Oohhs and Aahhs, Chef Oji Abbott on 10th & U Streets NW - Now on Georgia Avenue by Walmart

[Kanishka]

Though it's been discussed on Chowhound, I've never seen anything about Oohhs and Aahhs here or on eGullet. Sure, its not the usual kind of eating that comes up. No reservations, no linens -- hell, the food is served in a styrofoam container. But what food!

The macaroni and cheese and Oohhs and Aahhs is phenomenal, perfectly tender and gooey. Its not an elevated kind of Mac; instead, its the down-home style that sticks to your ribs and warms up a cold day. The cornbread is also phenomenal, served hot and fresh with butter. I had my meal with fried chicken -- very tasty, though I think next time I might try their crabcakes.

Seats were, at one point, limited to 6 at Oohhs and Aahhs (though this is certainly not minibar). But just recently they expanded to have upstairs seating. If you want something delicious, served quickly and with a beautiful smile, Oohhs and Aahhs is the place. Makes me wish they were open late as an alternative to Ben's...

Mr Rockwell requests more details....

Oohhs and Aahhs is a tiny little room on 10th & U NW thats reminiscent of an old-timey lunch counter. They serve soul food -- turkey wings, greens, crab cakes, fried chicken, a plethora of other items that I can't remember. The place opened a couple years ago and originally only had six seats at a counter. At times people would struggle to get a seat, or just eat at the counter standing. There was a Kliman column about the spot a while back, but the consistently incorrect spellings of the restaurants name makes it hard to track down. Found a few mentions of it on Chowhound but thats all.

Not fine dining, but delicious in its own right.

[DonRocks]

Someone we all know and love asked me to post this, adding that Oohhs and Aahhs is a terrific restaurant that deserves all the pub it can get:

---

Washington City Paper / Young & Hungry

From the March 11, 2005 issue

"Heart and Soul"

By Todd Kliman

Neither Indiah Wilson nor Oji Abbott had run a business, much less a restaurant, before opening up Oohhs & Aahhs on U Street last year. Wilson was an accountant and sometime model, Abbott a security guard. But the two amateur cooks had something almost as important as professional know-how and experience: They had resentment. In fact, the city’s best soul kitchen might never have been if not for the litany of slights the two had long nurtured.

“I hate when you go somewhere and you pay an arm and a leg, and you end up disappointed,” Wilson said one recent afternoon while juggling a multitude of duties from behind the counter: taking orders from customers, wrapping up carryout meals, directing her assistant to fry up another batch of wings. “You pay so much money and the food’s disappointing and you get bad service. You know? And they don’t even care.”

If the callousness of some of the high-ticket restaurants left Wilson and her partner cold, they were no less dismayed by what they saw in many mom-and-pops. “A lot of the so-called soul-food restaurants are not soul-food restaurants,” Wilson went on. “We have no meat in our collard greens. My mom says you don’t need it. If it’s seasoned properly, you don’t need the pork. You don’t have to use salt. We give salt to the customer that wants salt. There’s so many other good seasoners. We make our own seasonings.”

In case you were thinking that Wilson and Abbott, in their contrarian zeal, had decided to confront what they perceived as a lack of home-style cooking by opening a place that serves some kind of New Age take on soul food, think again: The pork chops are smothered in a thick gravy, the fry basket is always busy, and the butter is dispensed liberally—what isn’t fried is given a gloriously sloppy painting by the wide pastry brush that sits in a clear plastic tub beside the griddle. Servings are gargantuan. A buddy on a recent outing groaned at the finish and said, “Maybe I should walk back to work.” Work was three Metro stops away.

Given all the slathering and the portioning and the groaning, I find it difficult to get behind Wilson’s claim that Oohhs & Aahhs is “healthy” food. But I’m in lock step with her claim that theirs is food cooked “with love.” In the kitchen, love comes down to the same things it does in life: taking the time and minding the details.

Behold the fabulous fried chicken, a testament to a lifetime of lessons learned at the elbow. These are mammoth pieces, with a skin so sturdy it resembles a coat of armor. Finishing off a drumstick one day, I was stunned to find myself holding what looked like a cone of fry in my hand. The meat, luscious and tender, had come off the bone and slipped out of its savory jacket. The skin, meanwhile, was intact and firm, retaining its structural integrity to the end.

