Also this issue: Crowning Glory -Alex Richmond

July 17-23, 2003

food

Hungry For Praise

Family gathering: Eg’-Zolt puts us on first-name terms with Auntie's barbecued chicken, Jak's mac and cheese, Kev's mean greens and Bunnie's tata salad. Photo By: Mike Mergen

Eg’-Zolt serves up dictionary definition soul food.

by Elisa Ludwig

If you didn’t know any better, you might expect to see paprikás or goulash on the menu at a restaurant called Eg’-Zolt. But despite its puzzlingly Eastern European-sounding name, Fairmount’s new eatery serves chicken and greens and rice and gravy and sweet potato pie.

Physically, Eg'-Zolt inhabits the space where the neighborhood hangout Gourley's used to be, and an awning over the staircase outside still bears the name of the former occupant. Inside, nothing much else has changed -- the walls are still pale pink and the decor is still just slightly little-old-lady-ish with dried flowers, candles and what a friend helpfully identified as wainscoting. So far at least, Eg'-Zolt has not put its own touches on the place.

Conceptually, Eg'-Zolt inhabits the same ground as South Street's Ms. Tootsie's, serving homey food in an upscale setting. Eg'-Zolt's tagline is "Soul food taken to the next level," and the prices have been elevated, too, especially for a cuisine that is made primarily from cheap ingredients. Even so, Eg'-Zolt already seems to be doing a decent takeout business, and lunchtime sandwiches and entrees are a bit more reasonably priced.

To get into the Eg'-Zolt state of mind, I ordered the supersweet Zolt punch, which was pink and fruity, though the floating slice of orange was the only evidence of real fruit involved. For appetizers, we sampled Shag's soul rolls, ordering one filled with vegetables and one filled with chicken and shrimp. The menu offered no description, so we were a little surprised when two eggrolls came on a plate with a dish of duck sauce. "I just thought they'd be a little more soulful," my friend said, articulating what all three of us were thinking.

The soul came later, with the entrees, which are accompanied by fresh, warm cornbread and a choice of two sides. If you need a third side, there is no Boston Market upgrade; you have to order it à la carte.

Sides, of course, are everything, and Eg'-Zolt's are pretty tasty. Kev's mean greens were tender collards, made with turkey rather than pork, so they didn't have the smoky flavor I usually like, but they were sweet and pungent with vinegar. Lawrence's famous snaps were cooked until curlingly soft and had a similarly tangy flavor.

The best side was Jak's mac and cheese, which was sharp and nutty, dense and nicely crisped on the edges. Oprah may have picked Delilah Winder's as her favorite, but it's fair to say that this one is a strong contender for that coveted title. Ordering Bunnie's famous tata salad elicited a few snickers from our juvenile-minded table, but it turned out to be excellent: egg-golden, with crisp diced peppers and onions accenting the soft potatoes, making us fork it up in earnest.

Most disappointing was the corn pudding, which was close to inedible. Too sweet, overloaded with nutmeg and gummy in texture, it tasted like the chef's day off. Interestingly, this was the only side we tried that wasn't named for someone -- perhaps because no one wanted the credit for this unperfected recipe.

The entrees, though good, were far less exciting than the sides. On the menu, Nana's turkey wings were described as oven-baked and smothered in gravy, but when they arrived they were fried. Like Tinch's fried chicken, they had no flour coating, just crisp skin, and there was none of the drama of biting into a heavy crust to get to the juicy meat inside. Auntie's barbequed chicken, with a thick, homemade sauce, was a tastier choice. Debbie's pan-fried trout, coated in an egg batter, was the best of the bunch. The platter came with two enormous fillets that were both flaky and moist.

Like the punch, all the entrees came with a fresh fruit garnish. If you were to stop with that orange slice or strawberry and call it dessert, you would be remiss. Peach cobbler was divinely crumbly, revealing the velvety fruit beneath the biscuit topping. And the sweet potato pie was one of the best I can remember having within these city limits, lightly spiced, the soft whipped filling sitting atop a thin, buttery crust.

While the food tastes fine, Eg'-Zolt's service is badly in need of some seasoning. One gets the feeling that this is a very green staff and, though there is no lack of enthusiasm or cheer, things are constantly out of order. Tableware arrived after our appetizers. Cornbread was brought out when we were well into our entrees. Drinks were forgotten. On two different occasions, the check was brought to our table before we ordered dessert, and it would have been a shame of tragic proportions if we hadn't gotten to that part of the meal. I hope these glitches get resolved, because I think Eg'-Zolt has the potential to be a staple, filling in for what the trendy and overrated restaurants in its neighborhood often lack: simple, good food -- on this or any other level.

Eg’-Zolt

2624 Brown St., 215-236-9320 Appetizers, $4.99; entrees, $4.99-$17.99 Wed.-Sat., 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun., noon-11 p.m.

Wheelchair accessible. Smoking is not permitted. Reservations suggested for large parties. All major credit cards.