The Mahogany Grille

It's neither a sports bar nor a funky chitterlings joint, but a handsome soul food restaurant with warm mahogany accents and fresh flowers on white linen tablecloths. Resist eating too much of the irresistible corn bread, in order to save room for crisp and crackly fried chicken with waffles - or substitute sides of collard greens and macaroni and cheese (a good, old-fashioned, Velveeta-like affair). There are also some Caribbean dishes, including jerk chicken wings and conch fritters, and some low-country specialties such as shrimp, sausage, and Asiago cheese grits bathed in Creole gravy. You might also want to make note of Friday and Saturday evenings from 9 p.m. to midnight, when live jazz has this place really jumping. The waitstaff is very friendly but slow. Still, the Mahogany Grille delights because of a certain intangible but crucial something so many places lack. It's got soul.