Bradford’s Barr Catering

I decided to come here based on a great recommendation. This is my review based on personal experience. I walked in and was greeted by a warm, friendly staff. I was given a menu without having to ask for one. The place is small but clean and well lit. I ordered the shrimp fettuccine, salmon dinner, lobster mac and cheese and side of yams. Let’s start with the shrimp fettuccine. I was shocked to find that all the pasta had been cut into small bite-​sized pieces like someone would do for a child. One of the things I enjoy when eating pasta is long noodles and twirling it using a fork and spoon. It was tasty and the shrimp were big but the child-​size pasta bits were a turn-​off. The salmon was also good although the portion was quite small relative to the fettuccine. The yams were also good but again, portion was small. The biggest disappointment was the lobster mac and cheese. After reading so many great reviews on it, I splurged on this item ($ 12.50 for appetizer size) and it was mealy and dry. The lobster was overcooked and dry. And they didn’t have any corn bread. I wouldn’t call this a soul food place as many soul food staples were missing from the menu such as baked ham, collard greens, dressing, biscuits and black eye peas. Their brunch menu looked the most promising (which included my favorite, shrimp and grits) but unfortunately it’s only served between 11am-​3pm which I find odd since grits are not just for breakfast.

We had 3 orders of the braised beef ribs with asparagus, broccoli, green beans & yams to go. The beef was TO DIE FOR! Run don’t walk to Bradford’s Barr if you are craving braised beef short ribs. Great flavor, super moist and tasty, just the right amount of yummy BBQ sauce, and not too sweet. The greens were all delicious, cooked just write with lots of flavor, garlic, butter super tasty! Yams also delish! I’m dying to go back for brunch so I can try the fried chicken and waffles!

I have such an endearment for the soul food restaurant as a whole. There is just a special place in my heart for it. A combination of 50% percent of the food I was raised on as part of my heritage and just my love and respect for the complexity of what the naked eye would see as a simple operation. The preparation and foundation of soulful cooking is anything but simple. There is no sauté station, no pre cooked pasta being heated in the constant pot of hot water on the restaurants stove, no bain marie housing our pre prepared 5 mother sauces (name them for a prize), no various ingredients diced and ready to be thrown in the mix of a pan to order. We are talking about meats that take days to prep and/​or hours to cook, flours seasoned, batters mixed, yams boiled then again cooked to candy, non of these things can or should be done on the fly. To really enjoy this food you must respect the roots and foundation from which it came.
As for the food:
Turkey wings
Mac & cheese
Chicken wings fried
Fried whiting
Broccoli
White rice
Jewel Fries
Yams
House Drinks
Verdict:
Damn Gina! ~ Martin Voice
This Chef is nothing short of great.
Turkey wings (my fav soul food dish) done differently than what I’m used to. These were heavy on the Spanish paprika and I think turmeric. Spanishy soulful flavor. Different but very nice and cooked to perfection. Mac & Cheese needs work. Does not come together, cheese is light, it was curdles of dairy with greasy noodles. Taste was there but I think they do better. So we either caught bottom of pan or off day. Fried wings were perfect but need more in order to be worth price. Well fried, seasoned and breaded. But not whole wings only wingettes. Whiting was not appealing at first because I can recognize frozen filets. However the batter, yes batter not the traditional soul food cornmeal dredging was phenomenal. Super crisp and hugged every centimeter of the filet. The execution made up for the filet quality. Broccoli was best ever, steamed tender with butter and garlic. White rice was served with butter pad and chopped parsley. Nice. Jewel fries are fries topped with diced shrimp, shrimp crème sauce, and chopped parsley. Just perfect, new, refreshing, a real jewel. These spoke Maine, the spoke Mystic, CT. The only thing missing was an ocean view. Completely new age and innovative. Yams were top 3 ever (and I’ve had hundreds of versions). House drink was a lemonade, iced tea, kool aid hybrid. Perfectly refreshing.
This is my new go to soul food establishment. BUT my search continues…

This was my first time eating here and I was highly disappointed from the food. I do agree that the service was great. However, I ordered the shrimp and grits. By the time i opened the foam container (which I thought should be in a plastic serving bowl due to the consistency of the dish) i could not identify what i was eating! The sauce had a rancid garlic taste and over powered the grits. The fried chicken had a good crunch but it was fried too hard. The yams had an after taste similar to burnt candy/​sugar. The string brings were okay but just tasted like garlic. After reading all the reviews I had high expectations however, they were not met. I wouldn’t be a regular customer.

Such a great place for «country soul» food. I had the fish with rice, yams and Jersey fries. I couldn’t finish it all. The fish was all sorts of delicious as were the yams. Everything was great. The yams tasted just like my Granny’s. It was like tasting a yummy memory. The owner /​chef was so incredibly nice! I will definitely be there again.

Had the salmon with Mac and rice. Nice portion, great flavor, great presentation. So good!!! And awesome customer service. Can’t wait to try some other entrees!

Aunt Joe’s Blueberry Delight was one of the most delicious desserts I have eaten in a long time. I felt joyful after my first mouthful. For those who have things to say about the service, it was, for me, helpful and accommodating. Look at the name. It is a catering establishment. They have some eat-​in tables and take-​out, but it is not primarily a restaurant, so when you walk in there, looking for all of the amenities of a full-​service restaurant, YOU are the one you who is off-​base. All that said, my dinner and everyone else’s that joined me was delicious. Will definitely pick up dinner there again!

