When catching up with friends, the usual question thrown my way nowadays is: Where do you recommend to eat? This is such a heinously hard question to answer, as my tastes change and grow as I continue exploring this city and learning more about what it has to offer. My favorites aren’t these elegant, high-end eateries that are inaccessible to the average person, because I myself am an average person. Taste is subjective. For instance, I just simply hate mushrooms. I don’t have a good reason for it. I don’t even know if it’s just a weird holdover from childhood. But to this day, I refuse to eat them. I had some that my great-aunt made when we visited her in Italy, and those were good, but that’s been about it. Maybe that part of me will change someday, but until then, here are some of my favorite go-to’s.
The Dish Famous For Good Reason
Eric Williams Photography
Frank’s Famous Fried Chicken and Waffles (400 Washington St. SE) is a special one for me. I was ordering from him back before the fried chicken and waffle craze emerged, and there was pretty much nowhere in the city to get them. I was ordering back when you had to text him and get it delivered. It was the highlight of our D&D nights to hear the doorbell, because it meant that the great feast was about to take place, our fingers slick with fried chicken grease and that absolutely sublime mac and cheese. He’s since moved past text-to-deliver orders, and now has one of the most amazing places in town that I still frequent because it’s so damn good. If you haven’t taken the time to have some of the best damn soul food this city offers mixed with killer beats in a space that is warm and friendly, do yourself a favor and make the trip. It’s magical and amazing in every possible way.
The Dish Mae Or Mae Not Be The Best Cfs
Christy Mae’s (1400 San Pedro Dr. NE) is one of those places that has stuck to a tried and true formula for a long time and had it pay off. Their mix of ol’ fashioned cooking and traditional home-style meals is a recipe for success. I’m partial to the chicken-fried steak because if you chicken fry anything, it’s bound to be good. Not feeling up to the whole meal? Try the Granny’s Old Fashioned Hearty Beef Stew, which is still a hefty dish to down, but it’s so hard not to scrape the bowl clean, especially with the honey cornbread and butter that is provided. It’s hard to remember it’s there, tucked away on San Pedro, but it’s well worth your time to go in and indulge in some of the simpler styles of food that make moving away from home so hard, especially the first time.