You eat a dish as perfectly engineered as that and you’re willing to trust just about anything else the kitchen serves up thereafter. My next time in, Wilson directed me to the Cajun shrimp. The spicing isn’t particularly hot—Abbott’s blend is heavy on the garlic salt, with just a touch of cayenne—but the shrimp themselves are bayou-country fat. They come eight to an order, remarkably generous in these parts, especially at 13 bucks, sides included. (Try the wonderfully unclotted mac-and-cheese or a square of the buttery, cakelike cornbread.) Even better, Abbott doesn’t cook them for even a second too long, plucking them from the griddle at the point of brilliant orange-pinkness and strewing them atop a tangle of sweet sautéed peppers and onions.

“Is it wonderful?” Wilson asked.

It was. Which was why I’d kept on eating long after I’d crossed the line into bloatedness. It happened again with the turkey “chops.” The turkey is plunged whole into the deep-fryer, cut into huge slabs, and tossed onto the griddle to cook again. Moist all by themselves, the chops are given an added gloss by a dousing of tangy barbecue sauce.

The downside to all of this is finding a place to sit with your Styrofoam container of food. There are only five red stools at the counter, and they fill up fast. To snag a coveted spot is a privelege, especially when the conversation is as lively as it sometimes is: Talk of Marxism, the war on terrorism, and the roots of black nationalism mingles with more personal chitchat and the latest gossip on the block.

More seats are on the way, Wilson says. She and Abbott have leased the space upstairs and begun remodeling it. She envisions a sit-down place big enough to accommodate all those customers who’ve had no choice but to take their meals and run, as well as all those who’ve begged and pleaded with her to host their meetings and functions.

But the request closest to Wilson’s heart? “‘Don’t change. Whatever you do, just don’t change,’” she says customers tell her, over and over again. Having seen the gentrifying neighborhood lose its soul, they don’t want to see this promising expression of the old flavor and fellowship disappear. Wilson sympathizes: Not so long ago, she was there on the other side of the counter. If there’s one thing she understands, it’s the feeling of having been let down once too often.

Oohhs & Aahhs, 1005 U St. NW. (202) 667-7142.

[The Doctor]

OK, I'll just get right down to it. This place is great. I went a few weeks ago but forgot to post the review until now.

You are going to get a lot of food here. The styrofoam containers are overflowing with food. Some guy in front of me in line ordered a fish sandwich of some sort and I swear they piled like 4 whole fillets on top of each other between the bread.

The menu is divided into sandwiches and platters. The latter come with two sides. And each side is better than the next!!! The potato salad might have been my favorite. But the greens, and the cabbage, and the mac and cheese and the yams were out of this world. I asked the woman behind the counter (the owner?) what sides I should have and the yams were suggested. I don't think I had ever even eaten a yam before. But what I got was a sweet and savory dish that was like hearty applesauce. And I got to sample the greens, too. These were only the second helping of collard greens I've ever had where I actually wanted to continue eating them.

For my main dish I had the salmon (grilled?), also recommended to me. I'm not sure how they cook it, but it had a sort of zingy teriyaki glaze with some sauteed vegetables. I think the salmon platter cost around $13.95. I could only eat about 3/4 of the servings so I took the rest home. Also washed it down with a mixture of lemonade and sweet tea (which I've come to learn is called the "Arnold Palmer").

Cornbread was delicious too. The fried chicken got rave reviews among my party and the baked chicken, too, which just fell off the bone. The little dining room upstairs is cute. The aforementioned employee/owner also came upstairs to check on us and thanked us for our business. She certainly deserved it and I'm happy to praise this place here.

[Kanishka]

Oh, the blackened catfish.

The blackened catfish.

Must return. Must have more. Best mudfish ever.

[tastedc]

Had a hankering for Soul Food and missed the old Webb's near the corner of 14th and U which had very gloppy "commercial style" soul food, so canned green beans, very sugary BBQ sauce, etc.. so I went to OOOHHHHss and AAAAAHHHHHsss today and picked up some really incredible fried shrimp with 2 sides - Mac N Cheese and Collard Greens - YUMMY!! Here are some pics.

Also spoke with the owner Indiah and she was "EXTREMELY" nice to me, almost like I was a Special Guest or something - maybe it was the tie, I dunno...and the upstairs is open, it seats maybe 25.

