Brad S.

Gullah cuisine is not something you typically find this far north in the Carolinas, nor is it necessarily something that most people know about in general, but this Lowcountry style of cooking is distinct when compared to your run-of-the-mill Southern cuisine, and Miss Sadie's is absolutely a place to visit if you otherwise unfortunately find yourself in the Fayetteville area. The restaurant's not in a good part of the city. It was almost completely empty during the lunch hour of my visit, and yet Miss Sadie (maybe not the actual Miss Sadie but don't ruin my dreams) standing there, ready to welcome me with open arms and show me what she had cooking that day. It was served cafeteria-style in that everything was already made and sitting in warming trays, but it was largely stew bases, and those keep well in this type of environment, so I didn't mind. She stood there and walked me through the entire menu, providing me with samples of everything as she explained it. There was something like a chicken fried steak that didn't look awesome sitting there, but she led with her butter chicken, and sweet-savory stew featuring large chunks of chicken that was her signature dish and also something I knew I was going to have even before I walked in the door. She also showed me her spicy chicken dish, but that one was more one-note with a lot of flavor coming from the apple cider vinegar that everyone uses, so I stuck to the classics. Served with some cornbread and greens, it was picture-perfect. And then, she offered me the house drink - RED KOOL-AID - for free. Presumably because she liked my face. As someone who has become accustomed to the taste of diet drinks, the super-sweet drink didn't immediately appeal to me, but lord, did I like the fact she serves it. Straight up,. Miss Sadies is a place you need to visit, if not only to get a glimpse of a culture you wouldn't otherwise find in this city, but because the food is good and plentiful, and the people serving it are out of this world.