Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Los Angeles: Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles



Like Britney, my comeback has had its setbacks. I still have my hair... for now. When the tests ended, it was holidays, my yearly respiratory infection, applications, and more holidays. I hate personal statements. I'm fabulous and I'm insane enough to make chemistry a career... what more do these schools want?

Apparently, a coherent message about my goals and experiences. If it weren't for good friends answering panicked pleas for editing help, I would have submitted some craptastic essays to some fairly prestigious schools. Yikes.

I'm going to blog regularly after the apps are done in early January. Until then, I'm going to close out 2008 with a visit to a place of legend and lore.

There are many great food pairings, but one of the greatest is fried chicken and waffles. It's baffling to the uninitiated and very few would utter "waffles" when asked for a compliment to fried chicken, but it works. It works incredibly well. I bow to the altar of fried chicken and waffles and the place to worship is Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles, with several locations in the Los Angeles area.

Last Sunday's visit with D., Teej, and Krazo took place at the Pasadena location. D. and Krazo ordered the Carol C. Special with one fried chicken breast and one waffle. D. noted that Roscoe's was a smidge pricey for its portion sizes, but it's best to price the dishes per calorie. That way, it appears downright cheap.

Teej ordered the Jeanne Jones Omelette with a waffle, while I ordered the 'Scoe's with gravy and onions. My chicken, all dark meat, was fried to perfection. The crust stayed crispy even drenched by the gooey gravy and onions. Crispy, however, didn't translate to my waffles, which were a little underdone and soggy. I was slightly disappointed, especially since Roscoe's was the place that turned me on to the classic waffle. After a crisp and thin waffle from Roscoe's, I swore off Belgian-style waffles forever and bought a classic waffle maker.

Service was excellent and the atmosphere is dive-ish, but comfortable and fun. Fried chicken and waffles... don't knock it until you've tried it. Happy New Year!!

Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles (Pasadena location)
830 N. Lake Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91104

7 bites:

caninecologne said...

Happy (almost) New Year! :) Looking forward to more of your culinary adventures in 2009!

My husband and I went to the Roscoe's in Oakland years ago - the fried chicken wing I got was kind of dry and tough, but the waffle was okay, from what I remember.

The Food Librarian said...

Happy New Year and good luck with the applications. I haven't been to Roscoes in years...thanks for the diet breaker! :)

Anonymous said...

They have chicken and waffles at The Beauty Shop in Memphis:

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/memphis/D54152.html

Interesting, to say the least.

Anonymous said...

You should check out the spot in Jack London Square. If I could take the chicken from Roscoe's and match it with the waffles from the place in the Bay Area. I would die satisfied.

Nate @ House of Annie said...

"Price per calorie" LOL

I've never had chicken and waffles together. Do you drizzle maple syrup on the chicken?

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Anonymous said...

I love this spot.

- MPM

Anonymous said...

Wow, that really does sound like an interesting combination. I never heard of chicken and waffles together. Neat!

7 bites