So is there a point? Well, I REALLY want to organize a dining tour of U St., and I just felt like today was the day to approach, so looks like my company (sorry, this IS a plug!) TasteDC will be organizing a Dine Around (walking culinary tour, but you get to sit to eat!) in this area, hopefuls and likelies include La Casona, Dukem, and possibly The Islander - all seemed very excited to get new people...

seems that the area still has a reputation..in so many non-PC words, white people ain't eatin in the area - and this was confirmed by more than 1 restaurant!! I was extremely saddened by the thought...I mean all those nice Yuppies buying those nice condos, but they're all eating either in trendy Adams Morgan or at Subway and Starbucks...c'mon people, EXPLORE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD!!!

Anyway, thanks for letting me vent...

[hillvalley]

As I type my keyboard begins to glisten from the grease on my fingers.

Since East Carolina Kitchen burned down a year and half ago I have been searching for a new soul food place. After a few failed attempts I finally got to Oohhs and Aahhs when it was open.

Oohhs and Aahhs fried chicken is a work of art. Unlike the chicken described in Kliman's piece my chicken was buffalo wing sized, which was perfect for me. It was expertly fried, the skin had a nice peppery kick to it and the helping was of course generous. This is what other fried chicken should aspire to be.

For my sides I chose greens and mac and cheese. I prefer my greens with a bit more salt and vinegar which I added at home. But they are excellent greens none the less. The addition of hot sauce (from the restaurant) made them perfect. The mac and cheese is really a mound of cheesy goodness with some noodles thrown in to hold it together. This, my friends, is not diet food.

All the above mentioned food plus some cornbread, which will feed me for two meals and a late night snack, was just $13.14.

I mentioned to the owner that I read about her restaurant on the Internet. She laughed and said she gets a group of guys who come in regularly and kept telling her they were spreading the word. Well, the word has spread and needs to be passed on further. This place is brilliant and deserves more attention around here.

Note: They are closed on Sunday and Monday. Although the menu says they are open at noon they really don't get going until after 12:30.

[Heather]

Went to Oohs and Aahs last night, and sampled the fried chicken, catfish, barbecued shrimp, greens, yams, potato salad, rice & gravy, and macaroni and cheese. Those are some seriously good, peppery greens, and the macaroni and cheese got raves. The catfish is a star, two generous filets nicely spiced, with a crispy exterior and not even a hint of muddiness. We drank the homemade lemonade/iced tea combo.

We ordered at the counter and ate upstairs. The owner and the guys bringing food and bussing tables could not have been nicer.

[silentbob]

Are they open on weekends? And if so, what are their hours?

[brr]

Hit oohs and aahs last night and grabbed some fried chicken and fries to go. Chicken was delicious, crisp flavorful skin......will be back

[mame11]

Hit oohs and aahs last night and grabbed some fried chicken and fries to go. Chicken was delicious, crisp flavorful skin......will be back

Tried to go on Monday night before a 9:30 show... it was still early 7 p.m. and they were closed. No sign regarding hours or opening... anybody know their hours?

[hillvalley]

They are open from 1-10 (I think) Tuesday through Saturday. The take out menu has an earlier time but I have tried going around 12:30 a couple of times and they weren't quite ready for customers.

They are not open Sunday or Monday.

[The Doctor]

After my last visit I didn't think it was physically possible for them to stuff any more food into those styrofoam containers. But they did it. In southern tradition, I think the amount they give you is known as "sh!t tons."

This time I went with the aforementioned turkey chops. They were outstanding, but had one drawback: small pieces of bone. Be careful when you're digging in. They recommended the chops "smothered," so I agreed. This involves a rich gravy in addition to the peppers and onions that accompany many of the dishes. I recommend adding the word "smothered" to every item you order on the menu. "Turkey chops, smothered please. And some potato salad, smothered. And to finish I'll have some peach cobbler, smothered."

One other thing I noticed is that their menu is divided into lunch specials and dinner specials, which is a little deceiving. Really, it's just divided into sandwiches and entrees, which can be ordered at any time. The latter come with two sides, and the former have the option of adding one side.

[jdl]

My fourish-word review: This place is ridiculous*. (* = in the best possible way)

My much longer question: How is it possible that, on a Friday night, with all that action up and down U Street, the first-floor "dining room" at Oohhs and Aahhs was exactly half-empty? Which is really saying something, since there are all of four seats at the counter. There wasn't a ton of to-go traffic, either -- maybe eight orders during the 45 minutes it took Diner X and I to work through those Costco-sized servings of greens, mac & cheese, cornbread, fried chicken, gravy-drenched turkey meatloaf and what may be the world's greatest yams. Granted, we got there at 9. But still. There should've been a line out the door. I mean, if people can line up eight deep at Cake Love ...

