Black Nile
Photos courtesy of Black Nile
Fanerra Dupree, co-owner and chef of Black Nile Seafood & Soul Food, says there’s nothing better than being in business with her husband, Hasson Dupree. “You don’t want to do this with anyone else but somebody who you love,” she says. “Someone who you know is going to be there through all the ups and downs.”
The couple and their Crown Heights restaurant are currently experiencing a “down” of historic proportions as they grapple with the impacts of the coronavirus and social distancing. But despite exceedingly slow sales over the past few weeks, they’ve managed to stay open for pick-up and delivery of their flavorful fare.
Hasson, 28, represents the Bronx, while Fanerra, 31, was raised out in Brooklyn — although the couple actually met in Charlotte, N.C., where Fanerra attended culinary school and Hasson studied at the University of North Carolina.
“But at the end of the day, we’re both from what people call ‘the hood,’ so we have the same type of flavors,” Fanerra says, describing Black Nile’s concept as rooted in African-American soul food and seafood spots, while also having Caribbean, Latin and Chinese-American influences (in addition to Fanerra’s French culinary training). “We wanted the restaurant to be a combination of all the things we grew up eating.”
“You don’t want to do this with anyone else but somebody who you love, someone who you know is going to be there through all the ups and downs.”
“In the beginning I kind of struggled with finding my voice as a chef,” says Fanerra, who trained in French cuisine and worked as a sous-chef under Moroccan and Italian chefs before opening Black Nile with Hasson in 2018. “But working together with my husband and my father, I got input on what they would want to eat instead of throwing a whole bunch of things in just to show people that I can cook it.”
Ultimately, the family decided on a menu spotlighting their own African-American culinary traditions: that good, real, down-home soul food.
Serving well-seasoned plates of Southern comfort — savory, smoky, spicy and sweet — the food at Black Nile is straight-up delicious. Among our favorite dishes are the hot honey glazed salmon, savory fried catfish with a heap of flavor-packed jambalaya, whole lemon snapper over creamy cheddar grits, and the crispy salmon belly sliders with peach jalapeño hot sauce over corn and scallion slaw. And let’s not forget about those sides: the perfect baked macaroni and cheese, vegan collard greens that are confoundingly smoky, tender coconut candied yams, and rosemary parmesan drop biscuits are just a few standouts. ⠀
One thing you won’t find on the sizable menu, however, is pork. Observant Muslims, Fanerra and Hasson say customers never balk at the idea of halal soul food. “I think that speaks to us as Black people deciding what we’re going to be, as opposed to people telling us what we’re supposed to be,” Fanerra says. “It only makes sense to evolve in our traditions while still keeping the concept of creating something from nothing, which is what I think soul food really is.”
Its walls lined with brick, wood and black metal, Black Nile has a sleek industrial look, warmed up by touches like flowers, framed quotes and proverbs, and a bookcase carrying authors including Eldridge Cleaver, Michelle Alexander, Nelson Mandela, Toni Morrison and Tressie McMillan Cottom, as well as cookbooks from the likes of Kelis and vegan chef Bryant Terry.
Fanerra’s father, a contractor (and an investor in the restaurant), built much of the furniture. “This is a place where people can feel comfortable in a family type of environment,” says Hasson, who — back when the dining room was open — would set the vibe, stopping by each table to make sure everyone’s alright. “It feels like home.”
You can bring some of Black Nile to your own home by purchasing from their housemade line of sauces, marinades and rubs at blacknileflavors.com, such as brown sugar BBQ sauce, blackening seasoning and pineapple jerk hot sauce.
“Just keep our name out there and say prayers,” Hasson says, on other ways to show support. “Hopefully we, and everybody else, can get past this.”
592 Nostrand Ave, Brooklyn, 347-879-8911, blacknilerestaurant.com
