Chicken and waffles, that unlikely collision of breakfast and dinner foods, never made sense to me — until I discovered how and where it was popularized.
Starting in the late 1930s, Wells Supper Club in Harlem became a hot spot for wee-hours jazz jam sessions. The musicians arrived too late for dinner and too early for breakfast, so the restaurant devised a hybrid dish that recognized both meals. This origin story hits directly in my sweet spot.
I’ve never ordered chicken and waffles. A bite or two taken off of other people’s plates didn’t wow me enough to get it for myself. That changes this week.
I chose one dinner version — at Social Roost in downtown St. Pete — and one breakfast version: at Maple Street Biscuit Co., a breakfast/lunch chain founded in Jacksonville in 2012, with more than 60 locations, four of them in the Tampa Bay area. Unfortunately, neither place holds jazz jams at 3 a.m. But we forge on.
SOCIAL ROOST
A light rain made umbrellas optional as we crossed First Avenue North toward the restaurant on Wednesday at 6. The dining room, with the bar to the left, was sunk below the entrance — a cool touch.
I’d describe Social Roost as a mid-upscale place. No white tablecloths, but the patio-style chairs were cloaked in green padding, making them uber-comfy. Most entrees are in the $20-$30 range. We sat at a four-top in the center of the dining room. Despite doing fairly robust business, Social Roost was not boomy in the least, allowing us comfortable conversation.
We ordered Chicken & Waffles ($25) and a Baby Kale Caesar salad ($17) to split, and asked that the salad come out first.
That didn’t happen. The entree arrived about a minute after the salad. Our attentive server, Cole, took the main plate to the kitchen and put it under heat. The chicken and waffles weren’t back there but five minutes because we inhaled the salad.
Appearance
We immediately understood why these Chicken & Waffles cost 25 bucks. The two boneless fried chicken breasts were enormous. They sat on a couple of prodigiously sized waffles, flanked by containers of maple syrup and bacon butter. Reflexively, I looked for a side of potatoes or rice or veggies, but quickly realized that the waffles were the side (or the bottom, as it were).
Texture and Taste
Sometimes mega-sized chicken breasts can be flavorless or chalky or both. Not so here. The bird was — to borrow a phrase — like buttah: impeccably tender, with an elegant breading that provided a modicum of crunch.
The waffles were, likewise, first-rate — fluffy but not airy, with a hint of chewiness. As a chicken-and-waffles newbie, I developed a system: stack a piece of chicken and piece of waffle on the fork, dip into butter, pour on a dollop of syrup, insert into mouth. I happily kept at that for quite some time. Even so, Bonnie and I took about half a chicken breast home.
A few words about the salad: the kale was hearty but not bitter, the dressing and cheese shavings did not overpower, but all told it was a bit on the skimpy side for seventeen smackers.
MAPLE STREET BISCUIT CO.
Less than 18 hours later, we were back at it. Glimpses of sunshine peeked through a bruised sky as we walked down First Avenue South with a stiff breeze at our backs. This store is located in St. Pete’s 600 block of Central Avenue, a former bohemian enclave with cheap rents that’s now stuffed with eateries.
MSBC was bustling at 11:30 a.m. It was opening day for the Tampa Bay Rays, and quite a few folks were sporting team gear. (I didn’t see any Toronto Blue Jays garb, even though the maple leaf is part of the team logo.)
We ordered at the counter: Chix & Waffle ($13.25), a Flaky Biscuit ($2.50) for Bonnie, and two self-serve, bottomless coffees ($3.25).
We sat at a two-top and waited. And waited — to the point of discomfort (we hadn’t eaten). As the wait time ticked close to the 30-minute mark, I inquired about our order and a kitchen guy said it would be out in five minutes. They at least made good on that.
Appearance
The ratio of chicken to waffle was heavily skewed to waffle, but at 53% of the price of Social Roost, the value seemed comparable. The plastic container of syrup was precariously tilted, as if to say, “Pour me. Now.” (We’d need another container, which wasn’t easy to obtain.)
Texture and Taste
The chicken came out hot — a welcome surprise. It was tender and succulent, with a hint of spicy heat. The Asiago-Bacon waffle was a bit lighter and fluffier than the competition’s. I couldn’t detect the flavor notes that the menu touted.
This dish called for a different delivery system: Pour syrup onto waffles, cut a piece of waffle, then a piece of chicken, stack on fork and insert into mouth. This worked very well, too. Bonnie had a few bites — she approved — and I finished the meal.
And the Winner of Our Game of Chicken—and Waffles: Dinner vs. Breakfast Is …
Social Roost.
This bout could arguably be called a draw. Both versions punched above their weight. Both offered considerable value. The deciding point was the service. A half-hour-plus wait in a fast-casual restaurant is unacceptable, especially when you’ve been thus far unfed.
MSBC had a clever way of delivering their orders. Rather than have a server bring the food out, or holler out a name or number, the counter guy asked customers their favorite vacation destination. The kitchen would call out the destination name, announcing that the order was ready. Rather than being racked by indecision, I quickly chose London. As the minutes wore on and my stomach complained, it felt like I was on a flight to London.
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