Booker’s is not one for the Books…

June 7th, 2022

Authored by Nina Wilson and Dynisha Murray

Pictured above , Buffalo Cauliflower ($12.00), Fried Okras ($11.00), and Steak and Eggs ($27.00). Photo Courtesy of the Brunch Besties.

This post was difficult for me to write. I want to put a small disclaimer before I hop into the review. I have delayed writing this review, because I had high hopes for this restaurant. When myself and Dynisha decided to review only black owned restaurants during Black History Month, our intent was to highlight restaurants in the Philadelphia area. Especially because Philadelphia is historically a black city. However, we made a commitment not just to ourselves but also to our audience to be as astutely honest about our experiences. And despite this particular business being owned by a black woman, and despite being black women ourselves, we have to be honest about our experience. 

That being said, let’s get into the review. Booker’s Restaurant and Lounge opened in January of 2017, by its owner Sebla Tedla. Tedla utilized her experience in finance and tech, to survey the community to create the concept of what would eventually become Booker’s (Philadelphia Inquirer). She is responsible for the resurgence of black owned restaurants in the Cedar Park/ University City area since 2010. The menu at Booker’s consists of southern cuisine with vegan and vegetarian offerings. Booker’s also offers a full bar, which makes it possible to enjoy a cocktail or two with your meal. 

Reservations are generally recommended, so we made ours for 1 pm on February 19th, 2022. Upon arrival, the restaurant was packed. If you read our previous post about our review of Aksum, you know that Tedla was not only the owner of Booker’s but also the previous owner of Aksum Cafe. Due to this, the design choices in Booker are similar to that at Aksum.  Except the space at Booker’s felt a bit cramped. When you first enter the restaurant there is a full length bar against the wall, and two separate sections for dining. Both of which were designed in neutral browns with dark brown seating. There was also a rustic contemporary design with the items selected to outfit the restaurant. Overall, we picked up warm, cozy, and contemporary vibes from the decor and atmosphere alone.  

We were not asked for proof of vaccination, but at this point Covid restrictions were shifting. Additionally, we were informed that any bill over $100.00 had  an automatic gratuity of 20 percent added. Since we saw no issue with that, we ordered our food and drinks. Our order consisted of the following:  a Mimosa Flight ($40.00), Buffalo Cauliflower ($12.00), Fried Okras ($11.00), Cheesecake French Toast ($15.00) , Beef Andouille Sausage and Shrimp Grits ($25.00), Steak and Eggs ($27.00) , and The Bread Pudding of the day ($9.00). 

The Mimosa Flight

Pictured above, The Mimosa Flight ($40). Courtesy of the Brunch Besties.

Normally, we don’t discuss the beverages we order. Especially because they generally tend not to be the main focus of our reviews. But in this case, since bottomless mimosas and mimosas in general are a huge part of brunch, we decided to make an exception.  The mimosa flight is an off-the-menu offering that our server offered to us as we were mulling over our beverage choices. The flight consists of 4 different kinds of juices: mango, pineapple, pomegranate, and orange juice. It also comes with a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket. 

The flight itself was set up in a DIY fashion, so it was up to your discretion of how to proportion the champagne and various juices. The mimosas themselves were not bad as they were your average mimosa. Nothing to write home about. 

Our issue with the flight was we were under the impression that the champagne was bottomless, especially because of the steep price point. We soon realized that was not the case. The one bottle was able to supply 4.5 glasses of champagne, which boiled down to 2.5 glasses per person. Which normally is not an entirely bad ratio to have. However, when you take into account the fact that the champagne itself costs approximately $5-7 dollars online, and that all the juices we received in their proportions would be less than 5 dollars, we felt like this offering was not the best. It's even a couple bucks cheaper to either purchase a bottle of champagne from the restaurant or to buy the mimosas per glass, which is 9 dollars according to the restaurants’ menu. Obviously, we have some responsibility in this miscommunication, because  we did not get clarity on this prior to ordering. But it is not worth it. Especially for the price point. Thus why we gave the flight 3 out of 5 stars. 

Buffalo Cauliflower

Pictured above, Buffalo Cauliflower $12. Photo courtesy of the Brunch Besties.

The restaurants’ menu described this dish as “ Batter fried cauliflower, buffalo sauce, carrots, celery, bleu cheese sauce (not vegan).” The presentation of this dish looked more like oversized deep fried mushrooms than cauliflower. The cauliflower came on a bed of greens with blue cheese, carrots, and celery sticks. It did not look appetizing. But, because we do not solely judge dishes by their looks, we still decided to try it. And it was just as disappointing as it looked. The batter was mushy, and the cauliflower itself was hard. The pieces of cauliflower were massive, and most likely needed to be cut into smaller pieces. 

We have both had fried cauliflower before that was crispy, delicious and flavorful. And unfortunately this cauliflower was the opposite, and something that neither of us would give to our pets. This dish could have been improved if the cauliflower were cut into smaller pieces, less batter was used and the cauliflower was actually cooked. Due to these shortcomings, we rated this dish 1 out of 5 stars. 

Fried Okras

Pictured above, Fried Okras ($11). Photo courtesy of the Brunch Besties.

