FINALLY- Chicken and Waffles

Try 26 New Foods:

1. Bison
2. Ethiopian Food
3. Oysters Rockefeller
4. Shark
5. Escargot
6. Frog legs
7. Chicken and Waffles

Today was a day of finally checking a few things off of my proverbial (in addition to literal) list, and taking a few more steps on our journey to become foodies. First, we finally went to Founding Farmers, an award-winning DC restaurant known for being owned by farmers and sustainably sourced. And secondly, I finally tried one of the foods I was most looking forward to trying for my 25 list: chicken and waffles.

We loved the restaurant, and we loved the chicken and waffles.

If you are a DC local (or someone likely to visit me) I would highly recommend giving Founding Farmers a try- and not just for their green message. We went for brunch and everything was excellent. The menu had some old favorites and some unique variations. The setting was a combination of modern and rustic- the fact that the building was LEED certified was just a bonus.

Ronnie recently read this article in The Atlantic about making the perfect cup of coffee and now his new thing is trying the perfect cup himself. So at Founding Farmers we had to try the French press coffee.

It was full-bodied without any bitterness and with a strong, almost floral taste. Ronnie, foodie-in-training, drank it black. I chose to add some responsibly-sourced cream.

Next, the meal. Ronnie had the pastrami hash which led him to the life-changing revelation that he in fact does like eggs. (He had been slowly working up to this moment through bites of cheesy omelettes, but eating a whole poached egg was a big achievement for him). And I, closeted fried-chicken lover, finally got to try chicken and waffles.

It was exactly what I always dreamed it would be- the perfect combination of salty and sweet, fluffy waffles combined with crispy chicken, warmth topped with cool syrup. If you've never had it, it may sound crazy. But if you like chicken and you like waffles, I would give it a try.

My only minor complaint would be that it was actually chicken tenders and waffles, not true bone-in fried chicken. Of course chicken on the bone, with skin is always going to beat out a chicken tender in crispiness and juiciness. But the benefit of the chicken tender is that it is much easier to eat with the waffles. So if you're going for authenticity, the real chicken wins. But if you're on a first date, the tenders would be a major plus.

All in all it was a meal to remember. And isn't that what being amateur foodies is all about?

We can't wait to go back and try Founding Farmers' dinner menu. Anyone game?