Roscoe's: in honor of Michael Jackson

Venue: Roscoe's House of Chicken & Waffles
Location visited: Los Angeles
Website: http://www.roscoeschickenandwaffles.com/
To Visit? It's definitely comfort food for the body all over.

7/7/09 - Memorial for the King of Pop Michael Jackson. I didn't drive out to Neverland Ranch, nor did I try my luck standing outside of the Staple center. Instead, that morning I rolled out of bed and staggered downstairs half asleep in my sweats with 5 minutes left until CBS, along with the rest of world media, would broadcast the public memorial. I sat, watched, appreciated, laughed, and even got teary eyed. It was not until later that evening, did I partake in a personal tribute to one of my favorite entertainers. My friends took me on a little adventure to Los Angeles in search of none other than some good 'ol soul food. A mission "In honor of Michael Jackson" we agreed.We ended up at Roscoe's House of Chicken'n Waffles. As a first timer, I had no idea what to expect. Walking past the make-shift stall selling Michael Jackson T-shirts and through the front door, the familiar and comforting smell of fried chicken wafted pass us. The place had a diner feel, yet more cozy and relaxed. It occurred to me people didn't come here to grab a bite on the way to somewhere else in this over populated and overstressed city. People came here to have them some comfort food, some good chicken. And who am I to argue? Sometimes good chicken is enough to make everyone happy. And from the little that I knew about it, Roscoe's is the joint in LA where even celebs often stand in line for. Unfortunately, there were none there when I visited.

I was, however, able to eat a hearty chicken meal and quenched my thirst with a savory drink mix of lemonade and ice tea (Lisa's Delight on the menu, but also more commonly known as an Arnold Palmer). Aside from being told the obvious about the good chicken and waffles, I was also told that the hot water corn bread were a treat to the taste buds. Having had a late afternoon snack, I decided to stick with the Country Boy selection on the menu which came with 3 wings and my choice of potato salad. The potato salad came with actual salad bits at the bottom, nice big chunks of potato. The salad was slightly bland to me, but I personally like my potato salads a bit more relished. The chicken on the other hand, was all good. Juicy meat, lightly seasoned crispy skin, it was definitely worth the try. And for those of you that normally just eat your chicken with only ketchup or only hot sauce, I recommend mixing the two together. It's like a zesty sauce party in your mouth :)

As I took my time to finish off the last drop of my tea lemonade, and before I officially entered food comatose, I came to my own appreciative acceptance of the King of Pop's passing. LL Cool J said it all when he said "I salute you King of Pop. You made the whole world moonwalk together".

Photos: #3 on the menu - 1/2 Chix prepared southern style w/2 waffles; Lisa's Delight & Sunset lemonade drinks.