Soul food egg rolls at Corafaye’s Café
Soul food soothes the everyday aches and pains of existence—homesickness, crappy days, crappier weeks. CoraFaye’s Café (2861 N. Colorado Blvd., 303-333-5551) has all of the edible love your soul can handle, plus a pleasing bit of kookiness: soul food egg rolls.
Nearly every combination of Southern-fried delight is available at CoraFaye’s, from fried chicken and catfish to barbecued pork and crumbly cornbread. If there’s a particular platter you desire, chances are CoraFaye’s already has it on the menu or can put it together for you. The country-style knick-knacks, the floral tablecloths, the air of maternal welcome—it’s all very familiar ... until someone spots the soul food egg rolls, listed as an appetizer.
Ask owner Priscilla what they are, and she’ll give you a look like you’ve gone soft in the head: They are egg rolls with soul food inside. This includes fillings like yams, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, and gravy-smothered chicken. The price is a little steep at $2.25 per roll, but, damn, if the idea of them isn’t mouthwatering.
By themselves, CoraFaye’s collards are silky soft and luscious, mingling salty pork flavors with the earthy, bitter taste of the greens. Is there a soupçon of sugar hiding in there, too? It’s either that or your taste buds singing hymns of joy.
Now take those spectacular collards, wrap them in a light egg roll wrapper, and drop them in the fryer for a moment. Yes: crispy, green nirvana. It’s hard to know whether to eat quickly or to savor each bite. Eat the roll too fast, and the fun will be over in a flash. Eat it too slowly and rapturously, and you risk attracting the attention of your tablemates, who will want a precious bite. But maybe that’s the best choice—spreading the gospel of the collard green egg roll.
By contrast, the mac and cheese roll is just okay. Fried mac and cheese is nothing new, though the egg roll wrapping is a nice variation. It’s quite tasty, of course, but it doesn’t quite reach the sublime heights of the collard roll. A cup of tangy dipping sauce on the side makes up for any deficiencies, though Priscilla keeps mum about the sauce’s ingredients. “It’s just something we whip up in the kitchen,” she says coyly.
The egg rolls stir up a mighty hunger. If Priscilla spots you giving longing looks to your friends’ food, she might bring you a little something extra from the kitchen. Otherwise, bring on the black-eyed peas. Plate up the pork. Fry that fish.
It’s not health food. But CoraFaye’s takes care of you.