The Fried Okras were the next dish that we tried. It was one we were hoping would be better than the initial dish we received, and it was. The menu described this dish as, “Lightly breaded okra with a side of sriracha honey aioli.” The presentation was slightly better than the Buffalo Cauliflower. The okras also came on a bed of greens accompanied with the sriracha honey aioli. 

The okra was seasoned and fresh on the inside, while having light battering and a crunchy texture on the outside. It was not particularly greasy as well, which was nice. The aioli that accompanied the dish was really good and had a balance between spicy and creamy. Whoever made this dish could have taught a thing or two, to the person who made the Buffalo Cauliflower. Overall, we gave this dish 3 out of 5 stars. It was a decent dish, but again nothing mind blowing or entirely unique in execution. 

Beef Andouille Sausage and Shrimp Grits

Pictured above, Beef Andouille Sausage and Shrimp Grits ($25). Photo courtesy of the Brunch Besties.

This was a menu item that we were excited to try. Especially because until this point we figured the Buffalo Cauliflower was an anomaly. Booker’s menu described this dish as “Herb based stew with onion, green and red peppers, beef andouille sausage and shrimp, served with grits.” Although it was not mentioned in the description of the dish, it also came with two fried eggs as well. The presentation of the dish was decent. It didn’t look bad but it also didn’t look amazing. Everything was just piled on top of the grits. In terms of taste, we’ll start with the positive first. The sausage was pretty good. It was spicy and flavorful. And that’s about where the positive remarks end. The shrimp was bland, and likewise for the two fried eggs that came with the dish. Which were not just bland but also served sunny side up. 

The grits were well…gritty, and not seasoned. And overall, despite the fact that the sausage and shrimp were meant to be a part of a stew it did not taste like it. Everything about the dish felt very disjointed, as though each item could have been served individually versus all together. Overall, this was another disappointing selection. Thus why we rated this dish 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Cheesecake French Toast

Pictured above, Cheesecake French Toast  ($15). Photo courtesy of the Brunch Besties. 

The presentation of this dish did not look promising. However, It served to be  somewhat of a reprieve from the other dishes. The menu describes this dish as  “ Stuffed French Toast with strawberry cream cheese filling, graham cracker crusted, fried and topped with lemon whipped cream, and strawberry compote maple syrup.” 

The presentation of this dish made it appear as though  it would have been heavy, but it was the opposite. The cream cheese filling was light, and had a texture between a mousse and a cream cheese. The graham cracker added a nice crunchy texture. The strawberry compote was delicious and added a nice flavor to the dish. However, The whipped cream did not have any notes of lemon in it. And we felt the syrup on the side was a bit excessive, since the dish was already sweet on its own. I personally felt that perhaps a strawberry sauce would have been a bit better than a compote, in terms of texture. But otherwise this was not the worst dish we had at Booker’s. Thus why we rated it 3 out of 5 stars.

Steak and Eggs

Pictured above Steak and Eggs, ($27). Photo courtesy of the Brunch Besties.

I’m a huge fan of steak and eggs. It’s a dish packed with protein, it’s hearty but not heavy, and when executed properly can be a satisfying meal.  The menu described this dish as a, “ 6 oz House Cut steak, eggs your way, topped with demi-glaze and onion rings, and served with home fries.” The presentation of this dish was clean. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare, and the demi glaze added a nice touch of flavor. The potatoes were cooked well and nicely seasoned. The only issue that we had with this dish, is that we were not crazy about how the eggs were cooked and felt that they could have used some seasoning. Overall we rate this dish a solid, 3 stars out of 5. 

Bread Pudding of the Day

Pictured above Bread Pudding of The Day (Peach), ($9). Courtesy of the Brunch Besties.

We ended our dining experience at Booker’s with the Bread Pudding of the Day. On the day we visited, the flavor was peach. There was not a description for this dish as it was featured on a separate dessert menu, and changes daily. However, the name is a good indicator of what you expect to receive. The presentation of the dish was nice, and looked very appetizing. However the dish itself was a tad sweet, and  the pudding had a texture which was more of a  cakey consistency than of a pudding. While I found the sweetness to be a turn off,  Dynisha felt that it was just the right amount. The whipped cream also did not add much to the dessert as a whole, and fell flat in terms of flavor. We both rated this dish 2 stars out of 5. 

Final Thoughts

This was a disappointing experience. We had high expectations for Booker’s, and to see our expectations fall flat was sad to say the least. We think the restaurant has a lot of potential to be extremely successful within the Philly food scene, but it seems the one issue it has had over the years is consistently keeping a chef. Upon reading a review from the Philadelphia Inquirer as part of our research, we came to realize that from 2017 to  2020, Booker’s has flown through 6 chefs in that time frame. Based on our experience I think it is safe to say, they are still having issues with finding a consistent chef.  Unfortunately, we believe that is one of the main factors in holding Booker’s back. The menu items are unique and appetizing, but it's the execution of the dishes that lacks luster. That is why our final rating of Bookers is a 3 out of 5. 

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Until Next Time, 

XOXO 

The Brunch Besties