Andre, the owner of Off Da Hook Soul Food Restaurant, is a true foodie. When he noticed that the fried chicken breast on my plate might be a little dry, he cooked up a new one for me. His goal is to serve the same quality food in his restaurant that he’d want to eat at home. He can invite me there anytime.
We each ordered a plate: smothered pork chops ($10.50) for Ken and fried chicken ($9.50) for me. Each came with two sides, so we opted for mac and cheese, cabbage, greens, and yams (all the sides are $4 if ordered a la carte), and corn bread. Since it was busy, Andre gave us some corn bread to “keep us busy”. It was burn-the-fingers hot. Whether it got that way in the microwave I don’t know, because it was so buttery-sweet-good it got eaten before it could change texture. The chicken was delicious, with a light peppery crust and moist meat. The two pork chops on Ken’s plate were huge, and to use Ken’s word, “astounding”. They had also been breaded and fried, but they remained succulent. All the sides were outstanding, to a great extent because they’re not loaded with salt. The cabbage was nice and sweet, and the mac and cheese gooey and rich (although I have to say that Bobby Q is still has my #1). The yams were fabulous - in a nice, lightly spiced syrup, they could have been dessert. Since the portions are more than generous, we took home a piece of sweet potato pie ($3). I’m glad that we hadn’t tried it at the end of our meal as it was disappointing. The filling was one-dimensional and the crust unpleasant. Hopefully the peach cobbler or red velvet cake are better.
There are lots more things on the menu I’d like to try. I’m not sure Ken will ever be able to get beyond the pork chops. Ribs, meatloaf, fried shrimp, and oxtails. Some of Andre’s family is from Louisiana, so there’s gumbo and red beans and rice. Catfish and red snapper. You can even get baked chicken - but why would you?
The restaurant is small, with an active take-out business. It’s clean, tables get bussed quickly, and everybody is friendly. In fact, we spent a pleasant half hour talking food with Andre. There’s another location at the swap meet at 5115 N. 27th Ave.
Off Da Hook
1804 W. Glendale Ave., Phoenix 602-242-1922
Open 7 days, 10 - 8
no website
You forgot the waffles. Thin and ready to hold butter and syrup, the kind of waffle I like, not those gooey things from "Belgium." Great to go with chicken or eggs.
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