams were sweet and comforting, and the meatloaf was perfection. The two sides were overflowing portions, while the meat was smaller. But with that said, I still got two good size hunks of meatloaf. It was seasoned to perfection and the sauce on top had a slight sweet taste to it.

I was crazy about this entire meal. It's the best I've had in Morgantown or anywhere in a long, long time. I loved it so much I tried to eat the entire thing. I couldn't. Both of my friends got to-go boxes. Quiet frankly, I felt like rolling over and dying after stuffing myself, but my tastebuds were happy.

I think this restaurant fills a void in our community. That southern, down-home soul food is nowhere to be found. And for many of us, it reminds us of homecooking as children. I love this cuisine - heavy, sweet/salty and comforting. It's clear they put some time and energy into this food. It's not just a restaurant to make money; They're giving a part of themselves to us all.

Grade: A