Woe to the Philly restaurateur who attempts anything Creole/Cajun/Louisiana-ish. LaBan’s pre-Inky gig was reviewing for the New Orleans Times-Picayune and he has more opinions than usual when it comes to the cuisine of that region.

Craig goes a little bit LaBananas on Chestnut Hill BYOB Soul, delivering quite a smackdown to the mother-daughter-run operation. He finds too much seasoning and too little to love on the “Modern Creole” menu.

The steamed clams, though, were a problem. They were full of sea grit, pieces of broken shell, and wild bursts of jalapeño heat, and one of my guests who’d swallowed all three needed a brief trip to the Germantown Avenue sidewalk to gasp for fresh air. An artless hand with spice and seasoning would strike again soon, and often.

In a related note, Soul’s chef-owner Angie Brown and her daughter Samantha Johnson are contestants on the new NBC reality show Chopping Block. Check out a clip below.

Soul Review [The Inquirer]
Soul BYOB [Official Site]