I had the pleasure of visiting Dame's Chicken & Waffles during their soft opening. Aware of the rave word of mouth reviews I've heard of both Glady's and Ron's Chicken & Waffles in Atlanta and Roscoe's House of Chicken'n Waffles in Los Angeles, I was eager to try something new.
Dame's Chicken & Waffles is located in the charming Southside Neighborhood in downtown Greensboro, an area that is boasted as the city's first significant mixed-use infill project. The restaurant presents a menu selection of ten chicken and waffle platters with your choice of salads, daily sides, and a surprise array of shmears, a whipped sweet crème butter made from fresh natural ingredients.
I ordered the The Carolina Cockerel, which was listed as Dame's favorite. It included three chicken wings, a blueberry waffle, and peach & apricot shmear. Now, I'm not a fan of syrup, fancy butters, or blueberries in my waffle (I'm terribly picky and make no apologies for it), so I opted for a classic waffle with candied pecans, plain butter, and three chicken wings. I choose the spicy mean greens as my side and sweet tea as my drink.
While I waited for my food, I took the opportunity to observe the restaurant. The ambiance is very reminiscent of the Harlem Renaissance (circa 1918-1937), a cultural movement of African American creative arts and, for my fellow literary buffs, one the most substantial eras of African American literary history. Jazz music played in the background amongst the natural noise of forks clattering on ceramic plates and high spirited conversations filled with laughter.
I received my food in a timely matter and was immediately pleased upon my first bite of the fried chicken wing. Simply put, it was succulent. Now, the true test would be if my waffle would be tasty without the shmear, blueberries, or syrup...and it was. The waffle was sweet, light, and fluffy. And I can attest to the spiciness of the greens as a Trinidadian descendant!
(Classic Waffle, 3 Chicken Wings, Candied Pecans, and Mean Greens)
Upon eating to my inner fat kid's desire, I asked my waitress if there was a manager with whom I could interview and gain some insight on the restaurant. And you can imagine my surprise and delight that Damion "Dame" Moore, the co-owner and fellow UNCG alumnus, was sitting directly behind me. I introduced myself and asked for a brief interview. Here's how it went:
Q. What can you tell me about Dame's Chicken & Waffles?
A. The first Dame's Chicken & Waffles was opened two years ago in Durham, NC. We opened here in Greensboro on August 20th and hope to expand to three more locations in North Carolina.
Q. What is the history behind chicken and waffles?
A. Chicken and waffles was born out of the Harlem Renaissance. During that time, the jazz music scene was steadily growing popular. Restaurants would stay open to entertain their late night customers. One of the restaurants, Wells Supper Club, was said to have first paired fried chicken with waffles, which became a huge hit. The rest is history.
Q. How would you describe your food?
A. It's warm and comforting, as is most Southern style food. I want a first time customer to experience something new. Chicken and waffles are a unique pairing. My waffles are homemade and the shmears, or flavored butters, are a niche type of food.
Q. What are your future endeavors for this particular location?
A. Soon, my customers will be able to enjoy outdoor dining; a bar and wine list will be added as well. And, as I said before, I hope to expand to other locations in N.C.
Q. Any final remarks?
A. Just come out and have a good time. We look forward to seeing you.
(Taji Stadler, Dame's Chicken & Waffles Executive Chef)
Overall, I enjoyed my first experience here. Out of 5 stars, I'd give 3 and a half stars. The food was good and the pricing is very affordable. I'll definitely be revisiting with the high hopes of feasting on some "smack yo' mama" goodness!
301 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive
Greensboro, NC 27406
(336) 275-7333
It was definitely yummy! Although the blueberry muffin was overwhelming along with the syrup, I enjoyed the dinner as a whole. Great environment, friendly hardworking staff, and a dedicated owner.
ReplyDeleteI give it a 4!
I just heard about Dame's on the news a couple of weeks ago. There was footage showing the food and staff: from what I saw, it definitely peaked a brotha's interest. Now I know you've been and said it was official, then I have to check it out. Question though, how do you keep things so tight eating food like this :-)?
ReplyDeleteLol long story short: good genes, high metabolism, fun exercises, and a healthy diet allows me to eat delicious foods like chicken and waffles every now and then. You should definitely check it out and let me know what you think!
DeleteHahaha...nooo doubt! Cool: I got chu! I plan on checkin it out next weekend so I will let you know!
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