Soul Food
BJ’s Market & Bakery8734 S. Stony Island | 773-374-4700
Willetta “Boo” Tatum and her husband, Jackie, serve up chicken and dumplings, smothered pork chops, roasted rib tips, fried catfish, and more soul food staples, plus sides like sweet yams, collard greens, macaroni and cheese, corn and okra, and green beans. Tatum was head cook for the Chicago Board of Education before opening this place a decade ago. “We try to make everybody feel at home,” she says, and in return customers routinely send Miss Boo stuffed animals, artwork, and plants—all of which are on display around the narrow, cozy dining room. —Steve Dolinsky
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The mirrored foyer with a crystal chandelier gives an upscale first impression, but the eye-popping pink-and-white banquet room and slightly timeworn public dining room quickly dispel the notion. In stark contrast to Izola’s, one block east, Captain’s, overseen by the forbidding Reverend Stanley Keeble, a former high school English teacher, doesn’t exude a whole lot of charm. But the standard Chicago south-side soul food menu has some high points, like the perfectly cooked Belgian waffle paired with a crisp leg-thigh combo, though this particular chicken seemed to be suffering from dwarfism. Short ribs were meltingly tender even if char from reheating detracted; salmon patties had good overall flavor but were dry. Sides run the gamut, from delectably tender sweet potatoes and delicious crisp corn muffins to bland mac ‘n’ cheese and sagey stuffing dense as a mattress. Tea is offered sweetened or unsweetened. Higher-than-average prices together with the atmosphere suggest a trip to Izola’s or Army & Lou’s instead. —Gary Wiviott
$Breakfast, lunch, dinner: Sunday, Tuesday-Saturday | Closed Monday
Edna’s3175 W. Madison | 773-638-7079
Along with Edna’s and Army & Lou’s, Helen’s is among the city’s more beloved and historic soul food landmarks. Down the block from the New Regal Theater, it’s attracted its share of celebrity endorsements, but like Soul Queen, another overrated local institution featured recently in Saveur, Helen’s seems to rely on its reputation more than consistently well-prepared food. Its famous turkey legs can come out mummified, beans taste like they were flavored with spice packets, and a Saturday smothered pork chop special sometimes just gets battered around. Still, it’s a comfortable, exceedingly friendly spot full of tattered charm, with silver wallpaper and salmon tabletops; Bakelite light fixtures that look like a child’s xylophone; gospel, blues, and slow jams on the jukebox; and black-history comic strips on the place mats. —Mike Sula
