She Said: Jorge’s is chicken and waffles done right

Let me start off by saying this restaurant is more than just chicken and waffles. Their menu is actually quite diverse and ranges from Mexican and American fare to Southern favorites.

The interior at Jorge’s Chicken and Waffles is bright and vibrant with a music/jazz theme throughout the joint. Trumpets hang on the wall, vintage LP record album sleeves serve as menu holders and a nice range of music is playing overhead.

We started with the carne asada fries — onions, cheese, olives and jalapenos are piled high onto a mound of fries. The flavorful pork was the clearly the best item on the plate, as the fries soaked up all the nacho-like flavors.

Because I was dining with a mac and cheese aficionado, an order of the jalapeno mac and cheese was a must. Everyone at the table had their forks up and ready as it arrived. Anytime there is a gooey string of cheese connecting the mac on your fork to the plate, it’s a good sign! It was a refreshing change to have a mac and cheese without a ton of ingredients overpowering the good old-fashioned taste you crave. Not too fancy, but delicious with a little kick of heat!

I went for Jorge’s signature item for dinner (I mean it is in the name of this restaurant). The chicken and waffles, dinner-style — one original waffle, fried chicken breast, jalapeno coleslaw, corn bread and country gravy. There is plenty of food on this plate, so I am not sure I needed to indulge in any appetizers to start.

The chicken is extremely tender and moist, breaded with a delicious mix of traditional southern spices with hints of the Southwest. The waffles are puffy and thick with the perfect deep square nooks for all that yummy butter and syrup to pool into. Each are great on their own, but together is a smash hit.

The corn bread and gravy were also very good — traditional gravy with a peppery kick is exactly what I was looking for and got. The cornbread was not sweet, but more on the earthy side and had a tiny hint spice that jazzed it up from the usual corn flavor I am used to. I couldn’t get enough of the waffle and chicken and I can proudly say I devoured them both completely.

Last, but not least, I have to mention my drink choice. It was a weekday so I opted out of the temping adult beverages and went for the kid favorite, Kool-Aid. Orange was the flavor of the day and turned out to be the perfect pairing with my chicken and waffles. The only downside is (and my dining companions can confirm) I was on a sugar high throughout the rest of meal and well into the night, but it was so worth it!