Gladys Knight and Ron Winans Chicken & Waffles

It was a day to go to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, and really, if you haven’t been, please go!

After taking in all the aquatic creatures the largest aquarium in the world had to offer, you’d think we’d be in the mood for seafood. Not exactly. Plain and simple, we were craving soul food.

Fortunately, Gladys Knight is only a few minutes up and around the corner on Peachtree (of course it’s on Peachtree!) from the aquarium, and we were second in line waiting for the doors to open. Walking in and getting a booth we were seated in a flash and presented with menus.

Its hard to go to a place famous for chicken and waffles and not order it. The siren song of sweet and salty was calling for me to board “The Midnight Train”, and I was all to happy to answer. To round out the experience, additional sides of mac and cheese, green beans and sweet potatoes were ordered and shared amongst my family. This was just like going to grandma’s on Sunday. OK, grandma never served waffles, but hey, who’s keeping score!

The chicken wings were golden brown crispy and juicy. The waffle was fluffy and hot, with a hint of malt. That combination, along with some butter and syrup took me straight to salty-sweet nirvana.

Gladys’ menu includes every soul food staple you can ask for. Ribs, salmon croquettes, shrimp and grits, and barbecue turkey wings, just to name a few. You can’t go wrong with anything.

The best part about soul food is how it makes you feel. Comfort food takes us back. Back to grandma’s house on Sunday, back to family reunions and cousins you hardly ever see, and for me, back to a lot of the food I grew up with. My grandmother was an excellent cook and so was my mother. Gladys is my new favorite aunt, and I can’t wait to go back to her house.

Not recommended unless you want to wait more than an hour to eat semi-warm chicken and collards greens that taste better in the North!!! Harlem in NY provides better southern comfort food… if that makes sense. It does to me!