Sister Pee Wee's Soul Food

My lunch at Red Rooster Catfish put in the mood for some fried chicken or pork chops. It also triggered a bit of nostalgia. During the mid to late 90's I did a bunch of consulting stints in Arkansas and Georgia, managing to stop by Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina during the over year and a half I spent in the area. It was a big change for the boy from Hawaii. And while I sorely missed all the good grindz and Asian food.....I recall the folks I work with taking me to a "Japanese" restaurant in Columbus, Georgia that served converted rice....yep, good ol' Uncle Ben! I did gain an appreciation for the hearty, soulful, food.

With that in mind, I decided to hop down to Sister Pee Wee's on Imperial. The last time I'd been here was probably back in 2001. Still, the exterior of the place looked the same.

I think the interior has been changed a bit, though it's hard to put my finger on what exactly it was.

I know there must be at least a couple more bumper stickers, photos, or memorabilia on the walls....

The cherubic, friendly, and smiling gentleman greeted me with a big grin and a "you're early, you must be real hungry today!" And of course there was Sister Pee Wee, peering out from behind the counter.

A couple of things you ought to know about Sister Pee Wee's, the place consists of a single counter, with maybe ten chairs or so, it's cash only, and if you want to know what Sister Pee Wee is serving, you need to check out the grease board, either outside, or the one hanging behind the counter.

The last time I was here, over a decade ago, it was the smothered pork chops. Today, I went with the fried chicken, with all (3) the sides ($10). Sister Pee Wee asked me if I wanted some fruit punch, but I decided to do without all that sugar; I'd be getting enough calories as is.......

I really took to the concept of "meat and three" when working down South. And why wouldn't I? Doesn't this kind of look like a plate lunch?

In terms of the sides. The green beans were typical canned and cooked, the gravy was nice, but the rice a bit hard. I really enjoyed that potato salad, tangy and creamy, it really did well by me.

I was warned that the chicken was going to take 15-20 minutes, which didn't bother me...this isn't KFC! The batter was crisp, with the flavor teetering on the edge of salty without tipping over. The meat.....all dark meat I'm glad to say was very moist. It was good basic eats, nothing fancy, but I really didn't want nor expect more then decent grindz.

Since I was the only person in the place, Sister Pee Wee came out front when I was almost finished with lunch. We had a nice chat....well really, Sister Pee Wee did the talking, I did the listening. Last time I was here, she told me about adopting some kids. Today it was about driving up to Yuma to go fishing. Sister Pee Wee has been doing this for over 30 years......there's lots of stories to keep you entertained as I was on this day. Just like the menu, you never know what the special (story) of the day will be. That's part of the experience here.

Which for some obtuse reason got me thinking about that Japanese restaurant serving Uncle Ben's. Wonder what the sushi was like? Well, perhaps I'd better not...I shudder to imagine!  Now the world has gotten a lot smaller since then and things have probably (hopefully) changed. But there are some things that shouldn't and hopefully won't....... like Sister Pee Wee's.

Sister Pee Wee's Soul Food
2971 Imperial Ave
San Diego, CA 92102

Posted Hours (I understand that they'll close when they are out of food):
Mon - Fri 8am - 7pm
Saturday 8am - 5pm

 

Comments

[Dennis]

Hi Kirk, after all the years living here I've still yet to try the place. I enjoyed my few meat and three cafeterias in trips Nashville. By nature the quality can fluctuate but I usually have some pretty good (hearty) meals.

[Soo]

How is the fried chicken compared to Huffman's bbq? I use to go there and wait about 20 minutes for them to fry it up too.

[caninecologne]

Man that fried chicken looked so good. I've been wanting to go here forever! I lke old school places like this!

[kat]

sounds like a great place for good food and good conversations.

[Kirk]

Check them out when you have a chance Dennis. It totally reminds me of eating in those little mom and pop place down south.

Hi Soo - I like the batter texture better here, but I think the flavor was better at Huffman's.

Hi CC - I hope you get to check them out soon.

It was Kat!

[santos.]

hey kirk--the converted rice sushi comment made me remember a very forgettable meal at (cough) sugarfish by nozawa in los angeles (i was against it from the beginning, but i don't know, i thought chef nozawa was an expert or something)...the sushi rice was warm, sometimes bordering on hot. it was off-putting for me and i think probably maybe a little unsafe...? is this normal--anywhere??

[Kirk]

Hi Santos - I've had stuff at Sasabune where the shari bordered on...well, like it was still cooking. For some reason, I think the heat changes the flavor and texture of the fish. Don't know what's up with the hot rice movement. At least they didn't serve you converted rice and try to convince you that that was how sushi was supposed to be made! ;o)