Sylvia's Soul Food [Hardcover]

Sylvia Woods (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 20, 1992

Sylvia Woods has been barbecuing, baking, frying, and smothering New York City's best soul food for nearly thirty years. According to the Zagat New York City Restaurant Survey, "For down-home delicious Soul Food, this funky Harlemite is the real thing; go for great ribs, incredible fried chicken, fiery greens, and other artery-clogging Southern staples. Don't tell your doctor what you ate."

Now, for the first time, the "Queen of Soul Food" reveals her recipe secrets for more than one hundred of the authentic, stick-to-your-ribs soul food and classic Southern dishes she serves at her world-famous Harlem restaurant.

Start off with a breakfast of homemade pork sausage with eggs and the tenderest, flakiest biscuits you've ever eaten. Move on to tried-and-true soul food favorites that include Smothered Chicken, Fried Catfish with Hushpuppies, Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings, Blackeyed Peas and Rice, and, of course, "Sylvia's World-Famous Talked-About Barbecued Ribs."

Of course, no meal at Sylvia's would be complete without a couple of "sides": Fried Green Tomatoes, Collard Greens with Cornmeal Dumplings, Candied Sweet Potatoes, and more. Sylvia's desserts are enough to satisfy any sweet tooth: Peach Cobbler, Lemon Pie, and Three-Layer Caramel Cake.

So, "if you're craving great barbecue, down-home soul food, and something uniquely New York, catch a cab up to Sylvia's, a marvelous restaurant serving up batches of great ribs, pork chops, candied sweet potatoes, and pecan pies that will satisfy the biggest eater in the family" (Passport to New York Restaurants). If you can't make it to New York, Sylvia's Soul Food will make you feel like you're there.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

While not all gourmands know soul food as well as they should, these authentic, stick-to-the-ribs recipes from the famous Harlem establishment will send many readers on a journey to this culinary genre. Collected by restaurateur Woods, with assistance from chef Styler ( Primi Piatti ), the recipes include both classics and innovations: fried chitlins, hash venison, smothered chicken, barbecued short ribs of beef and sweet potato pie. While the recipes and methods are well delivered--and, happily, recorded for posterity--the volume may disappoint those who hunger for more information than bare-bones recipes. A little shared research about this important American tradition would have broadened the book's appeal and answered readers' inevitable questions about the origins of foods like collard greens, okra and ham hocks--and might have helped the book to make the leap from recipe catalogue to gastronomic history.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Sylvia's Restaurant is a casual family-run place that serves great barbecue and other down-home fare. A Harlem institution since the 1960s, it has gained fans far away from New York City since it was discovered by the media in the late 1970s. In this cookbook, Woods gathers more than 100 recipes for her World-Famous Talked-About Spareribs, Smothered Chicken, Fried Catfish, and other soul food classics. In short, these are simple, delicious, and unpretentious recipes. Recommended for most collections.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Cookbooks; 1 edition (November 20, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688100120
• ISBN-13: 978-0688100124
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #614,637 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Sylvia! Why risk your reputation?, February 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Sylvia's Soul Food (Hardcover)

Having eaten several times at Sylvia's in Harlem I immediately bought this book excited that I now would be able to prepare the same delicious, explode-in-your-mouth flavorful foods for my own family. Sylvia did not share her recipes at all. They are basic and without flavor. For the beginner it's a good starter foundation but soon enough even the novice will need to tweak and add spice/flavor to the dishes. The macaroni & cheese was not creamy or tasty and Sylvia even had the option of adding food coloring, the biscuits were not sweet and flaky, the famous BBQ sauce was runny and did not add any flavor to meats. The banana pudding was flavorless and almost "rubbery". I could have used pudding or cake mixes out of box that were better tasting. I'm really saddened that Sylvia blatently profited off of her reputation. She did not take into consideration that most people who bought her book were loyal customers who were expecting the same high quality soul food served in her restaurant. I'm sure most were extremely disappointed.

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rave Reviews for Smothered Pork Chops, May 28, 2002

By 

Sandra M. Brown "Avid reader" (Montgomery County, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sylvia's Soul Food (Hardcover)

I have had Sylvia's book for several years and just happened to think of writing a review after I wrote a couple for some sewing books that I own. I read through the reviews of others and was surprised to read some of the negative ones. I have used quite a few of the recipes in this book. In fact, I am preparing the meatloaf recipe tonight. However, of all the recipes in the book, my absolute, hands-down favorite is the Smothered Pork Chops. I have served it several times to friends and they rave about it every time. With regard to the negative reviews, one has to understand that this is "down home" type cooking. That is what "soul food" is all about and every ethnic group has some kind of "soul food". Furthermore, everyone's mother or grandmother is going to cook the family's dishes a little bit differently from everybody else's mother or grandmother. Can you imagine how many different recipes there are for meatloaf? While I do not put yellow food coloring in my macaroni and cheese, I do prefer to use yellow cheese over white, and I do know that there are people who serve mac and cheese that is quite yellow throughout. I suspect that they are using the food coloring. After you have come to understand how a dish is supposed to taste, you are going to adjust it further for your taste and that of your family members. Sylvia's mac and cheese is wonderful, but so is Patti LaBelle's, and her dish is made differently. Sylvia's Chicken and Dumplings are also delicious, but some times, I use Paul Prudhomme's version. Readers, the bottom line is to use what suits you regardless of who wrote the book or the review, and enjoy. I am quite pleased with the book and enjoyed reading Mrs. Woods' introduction.

47 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars THIS FOOD ISN'T WHAT SHE SERVES IN HER RESTAURANTS!, September 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sylvia's Soul Food (Hardcover)

HAVING BEEN A CUSTOMER AT SYLVIA'S, I CAN ASSURE THE READER, THE FOOD IN THIS BOOK CAN'T COMPARE TO THE FOOD IN HER RESTAURANT. THE FOOD AT SYLVIA'S IS HIGHLY SEASONED AND DELICIOUS. TOO MANY OF HER RECIPES CONTAIN YELLOW FOOD COLORING. DOES YOUR MAC'N'CHEESE CONTAIN YELLOW FOOD COLORING? I DIDN'T THINK SO. I FIND THIS BOOK IS A RIP-OFF. IF YOU HAVE EVER TASTED THE SYLVIA'S I KNOW, THAN YOU WOULD SEE THAT THIS BOOK SHOULDN'T EVEN BE CONSIDERED SOUL FOOD! JUST ANOTHER MARKETING PLOY.