Food delicious!!!
This business was at Carlis in hillside and while the food was great, the waitress knocked over my drink. She apologized and went in the back (I thought she was looking for a solution) she came back and when we asked her what the deal was with the drink she said «oh I didn’t knock that over» lol. Now 3 people saw her adjust my container of food and knock my drink over but ok. I didn’t argue with her I just took it out her tip. However it left a bad taste in my mouth. She could have handled the situation much better but she went that route. Albeit, I won’t be visiting this resturant. There is nothing I absolutely hate more than bad service. To make it worst I heard her discussing it in the back so if the solution that they derived with was to deny it that was a poor solution and while I lost $ 5 you lost repeat customers.

AMAZING FOOD AND SERVICE!
My good friend from Ohio discovered this place on instagram. LOL
We went. It is easy to miss. Once we were inside, we were greeted by the owner’s daughter. She was so pleasant and provided impeccable service. It is a refresher to see polite youth. The owner had us laughing and the food was awesome. I was too full to finish.
It’s BYOB. I have bragged about this place so much. I will be back soon!

Best kept secret in Maplewood. Don’t let the small space fool you. As you walk in the restaurant you are greeted with a smile. The ambiance and service sets them apart from other family restaurants. The food presentation is on the level of a 4 star restaurant. You must try the crab cakes and lobster Mac and cheese.
I will be back.

Love this place very inviting and Sharonda is the best! And the shrimp & grits are the best!

Service was slightly off. Upon entry, we weren’t greeted or asked about our deal — like how many, eat-​in/​take out. Awkward. After we volunteered that we’d eat-​in, we realized that all unoccupied tables each only accommodated 2 people. When we tried to put 2 small tables together, we were told to stop. The staff then separated them and arranged most of 3 place settings on one of the tables. She then kindly took our drink order then later our meal order.
I ordered the Lobster Mac appetizer as my meal and I’m glad I did. It was definitely filling with juicy pieces of lobster meat and shrimp mixed in with warm, cheesy pasta topped with crunchy breadcrumbs, scallion, and seasoning. Absolutely delicious and satisfying. This is my #1 reason to visit this place again and try other dishes plus this!

I’ve been craving some really good fried chicken and waffles. I’m knocked up so this craving inside of me is real. I was so excited to come here.
Me n my girls walked in and instead of being welcomed we got a look. After an awkward silence we were told we can seat ourselves. The tables sat two, but we were three. As we attempted to make OURSELVES comfortable the waitress rushed over and says, «No»! She then proceeded to arrange the tables to her satisfaction. The waitress was a little rough, but who cares I want some chicken and waffles.
Me: We’re ready to order can I have chicken and waffles?
Waitress: No it’s after three you can’t order that.
Me: Can I have some blue velvet cake?
Waitress: No we don’t have any.
Me: Can I have some banana pudding?
Waitress: Sure when do u want it?
Me: Now, whenever I just really want it.
THE PUDDING NEVER CAME!
I ended up ordering fried chicken and fries. I got all wings with very little meat and mostly batter, but the fries were good yae for me and my cravings.
My two dates got the lobster mac n cheese. The serving is super small don’t try to share this plate, but it was actually really good.
When it was time to pay we felt like we were walking on egg shells at this point, but we dared ask for the bill, payed, and all walked out of there saying wtf just happened?

I’ve been back twice since my initial visit for breakfast and I had to come back to update my rating! I love their seafood and grits! As I mentioned in my initial review, the service is wonderful! Will continue to support these beautiful ladies !

My wife and I ate here on 6÷30÷15. The food is prepared after you order therefore everything is fresh. Our order was to go. I had the smothered turkey wing (s) with string beans and mac and cheese. My wife had the fried whiting dinner with yams and mac and cheese.
To start off, the food is VERY flavorful. The only reason I did not give 5 stars is because if the quantity of the food and the deception that I encountered.
When I got home and opened my food, I found that the whiting dinner consisted of about 1 ½ pieces of whiting on top of some cheesy rice, around 5 small pieces of yams. The mac and cheese was plentiful and delicious. The turkey wing (s) was one medium to large turkey wing which was fall off the bone tender, a large amount of rice with turkey gravy, a small amount of string beans and a decent amount of mac and cheese.
All in all, I enjoyed the food. I just wish there had been more meat and fish and less rice. I will probably eat there again but only if I was in the area. I have had other soul food that gives greater portions but the flavor is not as good. Too bad.

Everything we had was delicious: fried chicken meal, fish dinner, turkey wings and salmon! The food was cooked well and presented nicely. You can tell the food is made with soul. The waitress was pleasant.
A couple of issues/​things:
— If you ask for water they bring you a bottle of water and charge you for it. That’s not clear on the menu.
— The menu advertised 3 pieces of fish but our plate only got two pieces.
–May be better for take-​out; it’s a small place

Came here with my family was in the mood for some soul food. The food was great we had fried fish, fried chicken, lobster mac and cheese, rice, and veggies. The only thing that I can say is that the lobster man and cheese was not as great as the rest of the food and it was a bit too oily. Another thing that made me kind of sad was that there were no cakes like the ones on Unilocal pictures, and the service sucks. The waitress was more attentive of her regulars and making jokes than taking care of us. You can tell that she did not have any service training. Service makes people come back and this is not a place I can see myself coming back to.

The food was good but pricey.

I’ve been here twice! Portions are always a perfect size! And the food is always fresh, light and yum! The Shrimp and Gritssss and Peach Cobbler though … Jesus take the wheel !

Crab cakes — amazing
Buffalo wings — fantastic
Stumbled upon this little spot of a gem eatery for those who appreciate the details in what they eat. Glad we stopped.
Braised ribs were also crazy good. If I am ever back in the area I’ll be back.