Red Rooster: Waffle House

http://www.redroosterwaffleco.com/

7742 campus view dr
West Jordan, UT 84084

Price: $ 1/2

I know what you’re thinking, “What and where on earth is Red Rooster.” Well that’s what I’m here to tell you. Located at Jordan Landing, “RR” is a breakfast restaurant  with an emphasis on Waffles. In fact over half of their menu consist of variations of waffles. There are savory waffles with appropriate names such as the Benedict (poached eggs, hollandaise sauce and canadian bacon) and South of the Border (Jalapeno cornmeal waffle w/eggs, chicken, avocado, salsa). For those not as adventuresome there are classic waffles made from Malt, Multi-Grain, Oatmeal, Sourdough, Pecan or Gluten-free.  The big item on the menu though is the Chicken and Waffles. Yep, Fried Chicken and Waffles. A breakfast dream couple. The dish is common in specialty restaurants in the south and east so it was a surprise to find this offering in Utah (Then again, I can just get waffles from any breakfast stop and buy a bucket of chicken) but this unique pairing needs to be prepared together.  If you’re still skeptical, I googled “Chicken and Waffles” and famous singer Gladys Knight has her own chain of Chicken and Waffles Restaurants! (http://www.gladysandron.net/media.html)

As many of you know, I’m a big fan of fried chicken (Oh Popeyes, when will you come to the valley and not just HAFB!?) Also, while I am not a fan of pancakes, I love waffles.  This meal combines both my love of comfort food and breakfast. But did it live up to the hopes and dreams of my stomach nation?

Yes and no.

I visited RR during a late night before their last closing hour. I was with a guest taster (owner of the Mekong Cafe) and we ordered the Loaded: 2 piece Fried Chicken w/classic waffle, marinated peppers, jalapeno-onion straws & spicy BBQ sauce. Sounds good doesn’t it? My guest taster ordered the Spicy Waffles, basically a waffled that was spiced with what seemed to be cinnamon, paprika and some other flavor.

Here’s a break down of each item:

Waffles: The Waffles were thick and heavy. I love thick waffles but prefer a crunchier crust and fluffy inside. The taste was fine since it’s pretty difficult to ruin the batter, but it seemed overbeaten and more like a pancake than waffle (a no-no for my pancake dislike). I was willing to look past the waffle though because it was the combination of the chicken and waffle that I was looking for.

Sides: The dish came with onion and jalapenos fries which were tasty but a little overwhelming on the flavors of maple syrup, barbecue sauce and chicken/waffles. When had individually and not on top, they don’t taste as convoluted.

Chicken: This was the best part of the meal. I’m traditionally for crispy, spicy chicken, but this chicken was more of a baked solid meat portion. In fact, there was hardly any bone on this piece which made cutting it and enjoying it simple. The chicken was moist and that helped with the thickness of the waffles. The best way to enjoy this type of meal is to cut a piece of both chicken and waffle, dip it in syrup and a little bit of their hot sauce (which I very much liked). When done with the right amount of sauce and bite size, this is a comfort food I can wake up to.

Spicy Waffle: This waffle was great at first but the spices became a bit overwhelming. I enjoyed it but to use the “cliches” summation, it reminded me of a season, namely Christmas. It had a distinct use of perhaps cinnamon, nutmeg and paprika. My guest taster also added that the glazed strawberries didn’t counter the spice very well since it was over sugared. Ice cream would have worked perfect with this and cooled the overwhelming flavor. Overall though, this is a unique spin and tasty waffle, just in moderation.

Careful, this one's spicy!

Red Rooster is a unique experience and there are a lot of choices on what to order. There are omelettes, salads and more common items.  This is a good place to bring a family as I can imagine my little children enjoying the waffles and sweet varieties. Just be sure to be prepared if you are expecting a typical fare. If I were to compare this restaurant to other breakfast spots such as IHOP, Village Inn,  Denny’s and my favorites the Belgian Waffle House and Omelet Inn and the Original Pancake House in SLC, Red Rooster is comparable to the first three.

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