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| - Browsing through Groupon, I found Legends Café offering up a couple different deals. After searching online, I was unable to find any solid info on the place and decided just to go ahead with purchasing the Groupon and trying it out for myself.
The restaurant is located near the intersection of Rancho & Rainbow, just across the street from the Sante Fe Casino. They are two doors down from Dimas Tacos, inside the lot where the old movie theater used to be . The interior is kind of basic but has a nice homey, welcoming feel and they keep it very clean. There's a good amount of seating, but they offer to-go orders as well.
We were seated by one of the owners, Yvonne, who was kind enough to answer questions about the restaurant and the food. She explained that there used to be another restaurant in this location called Dirty South, which I had never heard of either. When they took over about 7 months ago, they revamped everything and changed the name. They still offer classic soul food dishes, but after investing in a new $7k smoker, smoke complaints from neighbors down the street forced them to put their BBQ efforts on hold. Apart from that setback, they still have a decent amount of items on the menu including oxtail, chitins and even an AYCE option.
I ended up ordering the fried catfish dinner. For $12.99, you get 4 decent sized pieces of fish, 2 sides and a dinner roll. The catfish appeared to be very fresh and was cooked well with a nice tender, flaky interior. My only complaint is they were a bit heavy handed on the coating/breading, so it was slightly overpowering. The flavor was decent and not overly salty, but I think they went to light with the pepper and spices, so it lacked that slightly spicy kick I prefer in fried fish. I was also able to sample the fried chicken and even though it wasn't as crispy as I think fried chicken should be, the batter was really good and had a nice, subtle heat in it. If they do the same for the fish, it's winner, winner catfish dinner! Screw the chicken!
Ultimately, the sides are what really stood out for me here though. They have quite a few to choose from and it tastes like they put just as much love into the sides, as they do into the main dish. We ended up trying the collard greens, fried cabbage, mac 'n cheese and the potato salad. Both the greens and mac 'n cheese were some of the best versions I've had as a side at any restaurant. They do a sweet potato salad so I wasn't a huge fan of that but the fried cabbage was absolutely incredible. It's perfectly cooked with sweet, salty and spicy flavors but they throw in fresh peppers, giving it an amazing texture too.
If you're in the mood for desserts, they have a handful of homemade offerings. Unfortunately, the lady who makes peach cobbler was out of town so we didn't get to try that, but we did order some banana pudding. I could tell it was made earlier as the bananas were starting to brown and the wafers were slightly soggy, but the flavor was still very good and I wouldn't hesitate to order it again.
I'm not sure how this place has gone 7 months without making it's way on to Yelp but I sure hope they stick around. Not only do we need good spots to eat in the NW, but Yvonne and company are great. I don't drink sweet tea and even though we were the only ones in the restaurant at the time, she offered to brew unsweetened for me. Above and beyond service like that is hard to find and its much appreciated. Legends Café will certainly be seeing me again!
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