Chicken & Waffles

Chicken and waffles is a soul-food menu staple in which the waffle serves as a trivet for pieces of fried chicken. It is common for the waffle to be accompanied by both a pitcher of syrup and a cup of onion-sweet brown gravy. The person eating it must choose which way to go. Among the nation’s most notable versions of the dish are the immense crusty wings doled out at Niece’s in St. Louis and the choose-your-parts chicken and waffles at Lo-Lo’s Chicken & Waffles in Phoenix. Lo-Lo’s thin waffles have a nice crunch, but not so much to detract from their rich, steamy insides, and they come gobbed with a sphere of sweet butter, sided by pieces of beautifully fried chicken and a pitcher of syrup. Of course, the waffles also are available with gravy and onions.