Fried chicken on a waffle — Harlem's 2 AM jazz musician meal that became a Black American cultural icon and later a national brunch staple.
Wells Restaurant on 7th Avenue served after-hours jazz musicians who finished their sets too late for dinner and too early for breakfast. Sammy Davis Jr., Nat King Cole, and Ella Fitzgerald all ate there. Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles opened in Los Angeles in 1975 and carried the tradition west.
Chicken and waffles as traditionally prepared is a high-calorie, high-glycemic, high-saturated-fat meal. This is a cultural food and occasion food — not a nutritional strategy.
The Harlem version was simple — crispy fried chicken on a plain waffle, syrup optional. The waffle should be crisp on the outside and tender inside; the chicken must be hot and juicy. The combination works because the waffle absorbs the fried chicken juices.
Free, no account needed to ask.