Erica's Soul Food

Erica's Soul Food is a restaurant in Portland, Oregon.[1]

Erica's Soul Food
Restaurant information
EstablishedJanuary 2020 (2020-01)
Owner(s)Erica Montgomery
ChefErica Montgomery
Food type
CityPortland
StateOregon
CountryUnited States

Description

Erica's Soul Food is a Black-owned restaurant serving Southern cuisine and soul food.[2][3] The menu includes catfish,[4] Atlanta-style chicken wings, meatloaf, and salmon croquettes with sweet onion. Wings have various sauces such as jerk, maple barbecue, and peach sriracha, and are served with blue cheese or ranch dressing.[5] Sides include black-eyed peas, cabbage, collard greens, cornbread, French fries, macaroni and cheese, boiled peanuts,[6] sautéed squash, and tater tots.[4] The restaurant also serves pound cake with White Lily flour.[5] Erica's served pumpkin spice wings in 2021.[7][8]

History

Erica's Soul Food was founded by chef Erica Montgomery, who began operating the business from a food cart in southeast Portland in January 2020. In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she made vaccine appointments for patrons who were interested in receiving one.[9][10][5] The cart closed for the August 2021 heat wave.[11]

Reception

In 2021, Jordan Michelman of Portland Monthly said Erica's had the city's best chicken wings, writing, "As carts rise again as hubs of culinary innovation with cultish fanbases, Erica's has emerged as one of the most exciting new kitchens to open in Portland in the past year and a half—not just for its food, but for its community impact. Call your wing-loving friends. Make yours a double order. Wings this good are a gift. Enjoy and be thankful."[5] The magazine's Katherine Chew Hamilton and Karen Brooks included Erica's in a list of the city's best new food carts.[6] Similarly, Michael Russell of The Oregonian included Erica's in a list of the city's best new food carts of 2021, saying the restaurant "makes some of the best soul food in the city, period". He said the menu "rewards exploration" and recommended the meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, greens, and red velvet cake.[12]

The Portland Mercury's Suzette Smith said Erica's offers "damn fine" Southern food and "might make the best tater tot in Portland" in 2021.[4] Erica's ranked in the top ten on Yelp for restaurants with the best macaroni and cheese, as of mid 2021.[13] Nick Woo and Brooke Jackson-Glidden included Erica's in Eater Portland's 2021 "guide to Portland's most outstanding food carts".[14] The website's Ron Scott and Nathan Williams included the restaurant in a 2022 list of "13 Spots for Serious Soul Food in Portland and Beyond".[15]

See also

References
  1. Russell, Michael (2021-12-24). "Erica Montgomery brought Atlanta wings to Portland, and found a home". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  2. Ham, Robert (June 3, 2020). "Help Support Portland's Black-Owned Restaurants". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on 2021-04-18. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  3. Cohen, Jason (2022-01-08). "How Could One Storefront Contain the Power of Lottie & Zula's, Erica's Soul Food and New Record Store In-A-Gadda-Da-Vinyl?". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2022-01-09. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  4. Smith, Suzette (June 28, 2021). "Takeout Club: Erica's Soul Food Might Make the Best Tater Tot in Portland". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  5. Michelman, Jordan (2021-06-10). "Erica's Soul Food Makes the Best Wings in Portland". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  6. Hamilton, Katherine Chew; Brooks, Karen (2021-09-17). "Portland's 9 Greatest New Food Carts of 2021". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2021-12-16. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  7. Hamilton, Katherine Chew (2021-10-08). "I Ate Pumpkin Spice Wings from Erica's Soul Food and Lived to Tell the Tale". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2021-11-05. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  8. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2021-10-20). "Afuri Will Open a Restaurant and 'Ramen Lab' in Slabtown". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-10-22. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  9. "Portland soul food cart offers customers help with vaccine appointments". KATU. 2021-05-13. Archived from the original on 2021-05-16. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  10. Monahan, Rachel (2021-08-11). "In a Blue State and County, Black and Latinx Residents Have Lower Vaccination Rates as COVID Cases Mount". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2021-10-10. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  11. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2021-08-11). "Restaurants, Bars, and Food Trucks Closing for the August 2021 Heat Wave". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-08-15. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  12. Russell, Michael (2021-09-22). "Portland's best new food carts of 2021". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  13. Anderson, Zuri (2021-07-14). "This Restaurant Has The Best Mac & Cheese In Portland". iHeart. Archived from the original on 2021-07-14. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  14. Woo, Nick (2015-06-10). "A Guide to Portland's Most Outstanding Food Carts". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-09-18. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  15. Scott, Ron (2021-10-05). "13 Spots for Serious Soul Food in Portland and Beyond". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2022-07-06.

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