Funny you should ask.... I actually have tried A Taste of Carolina. I was very excited when I heard on Metrocurean (see, if I was more technologically literate, here is where I would attach a handy-dandy hyperlink to that site) that there was going to be a Battle of The Soul Food Places on U street. I went to A Taste of Carolina and I loved it! The space was a bit tired, but the food was yummy and the owner was very personable and responsive to complaints I had shared about inaccuracies on the website.

However…… They have been closed for several weeks now and there is a sign on the window that says “closed for relocating”. Now, how you could be relocating after only being open about 5 months is beyond me. And THEN I heard that Brown Sugar closed down too. *sigh* So alas, we are stuck with breaded, fried, boneless chicken breast on U street. So, so sad……

Try the suddenly and surprisingly famous Hitching Post.

Sounds like a $20 Tuesday for December...

[How do you cross-post to another thread?]

What happened to this place? My last two recent visits have me worried. The fried chicken (I don't care if it's simply legs and wings, it used to be damn good) tastes and feels like it has been sitting around far too long. Each time, I noticed that my order came from a bowl of already-fried chicken, and was not fried to order as it has been in the past. Does the fryer get turned off at a certain time? (This would explain why you can't order french fries after 4 p.m.)

The mac and cheese has become a soggy, gloopy mess, and the once-glorious sweet potato cake has been sitting somewhere so hot that all of its frosting has melted, leaving the cake sitting in a pool of frosting at the bottom of its styrofoam womb. The only saving grace has been the collard greens, bright and vinegary as always.

The sad part is that Indiah and Oji were there both times running the show, so I can't blame it on them being absent. I realize it's just a neighborhood soul food joint, but it appears to have really slipped.

Ok, reading through this post you'd think there were two completely different restaurants (or at least different owners/managers/chefs) over the past year or so. The first bunch are extremely great reviews, giving nothing but sheer praise to Oohs and Aahs. But the last few make me wonder what's wrong.

I've never been, but am planning to go tomorrow with some friends since we had heard good things. Anyone been more recently than December?

Well, I went to Oohs and Aahs last week and since this was my first time, I have nothing to compare it to to know whether it was better or worse than before. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed my first time there.

It was a little more expensive than I was planning on ($18.50), but I definitely got two HUGE meals out of it and probably could've had a third if I hadn't been as gluttonous. I ended up getting the grilled shrimp with peppers and onions and even though I was tempted to get something else (since my three companions were getting shrimp...just to mix things up), I am SO glad I stuck with the order. Spicy and delicious. It was good. That's all I can say. Mmmmm. For my sides I went with the mac and cheese and I have to say I love this kind...no extra weird cheses, bread crumbs, etc. Just pasta and gooey goodness. By the way, I know people said there were huge portions, but I didn't realize what that meant until I saw it with my own eyes. One scoop would've been more than enough, but two scoops had the mac overflowing into all other portions of the container. My second side was collard greens. I've never loved them, but I figured if I liked them anywhere, I would like them here. I can honestly say they were the best greens I've ever had, but I'm still not a greens convert. I'd probably get something else the next time.

Everyone there was extremely nice and friendly and although I'd love to go and try something else, I have a feeling I'd be drawn to the shrimp again. Maybe next time I can make room for the cornbread.

And definitely heed the advice that if you can't go home afterwards and put the leftovers in the fridge, seriously consider splitting something with your dining partner or finding a place with smaller portions. You wouldn't want all that deliciousness to go to waste!

Went in last night with a friend, and split a fried chicken wing dinner with mac and cheese and collards. I'm not sure about how Oohhs and Aahhs was before, but we both thought it was good. The wings were nice and light (for fried chicken), though I think they could have been slightly more seasoned.

Collards were great, despite the meatlessness. In fact, I think that the vinegaryness cuts through some of the bitter, brackishness I associate with collard greens. (But maybe that's the flavor some folks like.) Mac and cheese was decent, not the best I've had. Perhaps runnier than I would have liked, but still nice.

I would like to go back and try the beef ribs. They looked amazing.

I really like their catfish there, too. . but usually skip the collards. I associate collards with bacon or pancetta and miss them without it. That, and I'm always trying to recreate Will's (husband's) favorite collards made by a home cook named TayTa from Mississippi that involves bacon, vinegar, brown sugar, red onions, cider vinegar, and chicken broth. It's an all day affair. The closest he's found is at Colorado Kitchen.

Thanks for the oohs and ahhs reminder. I keep meaning to go back soon.

Is this place ever open?

They're closed on Sundays and Mondays.

I am a fan of soul food, and have been trying to try Oohhs and Aahhs whenever I am around U street to see a show.
Finally, this past friday, before seeing Cornelius at 9:30, I caught them when they were open.
I ordered the Fried Chicken breast with collard greens, yams, and mac & cheese.
The servings were massive.
I loved the spices in the fried chicken- it was also not greasy at all. The greens were good, but needed some hot sauce. The yams were sweet and also very taste. I liked the gooey nature of their mac & cheese as well.
We dined upstairs which was pretty much empty the whole time we were there.
I would go back, but anyone know anyplace that has dishes like smothered chicken?

What is your definition of smothered? From my October 13, 2005 post:


Perhaps that's not what you were thinking of, but they do have the option of something called "smothered."

that's what i meant- basically it's like fried chickened smothered in a brown gravy. i've had it that way at soul food places in NYC.