Friday, February 27, 1998
House of Blues brunch offers feast for both body and soul
RESTAURANT: Southern cuisine, gospel unites
religion with community
By Vanessa VanderZanden
Daily Bruin Staff
We all know where to go to get the best pizza deal in town. And
many have become familiar with the hottest night spots. But does
anyone know where they can go to praise Jesus and enjoy chicken
jambalaya, all in one sitting?
The House of Blues provides just this atmosphere every Sunday
for their Gospel Sunday Brunch. The $26 event requires advance
phone reservations but makes available a service at 9 a.m., 12 p.m.
and 2:30 p.m. A different local gospel group entertains weekly as
patrons finish up the variety of southern treats served
buffet-style from the club floor.
Following true down-home tradition, the converted night club
lines the dance pit with rows of tables and fills the remaining
walkways with various food selections. And, with the shamble-shack
interior of the House of Blues, it isn’t difficult to imagine
oneself lingering in the bayou, desiring only eggs, bacon and
religion to remain content.
But the House of Blues offers more than a two-bit, mom-and-pop
stop in the way of southern cuisine. Chefs create made-to-order
omelettes at two separate stations, while a central bar offers a
Seattle scramble, a southern hash, corn bread with maple butter and
a spicy chicken jambalaya. Cheese, grits and bacon accompany a
mixed vegetable dish.
But that’s not all. An entire salad bar, with choice of a
Chinese chicken, pasta, fruit or make-it-yourself Cobb salad offer
a lighter selection. Meanwhile, baby croissants, bagels (with all
the fixin’s), seasoned fish and jumbo shrimp with cocktail sauce
lure feasters from the opposite wall.
Also, one chef slices two hunks of quality meat with several
sauce options nearby. And, to top it off, a dessert station
provides a succulent breaded pudding with whisky sauce, as well as
a strawberry or banana shortcake. The bottomless glasses of juice
and coffee arrive via the friendly servers after you’ve taken a
seat.
The staff, who couldn’t make the event more friendly if they
tried, provide the sort of community flavor a Gospel Sunday Brunch
should offer. Some kids dressed in nice clothes look with wide eyes
upon the food selections, while a few young, chic, L.A. couples sip
Bloody Marys, adding the perfect off-set to the wide range of ages
taking part in the feast.
As patrons finish up the last of their toppling plates, the
background music of recorded choirs is replaced with live voices.
The curtains open and out steps host Sylvia St. James, alongside
the Compton-based group The Starlights. The revival has just
begun.
Bursting out of her tight, long white lace dress and matching
wide-brimmed church hat, St. James sings with the rumble of God in
her belly. She implores the audience to throw their hands in the
air and clap along. Soon, the House is quaking.
Head singer of The Starlights Greg Botts takes over vocals after
a few shared selections. His black vest and pants with blousy
undershirt match those of his band of performers. Shaking and
straining every vocal chord in his throat to create the powerful
spirituals, it would be a surprise if the heavens didn’t part just
to hear Botts’ performance.
Most selections have Botts prompting the audience to clap along,
revealing the community nature of the southern religious
experience. Likewise, St. James has the less than touchy-feely
crowd clenching hands with their fellow diners during one
spiritually passionate song. And the final piece provides an
opportunity for all birthday boys and girls to sing along the
chorus to "In the Army of the Lord" on stage after the general
audience has already spent several minutes perfecting the ability
to answer the gospel performers.
Though the event doesn’t offer food from L.A.’s five-star chefs
or provide performances from the top-paid musicians of our time, it
affords an experience nonetheless enjoyable. Strangers can be seen
chatting with each other over the dessert bar and singing side by
side on the dance floor. In a day and age when most neighbors have
stopped gathering at the local church for Sunday service, it’s nice
to know that a Sunset club can take up the slack.
Even if most people really can’t manage to fork over $26 a week
for a chance to eat some eggs and sing some religious songs that
they probably don’t believe in. Even if the people they feast with
aren’t their neighbors but individuals they’ll probably never see
again. Even so, The House of Blues Gospel Sunday Brunch just makes
you feel good.