Guilty Kitchen a new court-themed soul food restaurant in Hartford
Destanie Chappell is guilty as charged. Chappell, owner of Hartford’s new restaurant, Guilty Kitchen and Lounge, says she is guilty of creating delicious soul food and a welcoming atmosphere. And her bar manager Matt Timmons is guilty of creating fun cocktails that play on the restaurant’s legal theme.
Chappell doesn’t call herself the owner. She is the judge, and her kitchen is the judge’s chamber. The DJ is the bailiff. The menu is divided into Pre-Trial (appetizers), Recess and Verdict (main dishes), Small Claims (sides) and Juvenile (kids’ meals).
“My father came up with the name. Why does guilty have to be something negative you do? You can be guilty of doing something positive,” Chappell said. “I am guilty of serving good food. I am guilty of serving good drinks. I am guilty of creating good vibes and a happy environment.”
Guilty Kitchen is in the South Green area on Congress Street, an entire block that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The road has cobblestone sidewalks and red brick Italianate, Queen Anne and Victorian houses dating from the mid- to late-19th and early-20th centuries.
The eatery inside 7 Congress St. has a very 21st century feel. The 3,600-square-foot space has polished woodwork, a DJ booth, an elegant Italian marble bar topped by three TVs, online ordering for takeout, touchless card transactions, artworks by Black artists and a young Black woman in charge of it all.
Chappell’s menu combines classic soul food — macaroni and cheese, cornbread, collard greens, candied yams, grits, fish, shrimp — and some elegant additions, including Chappell’s favorite food, lamb chops.
“They are the specialty of the house every day,” she said.
Also on the menu are salmon, steak, calamari rings, snapper, chicken, salad and pies.
Chappell is proud of her Love Rolls, her own take on egg rolls. “I make steak and cheese, chicken teriyaki, macaroni and cheese and yam, buffalo chicken, veggie, peach cobbler, and a breakfast one with a fried egg, corned beef hash and sausage,” she said.
These fit Chappell’s definition of soul food. “Soul food is anything that makes your soul happy,” she said.
Guilty has a Sunday brunch and on Fridays, a DJ happy hour with Trinidadian food added to the menu.
Timmons mixes a lot of specialty drinks with names evoking courthouses or jailhouses. Prison Punch is Southern Comfort, Crown Royal, lemonade, pineapple juice and grenadine. The Shank is Ketel One vodka, orange and pineapple juices, peach schnapps and grenadine. Blood-colored Killer Kool Aid is cranberry juice, Amaretto di Saronno and Crown Royal.
The most surprising thing to end up in a cocktail glass, however, is the “shrimp and grits martini.” It isn’t a martini, just an eye-catching way of serving the traditional breakfast food.
Child care to cooking
Chappell grew up in Hartford, then attended South Carolina State University, majoring in early childhood education. After a few child care jobs, she decided to focus on her first love: feeding people.
She tested the waters with friends and family. “I know a lot of people who work in health care, on the third shift. Working people didn’t have an option at midnight. After work, there is nowhere to eat but McDonald’s,” she said.
Chappell started Trapkitchen in the North End, a grab-and-go place. Then she moved on to Guilty, which serves food similar to what she sold at Trap, but made to order and dine-in. Guilty also does catering.
She still uses her family when she experiments with new dishes. “I go up to them and say ‘test kitchen!’ They’re very honest. If it’s good, they tell me. If it’s bad, they tell me,” she said.
Guilty Kitchen had a soft opening in May and has developed a devoted fan base among those who heard about the eatery by word of mouth: friends, family, workers in nearby law offices and Hartford Hospital.
Chappell is waiting until she can hire enough workers before her official grand opening, she hopes by mid-August. Until then, she and Timmons will do their best to serve anyone who wants to order. “If you come in and you’re hungry, I will feed you,” she said. “If you want to order a drink, you can get one.”
Guilty Kitchen and Lounge serves meals Monday-Thursday noon to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday noon to midnight or 1 a.m. “depending on the flow,” with the bar open until 1:30 a.m., and Sunday noon to 6 p.m. Parking is scarce on Congress Street, so a nearby lot at 19-21 Wethersfield Ave. is available. guiltykitchenandlounge.com.
Susan Dunne can be reached at sdunne@courant.com.
