Mr. Frog’s Soul Food and Creole Kitchen opens on Market Street

Vijay Shastri’s new restaurant, Mr. Frog’s Creole and Soul Kitchen, opens in earnest this weekend at 42 Market Street. The restaurant serves authentic Creole classics that have been hard to come by in the area since Twin Cousin’s Kitchen closed. The Southern-soul side of the menu includes pulled pork ($8), fried white fish ($9), chicken and dumplings ($6.50) and buttermilk-fried chicken ($7.50). Sides include mac and cheese, collards, corn on the cob — that sort of thing.

We’re particularly enamored of the New Orleans-style Creole dishes. Think gumbo with a deeply layered heat and good depth of flavor from a nutty, dark roux, bone-in chicken and North Carolina-made andouille. You can order it filled with with large, fresh shrimp for a few dollars more. Think properly dark, thick and spicy crawfish étouffée, slow-roasted boneless short ribs (I mean really slow — 14-hours slow) wrapped in bacon and served in a flavorful herb gravy (“That’s my ‘meatloaf,’” says Shastri).

That omnipresent low-country classic, shrimp and grits, is served with sprouted-corn grits, offering a rich, sweet flavor that really sings when mixed with a dairy. It’s a solidly satisfying, rich, old-school version.

The oxtails are great, too, served in an herb-enhanced jus with Shastri’s version of mashed potatoes (which he calls “wonder taters”), enhanced with parsnips and cauliflower for a fluffier texture and deeper flavor (it’s likely that the oxtail dish will vary daily). It’s scattered with fried okra, extra-crispy from the cornmeal mixture that Shastri uses for breading. He mixes coarse-ground meal with a small portion of white-corn grits for a coating that holds its crispness, even when floating in an oxtail jus. Fried green tomatoes benefit from the same breading.

The menu, written on a large chalkboard, will vary. Portions are big and Shastri says he’ll keep the prices low. That dish of gumbo, for example, is big enough for two (or one big eater) and will cost $9 without the shrimp. Mr. Frog’s Soul & Creole Kitchen is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. For more information, call 505-4999 or visit http://www.mrfrogs.com.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

One thought on “Mr. Frog’s Soul Food and Creole Kitchen opens on Market Street

  1. Janie Guzzo

    Awesome food!!! Everything is great! I had soul and my husband had creole. We were both wowed!

Leave a Reply to Janie Guzzo ×

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.