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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.

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