Meme's serves upcomfort soul food

Open for nine months, Meme's Soul Food Kitchen feeds its patrons with passed-down family recipes, aiming -- as the menu says -- to "make you smile inside." That's sweet talk for filling up your belly, a mission Meme's does well.

An attractive, small Summerville shop, Meme's has five tables set on terracotta tiling, as well as a sweet staff dedicated to its craft.

Generally, only two meats ($2.25 an order) are served daily. And depending on the day, choices might include a set of tastily breaded fried chicken wings, baked chicken, ham, turkey wings, barbecue ribs, fried pork chops, gizzards and livers, and pot roast.

Otherwise, Meme's alternates its plates ($7.50), which are served over white rice with one side.

Here's the rundown:

Tuesday calls for okra soup or field peas, and cabbage or rutabaga on Wednesday. Lima beans or stewed chicken are dished up on Thursday. Then on Saturday, Meme's makes okra soup or cabbage with sausage, followed by Sunday's serving of collard greens or rutabaga.

We made a recent trip to Meme's on a Friday, which gave us a pair of options: catfish stew with two sides or fried whiting with red rice and one side.

The stew features bite-size chunks of the fish, potatoes, tomato paste and seasonings, reaching its calling as an enjoyable comfort food.

Meantime, the whiting is generously portioned and fried to a nice consistency. It's still delicate, neither mushy nor hardened or tough.

For your sides on Fridays, pick from potato salad, macaroni cheese, fried okra, green beans and cornbread.

And definitely try the triple chocolate cake. Set atop the counter, you'll have a hard time passing it up.