I Recommend the "Betty Boop"

Today was glorious. Kendra and I headed out around 11am and made our way downtown. Why downtown? Because on the corner of S. Central and Yuma lies a little place called Lo-Lo's Chicken and Waffles (see blog post below). I had been wanting to try this place for a couple of weeks, but never got up the fortitude to drive downtown on the weekend. Man have I been missing out!

Lo-Lo's is a tiny, ramshackle building nestled between Yuma St. and an empty, scary looking lot. There's an elementary school near-by, which keeps things from looking completely desolate. But we're pretty much talking the barrio here--people walking aimlessly in the middle of the street, kids riding bikes while dragging their pit bulls behind them, etc. ATMOSPHERE.

The place was packed. We found a two-person table near the kitchen and ordered some sweet tea. Scratch that. We ordered syrup...in mason jars. It was delicious and nauseating at the same time. There's a lot on the menu but it's pretty simple: you can get a waffle (or two) with some variation of chicken parts. I settled on the "Betty Boop"--a chicken breast and waffle. Kendra got the "CJ's"--a waffle, egg, grits. Oh, and we also demanded a side of the fried okra. A SPREAD.

As we waited for our food, we took a good look around. The bare-bones interior is painted yellow with pictures of black entertainers and athletes covering every inch of the wall. It smelled of greens and fried things. It made me even hungrier than I was when I walked in.

When our food arrived, it looked amazing. The waffles are flat and sort of on the crispy side. I immediately spread the butter around and lathered it with maple syrup. With the waffle prepared, I tore off a piece of the chicken breast with my fork and popped it in my mouth. DELICIOUS. This is not KFC chicken. Not Cracker Barrel, Lee's, or Chik-fil-A chicken. This is SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN. With the syrup sufficiently infused into the waffle, I took a bite. Best waffle I've ever had (although Kendra said she likes her waffles fluffier). I've never combined the sweetness of waffle with the salty/friedness of chicken, but it really works.

As we left, Kendra and I decided to make this a tradition. We haven't quite settled on how often this tradition shall be observed (every decade would be the safest). We're thinking the last Saturday of every month. Keep that in mind when you're planning your visits.