Big Mama's Kitchen

Have you ever been to Big Mama's Kitchen? Chances are, you haven't. First of all, its ridiculously hard to find. It's on some sort of youth campus off of 45th and Bedford. When you get to the corner of 45th and Bedford, you have to circle the block a couple of times looking for an open gate. (Ya, the place is gated.) Then when you get on campus, you have to figure out which building it's in. (Hint: it's the building with the huge yellow "AFRO BURGER" banner above the front door.) Big Mama's Kitchen is essentially a school cafeteria turned into a diner.

The food that Big Mama makes is worth the trip every Sunday. It is true soul food that even a skinny white girl like me can get down with. Every single thing she serves is homemade and cooked only when you order it. That means that you wait, oh how you wait, for your food. My first meal there consisted of coffee, over easy eggs, biscuits, hash browns, sausage and sweet potato cheesecake and it took about four hours. Ok, maybe like 45 minutes. And yes, I ate cheesecake at breakfast. You can't not eat the cheesecake. The biscuits are made from scratch every day and are of course the best I've ever eaten. They are soft, buttery and the perfect vehicle for soaking up running eggs. The sausage is also home made. Sorry Jimmy Dean, but Big Mama puts your sausage in the dirt. The hash browns were obviously never frozen because they taste like heaven. If heaven were a potato dish. And the cheesecake. Oh my god, the cheesecake. There are no words to describe it.

The next meal I had there was completely different: fried chicken, collard greens, macaroni and cheese. It was without a doubt the best fried chicken I have ever eaten. The breading was really like bread. It was soft and spongy, but the outside was still crisp. It was my first venture into collard green territory and I couldn't believe that something green and leafy could taste so good. The mac and cheese was definitely not out of a box. It was thick and cheesy. Very, very cheesy.

The third trip took me back to breakfast, the exact same thing even. (You gotta stick with what's good baby!) The fourth trip took me back to lunch, this time I had the fried catfish. This was the catfish to end all catfish. Dear Moses and Mary, it was delicious. Crispy, moist, perfectly seasoned. Soooo good with a side of mac and cheese. I also had another piece of cheesecake. I had to.

Big Mama's Kitchen is the real deal. Everything on the menu is incredible. It's like a trip to tasty town. You must, must, must go. Check out their website. Big Mama caters so we plan on getting some fried chicken and sides for our post-wedding brunch. You will not believe this food. There's also the mysterious Afro Burger which you have to try for yourself. I'm not telling you what it is.