I LOVE this place! The atmosphere is impeccable, as is the service. The staff is so friendly and on point. I love seeing an African-American business run this well. What they've done with the decor is AMAZING. The jazz club that was here before was cozy and dim, and the coffee shop was bright and cute, but a bit sparse. When I first walked in here in its current incarnation, I was soooo amazed. I never noticed the building had such high, warehouse like ceilings. They have suspended and track lighting, orange furnishing & accents, and flowers. It's just a beautiful spot that feels both intimate and spacious.
1st visit: Breakfast
In April, I came in and ordered 2 breakfast items to go - the bananas foster french toast and the Chesapeake Benedict. OMG OMG OMG OMG
The french toast was TO DIE FOR and so was the benedict. It has not only the usual poached egg and hollandaise sauce, but lump crab meat (They didn't lie about it being lump and not claw or mixed, AND it was fresh. Being from this area, you know if you've been served some unthawed pasteurized crabmeat. It was not.), and *fried. green. tomatoes.*
Whaaaaat?
I split the two entrees with a friend, so we could try both, and we were both full and satisfied.
2nd visit: Dinner
I tried a Humiditea. OMG OMG OMG OMG
It's their signature mango tea with a shot of coconut rum. But that rim though. The rim is what gives the drink life. It's rolled in their mango mango preserves and then rolled liberally in flaky coconut that sticks to the preserves. Omg. The rim is like a meal.
We had appetizers and gumbo. I was most interested in the andouille poppers, but I was a bit disappointed in their taste and texture. I didn't taste ricotta or parmesan, and what I though would be a cheesy texture was a bit gritty. With onions, peppers, and andouille, I expected a bit of spice, but didn't taste any.
I was completely surprised by the neo soul eggroll! It was the opposite of the poppers - the outside was crisp, and the insides perfectly flavored and creamy. I hadn't expected them to be that good.
We had cups of gumbo and were underwhelmed. Again, not very much spice or flavors that popped. But let me tell you what the star of this meal was, besides the eggrolls. THAT REMOULADE. When I tell you that that remoulade was so good, I ate it with the apps AND the gumbo (seriously). When I tell you that that remoulade was so good, I ate it by itself. It is that good. Our server told me what goes into it when I asked, but I know if I mixed those ingredients together, it wouldn't taste like that. :D
For dessert, my cousin got the hummingbird cake, which was moist and delicious. Sort of like a carrot cake but with banana and pineapple instead of carrots. Everything was diced small, not with big hunks of fruit like I'd thought. I got the chocolate high kahlua cake. Sigh. It was a bit dry.
3rd visit:
I couldn't get the mango tea off my mind and wanted to try it without the alcohol. So I popped in, sweaty after a walk at Ft. Monroe, and ordered a mango tea and an Avery Panache (their version of an Arnold Palmer) to go. They were pretty good, but I was kind of like meh. Maybe I was missing the ambiance of the place. :)
4th visit (July 22) : Dinner
We had the mango ginger shrimp frisee. Yum.
We had humiditeas. I wasn't as impressed with mine and wasn't sure why. I ordered an extra shot of rum and that helped. I think it just wasn't as sweet as the first time. Still good though.
I had the crab cakes with andouille chived rice (instead of mashed potatoes) and asparagus (instead of green beans). The sides were decent and the crab cakes were excellent.
My friend had the salmon lafayette and he thoroughly enjoyed it. He also had dessert - I think he had the sock it to me cake. I had told him some of the cakes were underwhelming, and I don't think he found this one much of a comparison to his mom's :) But again, even their less fabulous dishes are ok, and for the service and ambiance to be so on point and the best dishes so delicious that it makes up for any missteps is truly rare.
5th visit (today): Breakfast
I came back for that Bananas Foster. It's August and I haven't forgotten that thing from April. It. Was. Just. As. Good. The second time. This time I had a side of sausage also. It was good. And coffee.
The things that are delicious here are AMAZING. It's a bit pricey, and I think you have to find what's really good to know what to order, but this place is worth it. Any missteps or inconsistencies in menu items are all but erased by the overall quality, atmosphere, and service.
There were 2 businesses in this spot prior to this - a jazz club that was wonderful and stayed packed, but eventually went out of business, and a coffee shop that never got enough business. Mango Mangeaux, like Six down the street, proves that a well run business with quality products, great service, and a welcoming ambiance WILL bring people to Phoebus. I hope this place lasts a good long time. read more