We may not have a Roscoe’s House of Chicken Waffles here, but we do have 900 Grayson right here in the East Bay in Berkeley!  I have toyed with the idea of eating this sweet and savory dish but never gotten around to trying it until last month.  Chicken and waffles has to be one of the better marriages since sea salt and caramel. 

(Credit: Credit to Earl G., earlishungry.yelp.com)

 My usual brunch spots involved pancakes, eggs benedict, omelets and crepes, I’ve never been able to find a good waffle house let alone and chicken and waffles joint.  Lewis and I had watched Guy Fieri down a plate of Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles the night before and we suddenly had a craving for the same thing.  We had no idea if there were popular waffle houses in the East Bay.  Lo’ and behold, Yelp brought us to 900 Grayson.  It was a nice change and a great spot for a cozy, hearty meal.

My first thought about their restaurant hours were too exclusive.  They’re mainly open from 8:00-3:00 pm on the weekdays and from 8:00-2:30 pm on Saturdays.  I was a little skeptical about that but the line that was forming outside the door told me otherwise.  It was nearly a 45 minute wait; although they promised us it would be 30 minutes.  Go for the patio tables if you don’t want to wait as long.   After nearly an hour, we were seated right next to the kitchen.

They have a small but promising menu for breakfast and lunch.  You can find soup, salad, or sandwich options if you want lunch, but I think the main attraction is their brunch items.  Not a lot of options for those run of the mill brunch choices such as pancakes, eggs served in countless ways, or fancy donuts, but you will find hearty dishes such as their popular “Demon Lover” (also known as their chicken and waffles) or their fantastic looking steak and eggs!  They have this special house syrup made from fresh ginger that I wished I tried. 

Here is one the dishes that we ordered that day.  Lewis wanted to try an omelet, their “Time-Life Cookbook”.  It was a rich and creamy “egg souffle” omelet with Gouda cheese paired with a crispy hash brown cake and Fuji Apple salad.  Simple, but delicious.  Lewis and I agreed that they could have added a few more things into the omelet to incorporate a heartier dish.  Needless to say, we were both more excited about the second dish.

And voila! Their “Demon Lover”, an almost forbidden partnership between sweet and savory dishes.  If people can eat pancakes and sausages together, fried chicken and waffles makes just as much sense.  To my slight disappointment, you can only order the “Demon Lover” with a side of gravy or a side of maple syrup.  If you want the other, that’s an extra $2.  This dish is already the second most expensive dish on their brunch menu ($12), which isn’t bad, but it felt like I was being “nickle and dimed” for an 1-8-1/4 cup of syrup or gravy.  Not a big deal, but if you do come here for the chicken and waffles, make sure you get both!

Here’s my anecdote of how I decided that…

I ordered their dish with a side of maple syrup.  This generous plate of fried chicken breasts came with a waffle that was about 6-7 inches wide.  That’s a whole lotta chicken and waffles.  On my right was a shot of maple syrup and a bottle of their homemade hot sauce.  That was almost a joke considering how much food I had that required double dipping.  Lewis and I, mostly me, gingerly ate our way through half the plate.  The service was great here, drinks were refilled almost immediately, staff checked on us, and though most people would hate to sit next to the kitchen, I thoroughly enjoyed sneaking a peek at how the staff worked together.

After a while, I noticed the gravy that was coming from the kitchen and how my plate was still half full of chicken and waffles.  I told Lewis I was ready to have the gravy.  At this point I was already swallowing my pride, given that it was me that mostly ate the plate.  I went ahead and ordered a side of gravy.  Now normally I would expect staff to just go ahead and put my order in without feedback.  Since we were sitting right next to the kitchen, I overheard their conversation.  And it went on like this:

Waitress: That table over there wants some gravy.

Sous chef: Wait, what? Didn’t we just send out an order of the Demon Lover about 20 minutes ago?

Waitress: Yeah…she ordered it. Looks like she’s halfway done, too.

I think I was more amused than embarrassed if anything.  After about 15 minutes, I finally got the gravy.  My first reaction with all the flavors aligned? “Good God, this gravy!” Rich and creamy cannot describe how fascinated my taste buds were with the different textures and flavors hitting them all at once.  It tied the chicken together really well with the waffles and was not overbearing.  $2 for a side of that? Pfft. Go for it!

It was delicious all around.  I was almost a little proud that I ate most of this without going into a food coma (thank goodness for cups and cups of coffee).  As I snapped this picture, a waiter was waiting for me and asked if I was finally finished.  I didn’t realize I took my time because it took me nearly 45 minutes to finish the meal.  I’d say it was worth the wait and time to thoroughly experience this brunch.  I know I can somehow conjure this dish at home with store-bought ingredients, but that’s for another day. 

As for my experience at 900 Grayson, it deserves many more visits in the future, with hopefully an option to make a reservation because they are ridiculously busy.

900 Grayson

(510) 704-9900, http://www.900grayson.com

Hours: M-F 8:00-3:00 pm, Sat 8:00-2:30 pm