Mae Flowers

Is this the least well-known restaurant in Philly?

by Trey Popp

With a Wharton address that's spitting distance from a railroad line, Mae Molly's would seem, on paper, to be an unbeatable location. But we're not talking about Penn's marquee business school or the Acela Express. Instead, close your eyes and imagine the far end of Wharton Street — out where the CSX freight tracks bunch up against a bend in the Schuylkill. It's OK — I couldn't conjure up much of an image, either.

If you've schlepped down to the FedEx facility on Grays Ferry to fetch a package, you probably think the only nearby food stop is someplace with diesel pumps. But along with her two brothers, FedEx employee Karen Palmer runs what may be the least well-known restaurant in Philadelphia right out back of her other workplace. It's so far under the radar that if you drop by before she's set up the folding sign on the sidewalk, you might never know Mae Molly's was there.

Palmer has been serving short-order fare at this corner for a couple of years now, but last fall she decided to shift gears. Aiming for a more mature crowd, she converted to dinner hours only and took the menu into classic soul food territory, with fried chicken, turkey chops and jumbo shrimp.

The restaurant isn't much to look at from the outside, but the interior has a surprisingly hip coziness going. Throw pillows line a long bench, the lighting is subdued, and bright orange shelves behind the counter bathe the room in a sunny mood. Or maybe Palmer's outgoing personality is responsible for the atmosphere — she puts out such a friendly vibe I almost want to apply for a shift at FedEx just to soak it up.

The cooking is a straight-ahead affair. A leg and thigh of chicken was perfectly moist underneath a crispy, minimally greasy batter shell. Fish filets came in triplicate and also passed the grease test. Salmon cakes, however, did not. But the sides are where it's at. Collards pick up depth from smoked turkey, and I even liked the overcooked string beans, which I never thought I'd say. Mac and cheese and corn bread were also winners, but I found the candied yams a little too laden with brown sugar, especially if you've ordered a bottomless glass of the overly sweet tea.

Palmer's next plan is to spiff up an upstairs room and bring in a jazz trio on Sundays. If she pulls that off, she might end up adding another job to her current resume — when she's not slinging soul food or working at FedEx, she likes to put in a shift in front of her drum kit.

(t_popp@citypaper.net)

Mae Molly's Soul Food Café

3528 Wharton St., 267-322-5100, maemollys.net

Hours: Wed.-Thu., 2-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 4 p.m.-mid.; closed Mon.-Tue., Sun.

Appetizers, $7; Entrées, $12-$17

BYOB

Cash only