Front Royal’s Soul Mountain Cafe, in new location, pleases the palate of Rappahannock Rose
By Rappahannock Rose
I had been seeing the sandwich board on the sidewalk for a month or more and thought there was a new restaurant on Main Street in Front Royal–but it turns out that the Soul Mountain Cafe just moved from up the street.
I was more curious than anything because barbecue, jambalaya and such are not on the top of my cuisine choices. But curiosity finally got the best of me and boy I’m glad it did!
Dining very early on a Wednesday night, there were only two other tables of diners. I didn’t expect to find the white table cloths, a great menu, a short but nice wine selection and a comfy atmosphere. What a pleasant surprise.
Apparently the “Soul” not only means Caribbean food but “Soul” as in Southern with a twist. The special that night was a BBQ pork chop, mashed potatoes and a vegetable medley. Even though regular menu items were tempting, I had to try my favorite mashed potatoes and pork chop.
As soon as I had a menu my very attentive and friendly waitress, Amy, brought a basket of three corn bread muffins. I love corn bread but these were a little too sweet for my taste and I couldn’t eat them with my fingers because they were sticky. But I did eat two with a fork and didn’t need dessert.
When my meal arrived, the most fabulous aroma of BBQ wafted over the table and I knew I was in for a wonderful dinner. Chef Gary Kearney uses a wonderful spice mix to make his BBQ memorable and the pork chop was so tender I cut it with a fork.
To me “vegetable medley” on a menu usually means a waste of vegetables. But these were served perfectly al dente and seasoned with butter, herbs, salt and pepper.
Mashed potatoes come in many forms and I think are best with gravy but these were a delicious side for BBQ. Mashed just right, skin-on redskin potatoes, just the right amount of butter, herbs, salt and pepper and they were stand alone delicious! When I was through, nothing was left on the plate except the bone from the chop! Yummy!
The regular menu is long and covers filet mignon, crab cakes, six chicken dishes (pesto, Cajun, curry, Jerk, roasted and marinated), catfish served three ways, a stuffed salmon dish, and an `Anduille Sausage /Penne dish.
The vegetarian dish just begs to be ordered, “Roasted Vegetables Tossed with Feta & Basil Cream Sauce served over Linguine.” The sides for many of the dishes sounded so good I wished I had a taste of several: Gorgonzola Risotto, smoked Corn Relish, Garlic infused Penne. Nothing here I ever fix at home!
The one unpleasant surprise I had was the expensive salads and starters. I passed on the “Honey Lime Wings over Asian Noodles “($8.95) and the “Crab and Artichoke dip” ($10.99), Baby Spinach Salad ($8.95) and Mesclun Salad ($8.95). But now that I have been there and have a better feel for pacing myself, a night of soup salad and appetizers would be perfect.
The entrees ranged from $10.95 to $24.95 and my nightly special was $16.95. There is an equally interesting lunch menu with soups, four salads and fifteen great sounding sandwiches/wraps to select from. They are served with fries and Citrus Pasta Salad and are in the $7-$9 range.
Executive Chef and co-owner Gary Kearney visited with me for a few minutes and you could tell from his genuinely happy disposition that he is living their dream of operating his own family-friendly “soul fusion cuisine” restaurant.
It’s a perfect addition to a bustling downtown Front Royal, which was recently written up in the February issue of Virginia Living magazine. It’s nice to see our neighbors doing well!
The restaurant is at 300 East Main Street in Front Royal, in the space formerly occupied by the German-cuisine Stadt Restaurant. They serve wine and beer in addition to a full bar service. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday noon to 9 p.m., and Sunday noon to 4 p.m. Reservations can be made by calling 540-636-0070.
Rose’s rating on a scale of one to four roses:
Rappahannock Rose, who wishes to remain anonymous, reviews restaurants for The Rappahannock Voice. She welcomes comments on her reviews, using the comment form found below.
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