Dining Deals
Mighty fine soul food in Columbia City

By Kathryn Robinson
Special to The Seattle Times

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The only thing better than a new restaurant in my neighborhood is a new restaurant in my neighborhood that's as terrific as the Wellington.

Of course, we who live in Columbia City have lately grown very spoiled in our dining choices, now having Ethiopian, Italian, Mexican, barbecue, pub food and sensational pizza to walk to on any given "I'm-too-lazy-to-cook" night. So imagine my delight to find a place that lets me add soul food to the list.

And not just any soul food. The Wellington is the enterprise of owners Cynthia Hobbs and Julaine Smith. They bought and completely redecorated the old Wellington Tearoom — now it's warmly airy and quite stylish — then replaced its rather idiosyncratic menu with a lineup of soul-food classics that chef Hobbs really knows how to cook, lunch and dinner.

The Wellington 4869 Rainier Ave. S., Seattle; 206-722-8571 Soul Food $$ Hours: 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 5-9 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays; 11 a.m.- 3 p.m., 5-10 p.m. Fridays; 5-10 p.m. Saturdays; 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. Sundays. Beer and wine / credit cards: MC, V / no smoking / no obstacles to access. Rating: recommended.

And so you can be reasonably certain, when you order, say, the chicken and sausage gumbo, or the smothered pork chop in homemade herb gravy, or the Southern buttermilk fried chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and collard greens, or the blackened catfish with a side of red beans — that it will be solid at least, and most likely a darn sight better than that.

Best, it's all served according to the relaxed and deeply welcoming mandates of true Southern hospitality, with warm embraces all around for the neighborhood's richly diverse and family-oriented community. Soul and jazz music (live on Friday and Saturday nights) lend a lively vibe and prices hover in the $12-per-person range.

So why's the place so empty? Evenings, when folks are virtually hanging from the rafters and spilling into the street from the joints across Rainier Avenue South, the Wellington can be counted on for an open table. True enough, it presents a quiet profile from the street; maybe folks simply don't yet know that for the past six months some of the finest soul food in town has been coming out of Hobbs' kitchen.

Maybe now they'll know. They'd sure better leave me a table.

Check please:

Fried chicken wings: Four plump, meaty wings arrived lavishly enrobed in a beautifully nuanced batter — too salty for some palates but just perfect for mine on the 86-degree evening of our visit. They came steaming hot, crisp on the outside and impossibly moist within. A dilly buttermilk ranch dressing accompanied, but we didn't need it. Cornbread muffins were a very compelling mix of sweet and savory, and redolent of very good grease.

Southern-fried catfish: Another solid winner was this moist chunk of delicious catfish, fried in subtly spicy herbed cornmeal and served with collard greens and nicely chunky homemade macaroni and cheese.

Low country shrimp and grits: Brilliant to look at, this shallow bowl of cheesy grits became a canvas for plump shrimp, andouille sausage pennies, scattered onions, and slivers of fresh red and green peppers. It was even better to eat, particularly after some of the heat had wafted away and the dish became the flavorful apotheosis of comfort food. The marinated shrimp were particularly savory, and not a moment overcooked.

7-Up pound cake and ice cream: Lord have mercy, the last thing I needed was another dessert to crave. The vanilla ice cream was lovely, the strawberry drizzle a refreshing topper. But the cake — a lemony pound cake so rich and melting it was practically liquid — was the stuff serious jonesin's are made of. Itemized bill, meal for two

Fried chicken wings $6.50

Southern-fried catfish $12.50

Low country shrimp and grits $13.75

7-Up pound cake and ice cream $5.00

Tax $3.32

Total $41.07

Kathryn Robinson: kathrynrobinson@speakeasy.net

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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