[Barbara]

My fourish-word review: This place is ridiculous*. (* = in the best possible way)

But still. There should've been a line out the door. I mean, if people can line up eight deep at Cake Love ...

. . . or Pasta Mia.

[LoganCircle]

I just returned from a perfect lunch at Oohhs and Aahhs: fried chicken, greens, macaroni & cheese, cornbread, and sweet tea. The fried chicken was piping hot and juicy, the greens were seasoned with peppered vinegar, the mac-n-cheese was ooey and gooey like that of my childhood, the cornbread was moist and sweet, and Oji, the owner, couldn't have been more kind. I told him about DR.com and encouraged him to have a look.

My friend and I were the only customers at 12:30 but the upstairs dining room filled with 7 more patrons just before our departure.

This place deserves to succeed.

[Spiral Stairs]

The current Washingtonian, which I was just flipping through at a bookstore, has a blind comparison between Vidalia's mac and cheese and Oohs and Aahs'. (They purchased both dishes, replated them identically, and then had various people taste and compare them.) O&A won handily.

[LoganCircle]

J'adore Ooohhs & Aahhs!

Fried chicken, cabbage, mac-n-cheese, and a medium iced tea for $16.17. It feeds me twice, 3x if you're dainty.

[jdl]

The current Washingtonian, which I was just flipping through at a bookstore, has a blind comparison between Vidalia's mac and cheese and Oohs and Aahs'.  (They purchased both dishes, replated them identically, and then had various people taste and compare them.)  O&A won handily.

I was there tonight before catching a show at the Black Cat, and the mac and cheese was a big topic of conversation at the counter. They'd just pulled a fresh batch out of the oven, which prompted my friend to, quite literally, oohh and aahh. To which a guy sitting next to us at said, "Best mac and cheese in DC, according to Washingtonian." At which point, the woman sitting next to that guy said to forget DC - that it's the best mac and cheese an-y-where. And she'd called her mom to tell her as much, even though she LOVES mom's mac and cheese. But she loves O&A's more. Which got some folks who were lined up along the wall, waiting for orders, to chime in. And the whole thing started to feel like a scene out of "Barbershop." Totally great. (As were the beef ribs, greens and yams, finished off with a peach cobbler that must've weighed about three pounds - even if Oji insisted it was 16 ounces. Did I really get out of there for $20? Ridiculous!!)

[DonRocks]

Yo, Sonya...

I would have kicked your ass tonight. I had gone to Oohhs and Aahhs earlier this evening and gotten my food for the next three days: 6-7 chicken wings, mac-and-cheese, greens, cornbread, all bulldozed into a styrofoam container and sitting in my car for future consumption.

A full dinner at Tabaq Bistro: four courses with bread, wine, dessert...

Got home, looked in the container, couldn't resist, and started shoveling. Ten minutes later: gone. Minimum 5-7 pounds of food. Total destruction. And I'm still hungry.

Top that, black widow!

Rocks

P.S. Hmm... maybe you could...

a. Acme Oysters: 46 dozen (552) in 10 minutes (New Orleans, LA!).

b. Hard-Boiled Eggs: 65 in 6' 40 seconds (also pleased with 52 in 5 minutes).

c. Downtown Atlantic Cheesecake: 11 pounds in 9 minutes.

d. Verizon Buffalo Wings: 5.75 pounds of Wing meat eaten off the bone in 10 minutes.

e. Soft-shell Maine Lobster: 44 (11.3 pounds) in 12 minutes.

f. 84 Lumber Baked Beans: 8.4 pounds in 2' 47 seconds.

g. Cheese Quaesadillas: 31 1/2 (four-inch size) in 5 minutes.

h. Lulu's Crawfish Jambalaya: 9 pounds in 10 minutes.

i. Chicken Nuggets: 80 in 5 minutes.

j. Ultra Rich Sweet Potato Casserole: (w/Pecans): 8.62 pounds in 11 minutes.

Did you really eat 11 pounds of cheesecake in 9 minutes?

[Capital Icebox]

If I had a friend, boss, or kissing cousin that came into town looking for a true taste of DC, I would throw them in my beat-up Saturn (thanks, Mom!) and take them straight to Oohhs and Aahhs.

