Drake’s Duck In

Whoever first paired fried chicken and waffles was a genius. The combination of two very different kinds of crisp is irresistible harmony. But there is a catch: how do you eat it? Whether topped with sweet syrup or savory gravy, it’s a challenge for knife and fork — especially if the chicken parts are wings or drumsticks — and a finger-licking mess if you try to pick up the parts by hand.

Drake’s Duck In does offer breasts and fingers, which are forkworthy; but Drake’s wings are really good — crunchy, succulent, with just the right ratio of meat to skin — and wings are not fork food. So I poured on the syrup and ate the wings by hand using multiple napkins, and alternately attacked the waffle with a fork. The waffle is the small-tread type and starts out crisp. But by the time syrup is applied and dark-meat juices flow, it gets soft. That’s OK; it remains a welcome foil for fried chicken.

Biscuits are made from scratch: crumbly, unctuous, flavorful. They come with standard eggs-and-meat breakfasts (until 10:30am), and can be stuffed with ham. The ham is city ham, sliced thick, so its character is fatty-sweet without country ham’s punch. Still, a happy morning sandwich.

Drake’s lunch menu includes plenty of fried chicken, also burgers and BBQ. Service is very fast and prices are very low. The house byword: Quackin’ Good Food.