Sweet Tea Brined Fried Chicken Makes Me VERY Happy!
Last weekend, I caught up with Lauren at a restaurant that opened up several weeks ago. Root & Bone is from two Top Chef alum (Jeff McInnis and Janine Booth) and has been blowing up my Instagram feed from fellow foodies posting drool-worthy pics of chicken and waffles!
Pretty Exterior
This spot doesn't take reservations, so we arrived right when it opened (11:30am-ish). When our server told us about the special Bourbon Bloody Mary I was ALL over it. When it arrived and I saw all the yummy garnishes (BACON! PICKLES! OLIVES!), I was even more stoked!
Bourbon Bloody Mary
The executive chef is known for fried chicken, so I knew I had to order it. There was simply nothing to think about. I got a half order of the Crispy Free-Range Chicken. It is sweet tea brined and served with pickled lemon dust and spiked Tabasco honey. I'm really not sure where to start. The chicken was delicious. Each bite was awesome. The skin was perfectly crisp, the meat was moist and the sweet tea brine was a wonderful complement to the salty skin. I love the taste combination of salty & sweet, so I was in HEAVEN!
Crispy Free-Range Bucket of Bird (half order)
There is an option to add a cheddar cheese waffle and whiskey maple syrup. CLEARLY I did that. I was surprised when 4 mini waffles appeared instead of one large waffle. They were super cute! The cheese ended up hardening up and cooling down. I'm undecided on this presentation style - it was just congealed, not that sexy. I'd suggest that the cheese be shredded and integrated into the batter or turned more into a cheese sauce.
Cheddar Cheese Waffle with Whiskey Maple Syrup
I also read that the mac & cheese was super delicious, so we ordered a side. Naturally, it was huge. The mac is made with big elbow pasta, crunchy cheese toast and a fresh thyme crust. We loved it but hardly made a dent in it - eek!
Macaroni & Cheese
Lauren ordered the Southern Peach Caprese made with fried pimento cheese, grilled peaches, pickled green tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, sticky molasses vinegar and basil. She loved it! I wanted no part of any sort of salad as I was elbow deep in CHICKEN N WAFFLES YO!
Southern Peach Caprese
When we got the check, it was rolled up in a bone. I thought this was a nice (somewhat spooky) touch and attention to detail.
It is called Root & BONE after all!
Obvs we had to have a photo shoot - say CHEESE!
LA LA SANDS!
Come here and order the chicken!! Since you can't make reservations, I'd recommend coming right at opening or at non-peak meal times.
Cheers,
Liz