Where did you order food from this weekend? The 217 Black Restaurant Weekend was this past weekend celebrating Black-owned Champaign-Urbana restaurants, food trucks, a bakery, and more.
Buy Black Chambana wrote:
Black Restaurant Weekend is designed to promote economic diversity in Champaign County. We are not asking people to support these businesses simply because they are Black-owned. We announce they are Black owned to honor and celebrate them because even through systemic oppression and racism they have beaten the odds. We congratulate their work ethic and we acknowledge their struggle. There are so many amazing businesses in our online directory that have not received the media attention they deserve. This is an opportunity for the community to support and bolster our Black-owned businesses that have some of the most bragged about menus and truly engaging atmospheres.
This weekend, I enjoyed some fantastic food. I ordered dinner on Friday night from Wood N’ Hog for a date night in.
Photo by Alyssa Buckley.
Of course, I loved the pulled pork sandwiches with fries; Wood N’ Hog’s pulled pork sandwich has made it into a few of my lists here and here because it is so damn good. The potato salad and beans are simply delicious as was the coleslaw. I like to get a big slaw, so we can put some on top of the sandwiches. The fried green tomatoes were so good, and they carried out really well.
Photo by Alyssa Buckley.
But, I need to tell you about this fried okra. This fried okra side was incredible, and the portion was more than generous. Just a ton of little tasty, crunchy balls of batter with some soft okra inside: this okra side is a must order for sure when you’re at Wood N’ Hog.
On Saturday, I put in an order to pick up dinner from The Stuft Bird, but thirty minutes later, I got a call saying that they had sold out. I was happy for them, but still hungry and wanting to celebrate another Black-owned food truck, I found the C&C Kitchen food truck and put in an order for dinner.
Photo by Alyssa Buckley.
This C&C dinner of Polish sausage with a side of fries and the smoked chicken with beans and a side of corn was praiseworthy. The sausage sandwich had two sausages which is double the sausage I thought I was getting, and it was a messy, amazing meal. The smoked dark meat chicken was covered in a delicious sauce, and the beans, my god, the beans! They had a deep, developed flavor with slightly smoky and sweet notes that elevated this little cup of baked beans to something heavenly.
Jess had a hearty dinner from Neil St. Blues.
Photo by Jessica Hammie.
Jess ordered rip tips with a side of red beans and rice, fried green tomatoes, Philly cheesesteak eggrolls, fried chicken wings, and a side of candied yams. Yum.
Let us know in the comments where you enjoyed food from this weekend.
Top image by Jessica Hammie.
