November 27-December 3, 2003
food
Geechee Girl Rice Café
You can get brown rice, wild rice, jasmine rice or the specialty, Carolina gold rice, at the Geechee Girl Rice Café in Germantown. The list is almost like a scene from Jerry Lewis’ Cracking Up, only there’s no whiny waitress to drone on and on about it, just a nice helpful one.
Geechee Girl refers to the Gullah, African Americans whose ancestry can be traced back to Sierra Leone, and who now live in Georgia and South Carolina fishing and farming communities. The Gullah population has been a popular subject for linguists, because geographic isolation has allowed them to retain their native culture for hundreds of years.
The Gullah have also been of interest to farmers because of their successful methods for cultivating rice, and practically everything on the Geechee Girl menu comes with the grainy stuff. The offerings are mainly Southern dishes but there are a few Asian items, so you can order cornbread and plantains along with Chinese sausage, spring rolls, Asian slaw and Thai chicken skewers. There are also vegetarian options, changing specials and a fish fry brunch.
The decor is low country meets country chic, with honeydew-, cantaloupe- and mango-colored walls and a comfy waiting area for takeout customers. The restaurant was, for a brief moment, home to the Ja Hut, and the Jamaican Jerk Hut’s homemade beverages -- ginger beer, strawberry lemonade and sorrel juice -- are still available to help you wash down the rice.
The food is homey and delicious. Low country shrimp are sauteed in serious butter, like Barefoot Contessa amounts, with shallots and served over either rice or grits. I went for the grits and the combination was pure comfort food. The "small" portion of hoppin’ John was big enough for two entrees. Hoppin’ John, or black-eyed peas, rice and ham, is a traditional Gullah dish, and Geechee Girl’s is notable because it was flavorful without being overly salty. If you want something green here, you have to order it on the side, and the stewed okra, corn and tomatoes were fresh and simple. If you’ve noticed, it can be hard to get good okra around here.
For dessert, there’s a selection of baked goods such as pecan pie and gingerbread. I enjoyed Netta’s sour cream pound cake, which also came in a hugely generous portion of three slices. The cake was richly dense, its crisp edges lightly dusted with powdered sugar. Having already gotten more than my recommended daily allowance of complex carbohydrates, I did not sample the rice pudding, but I bet it’s just fine.
Geechee Girl Rice Café
5946 Germantown Ave., 215-843-8113
Wed.-Fri., 11 a.m.-9 p.m; Sat., 4:30-9 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Appetizers, $3-$5.50; entrees, $5-$15
Wheelchair accessible. Smoking is not permitted. Reservations are not necessary. Cash only.
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