Maxine's Chicken and Waffles

In the second instalment of food from "The Crossroads of Indiana", I am very excited to write to you about Maxine's Chicken & Waffles in Indianapolis.  Now, if anyone has ever been Harlem in the Big Apple, there is a place that was credited for making this dish famous. And I definitely plan on getting out there to try the original Fried Chicken and Waffles at Wells Restaurant.

Yet anyone that has spent any time in the South...rather, the Deep South, will know that many African Americans restaurants in the South (aka Soul Food Restaurants) will feature this combination too!   Much to the delight of this blogger's stomach!

It's a great pairing if you think about it.  Few thins are quintessentially Southern like Fried Chicken.  And when we look back at the history of the waffle iron (aka Waffle Maker), it dates back to the 15th century!   Although, Thomas Jefferson was credited for introducing it to the US in the 1790's when he brought a waffle iron back from France!

So when I found out through a couple of natives, Chelsea and Justin, that there is a great Soul Food restaurant in Indianapolis, IN, I knew I had to check it out!  Especially when their motto at Maxine's is to provide a "taste of love in every bite."

Now, as anyone that has spent any time with me over the dinner table knows, I am not the type of person to only order one dish, if I am visiting a hole-in-the-wall or great Mom-and-Pop place.    So I went all out.  I was told that the Fried Green Tomatoes are a must to order for appetizers, but unfortunately, they were all out of green tomatoes.  The server also highly recommended the grilled chicken wings with a sweet glaze sauce, but since I knew I was going for the Chicken and Waffles, I decided against it.  Instead, I started with Salmon Bites.  They are breaded salmon and bread crumbs that have been seasoned and deep fried, served with a spicy aioli sauce.  It was decent, but I usually enjoy my salmon smoked or raw.  But the fishy taste of fully cooked salmon was cut back with the spicy aioli sauce. 

For the main course, I ordered the Chicken and Waffles. the perfect pairing of sweet and savoury in every bite!   At Maxine's they serve up not one, not two, but THREE large chicken wings!  Now, you won't see this on the menu, but anyone that is a true regular to Maxine's knows that you can ask for Sweet Potato Waffles rather than the standard batter waffle!   Although, I have been to Maxine's before and tried the signature waffles and they are sweet and light and fluffly!   But I was in the mood to try the "secret" signature waffles...the Sweet Potato Waffle.  And don't think that that is all it comes with!  As a matter of fact, I was able to choose two comforting side dishes to go with it!   So what does anyone in my position go for?  Stuff that is guarenteed to be great for the soul, not for the heart...Mac & Cheese and Smoked Sausages.  And if that wasn't enough, it also comes with an order of Fried Corn Bread served with Peach Butter!  The peach butter paired with sweet pan fried corn bread is just heavenly!   Crispy on the outside and steamy hot and flaky corn bread on the inside, topped with ooey-gooey sweet peach butter.

As for the Chicken and waffles.  I don't even know where to begin.  The lightly dusted and fried chicken is moist and crispy.  The waffles is the perfect balance of crispy on the outside and fluffy and sweet when you pop it in your mouth!   Topped with some of that famous peach butter and a little bit of syrup, (ok ok ok, whom am I kidding?) a lot of syrup and by the end of the meal, I was loosening my belt to free up some room!  :P

Sadly, the couple that first introduced me to Maxine's Chicken and Waffles could not make it to dinner to share in the smorsgasbord of food.  So instead, I contacted Kenny and Jen, another Indianapolis couple I know to join me.  :)  Jen went for the Smothered Chicken, which is a boneless fried chicken breast smothered in gravy, served on top of mashed potatoes.  And Kenny opted for the Two Eggs Your Way that comes with smoked sausage, toast and house potatoes.   Needless to say, there was enough food for a small platoon!  Perhaps I'll have a couple of guest bloggers come in and write about their experiences at Maxine's.  But I can tell you one thing, you can never go wrong when you smother fried food with southern style gravy!   :)   As for the smoked sausage and breakfast option.   The sausage is peppery.  The smoke is light, so it's not like a strong smoked flavoured dinner sausage.  But it's a nice balance to go with a lighter breakfast course.

If you find yourself in Indianapolis, Indiana and are craving some down-home, soul food...consider dropping into Maxine's Chicken and Waffles.   I promise you will not go hungry! And maybe you too will find "a little taste of love in every bite"!