The Gumbo is How Much?!?
Thursday, December 15, 2005 16:38I was about to walk out. I never heard of such a thing, and now to be staring at prices I considered punitive–I was damn near insulted. How dare they, the owners of Harold and Belle’s, charge $18 for a large gumbo for lunch. Are you out of your mind?
Let me back up. Harold and Belle’s is a Creole restaurant that’s been on Jefferson, just east of Crenshaw, since 1969. Black food has a long and rich heritage, cutting a huge cultural swath across the South, much of which was co-opted by the white community over time. Louisiana is a true exception, having its roots and culture derived from a completely different genealogy than other parts of the deep south. As with any traditional, or ‘peasant’ food, the genesis is the same: underprivileged and oppressed minorities had to make dishes from either what they could afford, or what was given to them. Therein lay the basis for much of Southern Black food in America.
Well, I always smelled something disingenuous when a snob took peasant food, served it on a table with white linen cloth, and charged triple of what it would normally cost anywhere else. Then I started thinking that this is pretty much how every other food type got upscaled. Certainly the Celtic Gaulles who invaded France lo these many years ago brought their peasant food with them, and now it is Haute Cuisine. Mexican, Vietnamese, Chinese, Italian have all gone through this transformation. So, no, it is not unusual. In fact, back in Washington D.C. where I am from, one of the first upscale Southern restaurants came into existence, Georgia Brown’s.
By that same measure of logic, Harold and Belle’s should be in Beverly Hills, but they stayed true to their roots. Jefferson and Crenshaw is in the heart of the Black community, which celebrates all manner of Creole and Soul food along the Crenshaw corridor (Phillips BBQ is a whole other post…), but it has been there for 36 years…and worth every penny. Harold and Belle’s is THE upscale Creole restaurant in Los Angeles, bar none, and I’m basing this off two dishes I had today.
The lady was nice enough to say if I ordered the $19 portion of shrimp and crawfish etoufee, she would kick in the small ($12) gumbo. Fine, I was sold, but skeptical…but not for long.
The gumbo is served in a souflee dish overflowing with seafood, chicken, crab and andouille sausage. There is roux, but it is not the centerpiece. The gumbo was heavy, incredibly complex and flavorful. Frankly, I felt stupid afterward thinking I would even eat three bites of the etoufee, but then I remember that etoufee is usually a pile of rice with the stew ladled on top. Nope. It was a vast bowl of crawfish, shrimp and sausage swimming in a fantastic sauce…with a small heap of rice in the middle. There was no way I was going to finish this, and I didn’t.
I’m not going to intentionally put down another restuarant, but I’ve never been that impressed with the Gumbo Pot at the Fairfax Farmer’s Market, and now I am convinced it is 3rd rate stuff. Before you get up in arms you HAVE to go to H&B and have the gumbo to even begin to understand what I’m talking about.
Everything on the menu is standard Southern food: ribs, chicken, greens, corn on the cob, macaroni and cheese, catfish, etoufee, gumbo, jambalaya (made several ways), but with that little extra something (something even huge portions alone couldn’t justify) that makes it a great experience. That something, by the way, is butter. I have to say if you thought the garlic butter bread at Versailles is overwhelming, you ain’t had the bread at H&B.
The decor is not extravagently elegant, but it is a nice and comfortable space. The staff is friendly and the place is jumping with energy. Granted H&B is out of the way, but this is a destination restaurant, and I don’t usually rave about food like this unless it hits a unique niche. I’ve eaten at Emeril’s restaurants before, and Commander’s Palace, I can assure you this place could stand right next to them, and in fact, surpasses them.
