An order of chicken wings at Oohhs & Aahhs will have you saying just that -- "Oohh" and "Aahh" -- as you marvel at the abundant meat, flawless fry job and house-made sauces (there are three) that help draw soul food lovers to this friendly shoebox and keep its handful of counter seats occupied. Owners Oji Abbott and India Wilson take turns in the exposed kitchen, frying the wings to a shade of gold and then tossing the eight pieces ($7.95) in a wok with your choice of moistener. "You want the sauce to stick," explains Abbott. Talk about good things in small packages! The kitchen's barbecue sauce -- tart with vinegar, sweet with sugar, hot with red pepper -- sticks to my fingers and lingers in my mind. A choice of sides comes with the order; I'm always torn between the mustardy potato salad and tangy collard greens.

--Tom Sietsema (December 25, 2005)

To describe Oohhs & Aahhs Soul Food Restaurant near Howard University as tiny would be an understatement. There is barely enough space to open the door without bumping into the diners filling the four bar stools at the counter. There is a very narrow hallway beside the open kitchen that leads to a few more seats upstairs. But Oohhs & Aahhs is a carryout at heart, with food that makes its moniker self-evident. Oji Abbott opened the two-year-old restaurant with his girlfriend, India Wilson, for one simple reason: He couldn't find good food. The former security guard went off to culinary school and learned his craft in catering before opening the restaurant, best known for its chicken. Although Abbott will cook other pieces on request, order chicken and you'll get fried chicken wings, meatier than any your mother ever cooked. The potato salad is scrumptious; the yams are too sweet for my taste. Salmon and baked chicken are other popular items. This carryout lives up to its name.

-- Nancy Lewis (April 27, 2006)