New Restaurant From Mrs. White's Family, The Root and Soul, Opens Wednesday

Fried chicken and catfish sandwiches are on the menu.

April 24, 2018

Chef Buzz of The Root and Soul. Alex Stevenson

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

The family tree branching from Elizabeth White, the Mrs. White of Mrs. White's Golden Rule Cafe downtown, has grown into an impressive spread of restaurants. This week, the family tree gets bigger.

The Root and Soul soft-opens Wednesday, April 25. The restaurant occupies a stand in DeSoto Market, in the former space of RADish. Christian Buze, "Chef Buzz," helms the kitchen. Buze is the cousin of Larry White (LoLo's Chicken and Waffles) and the grandson of Elizabeth.

Buze recently cooked out of a food truck, Buzznbees. Root and Soul is his first brick-and-mortar spot.

His menu of soul food classics is small, befitting the size of the restaurant. Buze plates chicken and waffles, fish and chips, collard greens, mac and cheese, and a catfish sandwich with shrimp and spicy aioli. The additions to the catfish speak to the slightly different direction Buze often takes with classic soul food preparations. He also has a little bit of the Big Easy in him, plating andouille sausage, po' boys, and Cajun shrimp.

click to enlarge

The space where Root and Soul will cook.

Alex Stevenson

Big plates, sandwiches, sides, and salads define the menu. No category has more than five dishes. There are only three sandwiches and two salads.

RADish will be moving partly into The Provisionary, another Southern-spirited kitchen just a few windows down from The Root and Soul.

The Root and Soul. 915 North Central Avenue (inside Desoto Market); 205-670-1840.
Tuesday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to midnight; Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; closed Monday.

Correction: The article originally said the restaurant was opening today, April 24. The owners changed the opening to April 25 after this was initially published.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.

Chris Malloy, former food editor and food critic at Phoenix New Times, has written for various local and national outlets. He has scrubbed pots in a restaurant kitchen, earned graduate credit for a class about cheese, harvested garlic in Le Marche, and rolled pastas like cappellacci stuffed with chicken liver. He writes stories on the food world's margins.

Contact: Chris Malloy

Follow:

Twitter: @yollamsirhc

Instagram: @malloy_chris