First, it's a small operation, with two owners, one of whom you will almost always find behind the counter. Yesterday, as one of them mixed my wings in with his housemade buffalo sauce in a wok-shaped pan on the stove and fielded what must have been a dozen phone calls for carryout orders, we listened to his partner doing an interview with a local radio station. They had sent over a healthy sample of their cooking to the DJ ahead of time, and she spent most of the interview raving about the perfect blends of spices in the food and how happy she was to finally find a place that can properly season and fry a catfish. You could see how proud it made them to be getting this kind of exposure. With several DC restaurants suffering from their creators' absence as of late, it is wonderful to visit a place where ownership is a concept beyond a name on the marquee and a PR rep.

The intimate design of the place, even if done by necessity, is a welcoming one: you feel like you’ve walked into someone else’s kitchen, and they couldn’t be happier to have you there. (I am kicking my ass for having walked by this place so many times on the way to Ben’s, that sad excuse for a DC institution down the street, with its cardboard boxes of frozen half smokes, wimpy fries, and surly service, when I could’ve been at the counter at Oohhs and Aahhs, picking at wings and gulping down copious amounts of sweet tea.)

Most importantly, the food. The wings, mac and cheese, and cornbread extolled in this thread are exactly as they should be. Butter is prevalent, dried spices the norm (using their own blends), and you won’t find pork excessively used to flavor their veggies. In fact, you won’t find it used at all, and I was a bit surprised I didn’t miss it. Collard greens, long the victim of ridiculous amounts of fatback, are presented here in a simpler, truer form: salt, spices and a healthy but not overpowering amount of vinegar, slowly braised for a deep flavor. The star, for me, is the crab cake (broiled). For $18, you get two of these beautiful cakes, with just enough spices to enhance the crab flavor, not overwhelm it, and two sides. The meal could easily feed two, leaving you room for one of their cobblers or pies. If I lived anywhere near this place, I would be a complete lard ass by now.

I hope this place does well. I hope the word gets out and lines get long and this city finally has a soul food joint to be proud of. I hope the lines become longer than the lines at Ben’s, maybe even so long that they have to open up another venue or expand. Most of all, I hope Indiah Wilson and Oji Abbott will be here behind the counter for some time, doing what they do best – bringing some soul back to DC.

Edited February 25, 2006 by Capital Icebox

[The Doctor]

people, this is my favorite restaurant in DC. Yes, I'm wasted right now, but in vino veritas. The bang for your buck at this place is ridiculous. It's soooooo good. There's not a bad dish in the house. I'm telling everyone I know about this place.

[johnb]

The intimate design of the place, even if done by necessity, is a welcoming one: you feel like you’ve walked into someone else’s kitchen, and they couldn’t be happier to have you there. (I am kicking my ass for having walked by this place so many times on the way to Ben’s, that sad excuse for a DC institution down the street, with its cardboard boxes of frozen half smokes, wimpy fries, and surly service, when I could’ve been at the counter at Oohhs and Aahhs, picking at wings and gulping down copious amounts of sweet tea.)

You pretty much nailed Ben's. That place has been coasting for most of its life. Surly service is part of the shtick, but there's no excuse for the food. Oohhs & Aahhs on the other hand is a true gem. Bill Cosby and the others need to go a few blocks down U street. Of course, then it will become chic, and we'll lose it. Go while the goin's good.

[Hannah]

Finally got to try Oohhs and Aahhs last night, and wow. That's some seriously good food. Excellent fried chicken and fried whiting, and awesome vegetables (particularly the cabbage, but the yams were no slouch either.) Too bad our next time up there's on a Monday, 'cause I can't wait to go back.

[johnb]

Have been trying for a week or two to get to O&A for a final shot before the Cheap Eats edition gets on the newsstands and ruins everything, and finally convinced my blushing bride to do it last nite. She had her all-time fav the teriyaki salmon and I had crabcakes. Outstanding. Everything well seasoned as is generally the case there. The crabcakes were rather different from most--two big cakes with a mixture of meats from all parts of the beast (ie not just lump), but a lot of meat and very tangy with strong mustardy and spicy tones. Broiled to blackness on the outside giving a delicious crisp crust with soft center.

Of course we couldn't possibly finish it all, and started to leave carrying our foam boxes, planning an assault on the leftovers today or even before bedtime. As we reached the bottom of the stairs one of the helpers offered to take the boxes, which I thought was a nice thing, so I handed them over upon which, to my horror, she neatly tossed them in the nearest trash can. I shrieked a loud "no" and ran over to pull them out as fast as I could, checking the integrity of the contents, when both Oji and Indiah shrieked and said no no no. Long and short of it is they insisted on replacing the lost leftovers which they did, and those are now happily enconsed in the fridge awaiting their fate.

