Priscilla's surprises with soul food in the suburbs
Finding soul food outside of Chicago's city limits can prove to be quite difficult.
With the first Priscilla's Ultimate Soulfood Cafeteria in Hillside, opened six years ago by Priscilla Redmond and her husband Mansfield, there was proof that such a thing could indeed exist in the Western suburbs. Now, continuing on the relatively simple-seeming concept of feeding a lot of people with good food made from scratch at a decent price, the family has opened its second suburban location in northwest Streamwood.
This is home cooking at its best; it will taste just like your mother's - if your mother happened to make jaw-dropping-good fried chicken, that is.
The newest location of Priscilla's expands on the longstanding family tradition of preparing and enjoying good food. As part of a family of 15, Priscilla had an innate inclination for cooking, because not only was her mother a chef, but three of her sisters are as well.
The familial tones of the cafeteria setup - complete with the plastic trays you slide over the counter and the big metal catering trays, steaming reassuringly and smelling even better - are immediately apparent as you step inside. Since the cafeteria is housed in a former Old Country Buffet, it employs a very similar openness consisting of one (very large) dining area that comfortably seats 600 people, a smaller dining section in the back with a large flat-screen TV, as well as a closed-off "family dining room" for parties. Signs prompting you to "enjoy life" and "eat well" hang on the green and white walls.
Each day boasts a handful of specials, such as liver and onions on Wednesdays, ox tails on Thursdays and seafood gumbo on Fridays, to name a few, but the famous Priscilla fried chicken and fried catfish are everyday staples.
Eager to sample as many dishes as we could, we opted for the split plate special, which lets you sample two entrees, two sides and a warm corn muffin. Saturday specials included, among others, beef short ribs, barbeque ribs and meatloaf. We chose the first two, in addition to the compulsory fried chicken.
The beef short ribs were a definite standout. Topped with their own sauce, they were impressively succulent and tender. As for the fried chicken, it is quite hard to avoid clichés when describing a well-crafted version, because it really was golden and crispy on the outside and incredibly moist on the inside. With a family recipe that creates something this perfectly seasoned and juicy, you just have to try it for yourself.
From the many sides available, such as mac and cheese, candied yams, mashed potatoes and gravy, and baked beans (all of which more than held their own), we felt the thick and flavorful mashed potatoes and sweet, round-cut candied yams stood above the rest.
A tangy lemon meringue pie and a sweet pecan pie rounded out the filling homemade meal.
Despite the huge space, the service felt anything but distant. We were greeted with a smile by the girls behind the counter, and were also checked on several times by a server who brought us drink refills and made sure to ask us how we liked our food.
At the end, we felt a place like Priscilla's is great for two reasons: first, it doesn't pretend to be something it's not, and second, it does what it sets out to do very, very well. You'll be hard pressed to talk about layers of flavors and subtleties of spices, but what you will get is a hearty meal that'll make your heart sing.
• Restaurant reviews are based on one anonymous visit. The Daily Herald does not publish reviews of restaurants it cannot recommend.
Priscilla's Ultimate Soulfood Cafeteria
Facts: 1020 S. Barrington Road, Streamwood; (630) 736-3399; priscillasultimatesoulfood.com
Cuisine: Southern
Setting: A true cafeteria, complete with the metal railing behind the line
Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday
Price range: Main dishes $8.99 to $10.99; sides $2.49; desserts $2.49 to $2.99