EllaEm’s Soul Food
Cornbread Muffins
Fried Chicken, Chicken Gravy, Fried Okra, Mac n’ Cheese, Candied Yams
Sweet Potato Pie
Red Velvet Cake
Tucked away in a strip mall on West Craig Road in North Las Vegas, but frequented by locals and those within the proper city limits for what some consider to be the best Soulfood in The Valley, it was just after 5pm that I entered the stripped down confines of EllaEm’s for a bite before dinner and although several take-out orders unfortunately caused a rather lengthy delay from the kitchen one would be hard-pressed to name another place offering a more authentic experience, particularly at such a price.
Not at all billed to be the upscale experience of Yardbird and far less often discussed than either location of underwhelming M&M Soul Food Cafe found further South, it was at a four-top surrounded by a crowd of all ages and ethnicities that I was seated mere moments after entry and perusing the menu it a young Hispanic hostess offered smiling greetings before filling water and presenting the first of two rounds of complimentary cornbread muffins, each bite tinged with sweetness amidst a delicate yet toothsome base.
Offering a la carte options, but generally a far better deal when ordered as a combo or traditional “Meat + 3,” it was in rejecting temptation offered by fried pork chops as well as several other entrees that my original target of EllaEm’s signature fried chicken was selected and although attempts to add-on a waffle were thwarted by poor kitchen timing the nearly thirty minute wait was rewarded by two legs and a thigh of crisply breaded brined bird, the spice profile well represented straight through the skin and into the flesh while sides of yams and fried okra were reference standard in execution, the man & cheese largely forgettable with overcooked noodles plus a soupy thin sauce.
Apologies offered by the young server for the missing waffle and delays that were in no way her fault, there was little doubt that a meal at any Southern eatery was likely to end without a sampling of dessert, and although the lack of banana pudding would seem to be a serious menu oversight both the small slice of warm red velvet cake and one of Sweet Potato pie were far better than one may have expected, the former far sweeter than other cocoa-laden iterations while the latter atop a crisp and flaky crust impressed by taking the traditional savory route.
FOUR STARS: No doubt one of “Hidden Gems” of North Las Vegas, an area oft lamented for a dearth of quality places to dine, EllaEm’s offers not only a relative bargain for the dollar but also some of the city’s very best fried chicken and Red Velvet Cake, no small praise considering the omnipresence of each on menus throughout town.
RECOMMENDED: Fried Chicken, Red Velvet Cake, Fried Okra, Sweet Potato Pie.
AVOID: Macaroni and Cheese.
TIP: Closed on Mondays, 11a-9p Tuesday through Saturday and closing at 7 on Sunday.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
http://ellaems.com/