Harold & Belle’s
2920 W. Jefferson Blvd.
Just east of Crenshaw
By Zteve (see more of his posts). You can find more of Zteve's writing at his own website Gastrologica
Jonah says:
December 16th, 2005 at 8:36 am
I actually like the gumbo at the Gumbo Pot (at least the seafood option), so I have to try out H&B for sure! I can almost smell the goodness through the screen…
Zteve says:
December 16th, 2005 at 8:43 am
Of course, if I were as industrious as the other bloggers, I would have had the forethought to bring a camera and you would have photographic PROOF how superior the gumbo is. The Gumbo Pot is acceptable but H&B is a whole different ballgame. There’s really no comparison…make the trip!
Jonah says:
December 16th, 2005 at 8:51 am
Have you tried Market St Gumbo Shack? Your post might have inspired me to head over there for lunch.
Zteve says:
December 16th, 2005 at 9:06 am
Nope, but now that is my next destination…just might have to uncover the proper Creole places for the masses…
Jonah says:
December 16th, 2005 at 1:34 pm
I made the trip to the Gumbo Shack for lunch, I’ll write it up as soon as I can stop licking my lips!
kristy says:
December 17th, 2005 at 8:30 pm
I had the Gumbo Ya-Ya from the Farmer’s Market yesterday and was disappointed. Not what I remembered when I had it the first time. Ooo…I like H&B’s! It’s right around my ‘hood. ;) Off of Crenshaw and Jefferson. I really enjoyed my etoufee there better than the jambalaya. Mmm!
epoptefendu says:
December 25th, 2005 at 11:39 am
I can’t understand how anyone could eat the gumbo at the farmer’s market. It is worse than campbell’s soup. Completely gross, but the lines keep coming.
Jonah says:
December 26th, 2005 at 4:49 pm
I have only had the seafood gumbo at the Farmer’s Market, but I’m not ashamed to say that I enjoyed it, and it was pretty cheap. The greens are nice too.
Angie says:
January 13th, 2006 at 7:22 am
The gumbo at the Farmer’s Market Gumbo Pot is horrible. I wouldn’t feed it to my enemies. It has no substance, no base, no flavor. The Gumbo Shack, the gumbo is just as the name, a shack, horrible. Its all rice, color is nasty to look at,no ingredients, no flavor. H&B the best by far and so is everything else on their menu.
Jonah says:
January 13th, 2006 at 8:54 am
Man, I’m going to be in for a treat when I finally make it to Harold and Belle’s. Seeing as I can actually eat the Gumbo Pot’s seafood gumbo without vomiting and I really liked the Gumbo Shack. How do you figure that the Gumbo Shack has no ingredients when the seafood gumbo I had there was packed with about a half a crab and close to a dozen shrimp?
I’m looking forward to my first trip to H&B before too long. Maybe a rainy Saturday is the perfect setting.
Zteve says:
January 13th, 2006 at 9:56 am
My man, you are in luck. 60% chance of rain tomorrow. I think what differentiates H & B from others is it is not a shack or stand. It is a fairly upscale creole restaurant. Don’t stop at the gumbo..if you can afford it, they’ve got a HUGE menu, sample a bunch. The etoufee is phenomenal.
thranduil says:
August 26th, 2007 at 5:50 am
We finally made it over here for dinner - what a wonderful find! We had the crawfish etouffee, and the jambalaya with a half order of fried catfish. The portions can be huge - the half order of fried catfish would normally have been a single entree at another restaurant, although the jambalaya portion was scoop sized (not sure if we ordered it alone if it would be bigger), and the etouffee was a normal portion. The catfish was great - light and crispy battering, no muddiness at all. The etouffee was chock full of crawfish tails with a nice light spiciness. The jambalaya had a wonderful balance of spices, and was surrounded by a sea of smoky red beans with chunks of sausage. The highlight was the bread pudding - most places make it too dry for my tastes, but this was delectably moist and the warm whiskey sauce was a perfect complement - not too much alcohol with a buttery finish. We decided to hold off on gumbo in order to save room for dessert - we’ll try it the next time. Only two minor downsides. You are best off doing the valet parking, as there is not a lot of available street parking. The clam chowder was just ok, the clam bits were good but the broth was just ok. The buttered bread more than made up for it.