DC restaurant revises controversial hip-hop tribute dinner menu after backlash

A D.C. restaurant owner has cooked up controversy over a special menu that some is calling racist.

On this menu, there were items like "thug rice" and "coke floats." But now those items are being renamed after the owner faced too much heat.

"I think it highlights negative perceptions of certain people," said one D.C. resident.

And that is what other D.C. foodies are saying after checking out Graffiato's East Coast/West Coast tribute menu for an early February fundraiser.

The menu originally listed items such as thug rice, milk chocolate chip blunts, blood money sausage and coke floats.

"I like the concept of adding something hip-hop related," said another resident. "But the drug element would have not been my choice personally."

Graffiato owner Mike Isabella says the hip-hop food event will go on as schedule, but he has now changed the menu after hearing too many complaints on social media.

He insisted he didn't want to offend, but it was just to celebrate some of his favorite music growing up -- hip-hop and rap music that he still loves today.

Isabella has pulled the menu down from his website and has posted a new politically correct one.

The thug rice is now replaced by risotto. The milk chocolate chip blunt is a mint chocolate chip cannoli. The word money has been dropped from the blood sausage. Also to reduce the hype, he has renamed each meal course after his favorite rappers and songs.

Still, some D.C. foodies say even with the change, the original thought in which a restaurant owner could create such an edgy menu still puts a bad taste in their mouths, even if he was only applauding the musical choice.

The February 2nd event is sold out with money going to support music charities in D.C.

We attempted to contact Isabella in the past several weeks to tell his side of the story, but he declined our invite for an interview.