[silentbob]

Memo to self -- eat here only when it's possible to drop off the leftovers at home. I went to the movies afterwards via the Metro so taking the foam box was not really an option.

I am generally not a collard greens fan and agree that the ones here are wonderful in both spicing and texture. The mac-and-cheese was as good as advertised. The meatloaf, not so much. Next time, I'll definitely get the fried chicken like my friends did. Totally puts Pollo Campero and Popeye's (both of which I love) to shame.

The prices were slightly more than I expected but given the amount of food, they're still quite reasonable.

[Jlock]

Ooh's and Aah's is the perfect pre-9:30 Club Dinner Spot!

Some blackened catfish and some rice with gravy makes all that standing at the club bearable!

(Plus it helps provide a nice "base" for all of the beer you'll consume at the show! )

[edenman]

Ooh's and Aah's is the perfect pre-9:30 Club Dinner Spot!

Some blackened catfish and some rice with gravy makes all that standing at the club bearable!

(Plus it helps provide a nice "base" for all of the beer you'll consume at the show! )

I just got back from doing this exact sequence...dinner at O/As before walking over to 930. I wasn't starving (and I didn't want to carry my foam container around at the show while it got cold) so I just ordered 3 sides...mac n cheese (very good, but not my favorite), yams (very good), and potato salad. The potato salad was the highlight for me...moderately spicy, excellent dressing to bring it all together. All told $10.50, which isn't exactly super-cheap, but those three sides were a large meal in themselves. Next time I'm headed to 9:30 club, I'll be fasting all day long so I can put away an entire meat+2sides...I guess I could make a special trip and actually take home the leftovers, but what's the fun in that?

[grover]

I am going to go to 8:00 concert at the Lincoln Theatre this Friday. I need further information about this place.

1. Does it take a reservation?

2. Is the food portion big?

3. Is it easy to access from the metro?

4. How many tables?

Thanks

[Capital Icebox]

I am going to go to 8:00 concert at the Lincoln Theatre this Friday. I need further information about this place.

1. Does it take a reservation?

2. Is the food portion big?

3. Is it easy to access from the metro?

4. How many tables?

Thanks

1. No, but you don't need one. It's a carryout place with some plastic tables upstairs (see #4).

2. Enormous would be a better word.

3. Across the street.

4. There are four stools at the counter downstairs, and four tables in the upstairs dining room, each of which seats four people, IIRC.

[mdt]

I am going to go to 8:00 concert at the Lincoln Theatre this Friday. I need further information about this place.

1. Does it take a reservation?

2. Is the food portion big?

3. Is it easy to access from the metro?

4. How many tables?

Thanks

Check this out. I don't believe that they take reservations.

[jdl]

I am going to go to 8:00 concert at the Lincoln Theatre this Friday.

Just keep in mind that it might take a while to get your food. When the place gets really busy - and it will on Friday night - things sometimes start to move in slow motion behind the counter. Especially if you order fried chicken just as the existing batch runs out. Great show at the Lincoln that night, though. Paquito is great.

[Heather]

My friend and I made it to Oohs & Aahs tonight after all. We split the catfish, collard greens, potato salad, and mac & cheese. All were very good but the kick-ass collards get a special mention. The potato salad was the only subpar side dish. It was good to see them that busy on a Tuesday night.

I am still amazed at the heroic portions. Five hours and four drinks later I am still full, and I had less than half of a meal.

[mdt]

I originally was going to order the short ribs, but they were not going to be ready until 8p. I ordered the fried catfish dinner with yams and the much adored greens. I left happy and full. The yams (mashed) were full of warm spices, which I thought were very good.

BTW, the tea is SWEET!

[Heather]

*Perk* Short ribs? I missed that. Those might have been worth waiting for.

BTW, the tea is SWEET!

We found that out too. So's the lemonade, so ordering a half and half doesn't cut down on the toothaches.

[bilrus]

I am still amazed at the heroic portions. Five hours and four drinks later I am still full, and I had less than half of a meal.

I went there pretty hungry one time and ordered the catfish with sides of collards and mac and cheese. When I told the guy there that I wanted to get an order of fries too he gave me this, "Are you sure about that?" look.

I knew I was in trouble when the mountain of fries showed up. It looked like a serving for four people.

And then the catfish showed up. There's this urban legend back in Missouri that there is a catfish the size of a VW Beetle at the bottom of Bagnell Dam at Lake of the Ozarks. This might have its cousin.

But it was damn tasty.

