Restaurant review: Nafsi brings a chef's heart and soul food to the South Shore Cultural Center in Chicago

Chicago Tribune

2 days ago

Nafsi brings a chef's heart and soul food to the historic South Shore Cultural Center in Chicago, but the earnest service needs to rise to the occasion.
The dining room staff is unquestionably sincere in the celebratory space. You may see servers not just singing 'Happy Birthday' at a table of elders, but moved with emotion. If you're lucky, you'll join them in applauding graduates, still wearing caps and sashlike academic stoles.
But it's executive chef Dondee Robinson, last at Bronzeville Winery, who sets the standard of excellence from the kitchen.
His catfish and grits is an homage to Nafsi owner Donnell Digby's family, founders of the once-thriving Black-owned business Catfish Digby's.
Robinson transforms the traditional dish into an elegant offering rivaling the rarest catch from the deep blue sea. A golden and crackling creole-spiced crust hides a delicate and delicious filet, presented on glimmering and buttery grits. A side of bright arrabbiata sauce imparts tomato, garlic, chile and the warmth of the sun.
'That's like the staple of Nafsi,' said the chef. 'Everybody's coming for the fried catfish and grits.'
He changed the sauce from a bouillabaisse béchamel shortly after opening last September, omitting heavy cream for a thoughtful reason.
'You still have the impactful flavor, but it's less stress on the line cook, especially when we get busy,' the chef said. 'You never want to break a sauce and send it out.'
His repertoire includes a sweet, sour and hot honey thyme gastrique, plus a lovely caramelized bourbon maple syrup, both accompanying a chicken and waffle dish at brunch.
The crisp and fragrant lavender poppy seed waffle held two sculptural pieces, fried hard yet tender within, cleaved from a deboned leg quarter.
I was curious about the chef's choice of a thinner waffle style, rather than a thicker Belgian. The former reminded me of old-school Roscoe's House of Chicken 'N Waffles in Los Angeles, which popularized the dish in modern times. The latter is what you typically find at restaurants now.
'One place I loved going to right here on the South Side is Chicago's Home of Chicken & Waffles,' Robinson said. 'They have the flat waffles, and I always loved those, because I'm a big fan of pancakes, so this was like the best of both worlds to me. I just wanted to go with a thin and crispy decadent waffle, and I didn't want to go the Belgian way. I just want to be a little different.'
The Southern biscuits and gravy also recognizes tradition a bit differently at brunch, with turkey replacing pork in a peppery house-made sausage, studding a luxurious white gravy that smothers soft yet hearty biscuits.
A chargrilled Blue Point oysters appetizer with creole butter and parmesan cheese were pristine and plump, served with toasted baguette to soak in the luminous liqueur.
A mac and cheese side — bubbling hot with cheddar, Gouda and fontina — bound cavatappi beautifully to a secret supplement of the crimson crawfish.
The oxtail empanadas hid savory braised oxtail and melty mozzarella in stunning pastry shells, enhanced further with a surprising oxtail marmalade and a herbaceous, garlicky chimichurri.
The menu is packed with treasures disguised as seasonal and sizable appetizers and sides.
'Sometimes I find my comfort in sides and appetizers,' Robinson said. 'I kind of get to make my own plate.'
The South Shore Burger, back at brunch with a neatly fried egg, comes with carefully truffled fries, but the bourbon-glazed beef bacon was just so dry. Chargrilled asparagus with lemon zest had a nice smoky flavor, but were very thin and cooked limp. The jollof rice looked vibrant and promising, but missed the defining complexity of flavor.
A Peaches & Herb Sidecar cocktail (mixed with Rémy Martin VSOP cognac, Grey Goose white peach and rosemary vodka, plus peach schnapps for good measure) was well balanced, but beware the price at $23, surprising with other signature cocktails at $18 and classics at $14.
The nonalcoholic Nafsi fruit punch is well worth the $10 for a lovely and nuanced drink that's not too sweet despite its appearance.
But it took 30 minutes after I sat down for a late brunch until my punch arrived. Food followed fast, fortunately. But then there was another 15-minute wait to find anyone in the end for the check.
That was all better than an early dinner when my friendly server forgot my request for a spoon. Twenty minutes later, after the ice cream melted completely around my cake, I walked up to the kitchen door.
And no, I couldn't just grab one from another table. The napkin roll-ups only included forks and knives. In retrospect, I was relatively lucky since other desperate diners were served food before any utensils at all.
Had I known how wonderful that Southern butter cake was, however, I would have eaten it with my bare hands, even with the melted maple butter pecan ice cream pool.
'It's almost like a gooey butter cake,' said Robinson about the St. Louis dessert. He's also the pastry chef, but clearly has a promising protégée, especially evident in the ethereal banana bourbon bread pudding, drizzled with a bourbon caramel sauce, and topped by a scoop of banana caramel gelato.
'We try to teach everybody everything,' the chef said. 'Whatever piques your interest.'
The dining room is pretty, light and airy with a floral installation overhead, looking out to a patio and bar area that's enclosed and open year-round. My favorite table is hidden in the corner by the floor-to-ceiling windows with a glimpse of the surrounding golf course and lakefront beyond.
'Nafsi means 'soul' in Swahili,' said Robinson. 'But I know some people don't like the term elevated soul food.'
So what would he like to call his food?
He paused at length.
'It's a piece of me,' said the chef. 'It's a piece of my soul.'
It's his experience in the culinary industry, his camaraderie with James Beard award-winning and Michelin-starred fellow chefs, and what he's teaching the next generation.
'To keep it plain and simple, I call it good food,' he added laughing. 'Whether it's elevated or not.'
Nafsi
7059 S. South Shore Drive (inside the South Shore Cultural Center)
872-354-4441
nafsisouthshorebeach.com
Open: Wednesday and Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 3 to 11 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Monday and Tuesday
Prices: $23 (fried catfish and grits), $22 (oxtail empanadas), $13 (mac and cheese, with crawfish add $5), $26 (honey lavender poppy seed waffle and fried deboned leg quarter, available Sunday brunch only), $12 (Southern butter cake) $10 (nonalcoholic Nafsi punch), $23 (Peaches & Herb Sidecar cocktail)
Sound: OK (65 to 70 dB)
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible with restrooms on the same level
Tribune rating: Very good to excellent, 2.5 of 4 stars
Ratings key: Four stars, outstanding; three stars, excellent; two stars, very good; one star, good; no stars, unsatisfactory. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.