Okay so you guys saw the very brown before shot at the beginning of this thread. After at least a half dozen applications of Purple Power degreaser and a healthy amount of elbow grease, this is what the plate looks like now:
You can still see some brown patches here and there, but Sue to answer your question, the clean part of the plate is most definitely dark gray or black in color. (Probably the same color as the hood insert - here we go again.)