[Joshua Grinnell]

Ooh's and Aah's is the perfect pre-9:30 Club Dinner Spot!

Some blackened catfish and some rice with gravy makes all that standing at the club bearable!

(Plus it helps provide a nice "base" for all of the beer you'll consume at the show! )

I hadn't read this post prior to needing something to hold me over for the early Sergio Mendes show last week; it was one of the first really cold nights we've had, but with little styrofoam containers of rice 'n' gravy and mac 'n' cheese milady and I could have stood on the street for hours.

Her one complaint is that "southern" cornbread shouldn't be as sweet and cakelike as what we had at Os and As. When she makes it, it's more savory (it's made with bacon grease as an ingredient) and she always throws a fit whenever she's given "yankee" cornbread.

Me, I liked it just fine. She doesn't read these, generally.

[mdt]

I hadn't read this post prior to needing something to hold me over for the early Sergio Mendes show last week; it was one of the first really cold nights we've had, but with little styrofoam containers of rice 'n' gravy and mac 'n' cheese milady and I could have stood on the street for hours.

Her one complaint is that "southern" cornbread shouldn't be as sweet and cakelike as what we had at Os and As. When she makes it, it's more savory (it's made with bacon grease as an ingredient) and she always throws a fit whenever she's given "yankee" cornbread.

Me, I liked it just fine. She doesn't read these, generally.

Oh yeah, that cornbread was good. Of course I am a "yankee".

[Hannah]

I've stopped ordering cornbread at restaurants, because 99 percent of the time what I get is the monstrous cakelike abomination that is Yankee cornbread. That being said, I did try a bit of Oohs and Aahs' last week (it came with the spouse's greens), and theirs would have been good without the sugar. Even with the sugar, it wasn't overly sticky - much nicer texture than most.

[LaShanta]

Uhh……. did I go to the same restaurant that you all did???

(My apologies now for the long post... but I had to vent SOMEWHERE)

I went there on Friday night and it was horrible! I mean, so horrible that I had to ask them if I was in the right place because I KNEW that this could not have been the same place that my dear, trusted Rockwellians rave about.

First of all, I ordered fried chicken…but the owner made some reference to chicken wings. I said, no, I would like the chicken breast piece. He said “OK, that will take 20 minutes to cook.” I said “no problem” as my mouth began to salivate at the mere thought of fried chicken that would dare come close to my favorite Flavors in VA.

20 minutes later, to my shock and horror, I received 3 pieces of battered, perfectly fried….get this…… SKINLESS, BONELESS chicken breast, cut into pieces about 4 pieces. RUKM???!!!!??? Who ever orders fried chicken and gets boneless chicken breast???? I was appalled and disgusted. When I returned it, he said that that’s all they have and that he never buys chicken parks with the bone except the wings because he uses the boneless breast for more dishes so it is more convenient to just buy one type of chicken. So my options were…chicken wings or boneless, skinless chicken breast Again…. RUFKM???!!!! But I knew that at some point they DID do the chicken breast in the bone because it is very clearly in the picture that LoganCirle submitted, there was a big old breast! I’m sure of it.

So I exchanged it for the turkey wings (because friend catfish would have taken ANOTHER 20 minutes. The turkey wings were bland. And both the collard greens AND the potato salad had waaaaaayyy too much pepper in them. I could actually SEE the pepper in the potato salad. It was almost like someone had accidentily dumped the shaker into the salad and just didn’t bother to add any more salad to cover it up. What a colossal disappointment!!

There were some stars however… I loved the lemonade and the super-sweet iced tea. I also loved the yams. just sweet enough and a nice hint of cinnamon.

So I don’t know what has happened since you all have been there, but apparently something has gone terribly, terribly wrong…….

Has anyone been there in the last month and had this experience?? Or am I officially crazy?

[Capital Icebox]

I have never had fried chicken breast there, it's always been little drumsticks and wings, and they've always been great. I have found the collard greens to be on the vingeary side, but never too peppery. Maybe it was just an off night. My last visit was a few weeks ago and things were up to snuff.

[mame11]

Uhh……. did I go to the same restaurant that you all did???

(My apologies now for the long post... but I had to vent SOMEWHERE)

I went there on Friday night and it was horrible! I mean, so horrible that I had to ask them if I was in the right place because I KNEW that this could not have been the same place that my dear, trusted Rockwellians rave about.

First of all, I ordered fried chicken…but the owner made some reference to chicken wings. I said, no, I would like the chicken breast piece. He said “OK, that will take 20 minutes to cook.” I said “no problem” as my mouth began to salivate at the mere thought of fried chicken that would dare come close to my favorite Flavors in VA.

You are not crazy. I went a few weeks ago and was most disappointed to discover that the craving for fried chicken I was having would have to be satisfied with chicken wings. I was able to impose on them for drummies only but come on, if you are going to offer fried chicken offer more than the wings/drummies. Wrong... wrong... wrong. Plus I didn't particularly think the drummies were seasoned very well.

I have no problem judging this restaurant on my disappointing experience because I grew up in the land of the Meat and 3 which is what I expected at Oohs and Aaahs. It was not what I found.

P.S. The cornbread... blah.

[mdt]

I was surprised when I read the menu that the only fried chicken options were boneless breast or wings.

[xcanuck]

Uhh……. did I go to the same restaurant that you all did???

(My apologies now for the long post... but I had to vent SOMEWHERE)

---snip snip snip---

Has anyone been there in the last month and had this experience?? Or am I officially crazy?

We went there last week before a show at the 9:30. My wife and I split an order of fried catfish, with collards, mac and cheese, cornbread, and lemonade.

The serving amount was great - it totally filled up both of us. The catfish was light and crisp. It could've used a wee more seasoning but I wasn't going to argue. It seemed like it was fried in really hot and fresh oil, which was great. The collards were tasty (tho not as good as Scott's from the picnic) and not overseasoned. The mac and cheese was delicious!! If anything, a little hot sauce on them would've been perfect. The cornbread and lemonade were waaaay too sweet for my taste (then again, I'm not just a northener, but Canadian so the sweet stuff doesn't go over that well me). But my wife, who has southern roots, thought they were the cat's pajamas.

I need to give them a few more chances, but all things being equal, I'd probably go to Negril, the Islander or Dukem (but that's just because I like spicier food better).

[Heather]

I was there last week and had the catfish also. It was light, juicy and crispy, and came with a little cup of hot sauce that perked it right up. The mac and cheese was tasty, and the collards had a nice hit of vinegar and pepper but the pepper wasn't overwhelming. I don't like the overly sweet tea and lemonade or the potato salad. To each her own, I guess.

ETA: I vaguely recall having fried chicken there before. Was I drunk?

[xcanuck]

DCist reviews Oohs and Aahs. They concur with the opinions stated here on the fried chicken. Porkless collards? So THAT'S what was missing from the taste. I think I'll stick with the sides when I go there tonite.

[mdt]

DCist reviews Oohs and Aahs. They concur with the opinions stated here on the fried chicken. Porkless collards? So THAT'S what was missing from the taste. I think I'll stick with the sides when I go there tonite.

There was an article on Oohhs and Aahhs in the CP (right?). They mentioned the porkless collards and that was how her Mom made them. I think they are pretty damn tasty.

[LaShanta]

Oh yeah, NPCinDC..... I actually forgot about the cornbread....! That was terrible too. Now, I do understand that it would be hard to give everyone hot cornbread..... because it is cooked in one big pan at one time. But old, cold, dry cornbread cannot be good to anyone. Maybe they should try to do smaller, individual pieces and heat them up for a few minutes after people order..... I may not be a professional cook, but there must be SOME way for them to work this out.

This place was an embarrassment to every soul food place in the city (past and present) and especially to the places and people on U street that could really use a “taste” of what U street used to be. They have GOT to do better.

[Sthitch]

This place was an embarrassment to every soul food place in the city (past and present) and especially to the places and people on U street that could really use a “taste” of what U street used to be. They have GOT to do better.

Have you tried Taste of Carolina? I have found that the food there is much better than Oohhs and Aahhs. They actually have fried chicken on the bone, and the greens have pork in them. Plus they have decent hushpuppies.

As for Oohhs and Aahhs, I don't get what the appeal of their Mac and Cheese, I find it to be nothing more than noodles with cheese melted on top, and a rather oily cheese at that. Also stay away from the cloyingly sweet crab cakes. They do make a decent fried fish, but no better than either Taste of Carolina or Flavors.

[Spiral Stairs]

My wife and I were very satisfied with our one (take-out) meal at Oohhs and Aahhs. However, the cornbread was weirdly, and unpleasantly, sweet. It was also weirdly, and unpleasantly, not free.

[Heather]

Have you tried Taste of Carolina? I have found that the food there is much better than Oohhs and Aahhs.

Hasn't Taste of Carolina closed?