Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles

Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles is an L.A. institution.  Stars dine there, politicians dine there (even President Obama), locals dine there, and yes… even the staff dines there.  I discovered Roscoe’s when my friend Mark and I took a trip up to Hollywood when I was up there to photograph the band Chickenfoot.  We were hungry and he recommended Roscoe’s and I quickly agreed. I’ve been so hooked that every time I go near L.A. I plan a meal there.

That’s exactly how I wound up there on my latest trip.  I was in Hollywood for a Fashion Photography workshop and posted on my Facebook page inviting my L.A. friends to join me for some food and photo hi-jinx.  Not surprisingly, a few accepted.

Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles

Claudia was first to arrive, about 10 minutes before I did. We put our name on the list and were told the wait was around 20 minutes.  With about 25 people gathered outside, I wasn’t so sure but the list went quickly and in 20 minutes they called our name.  Unfortunately, Michael, being Michael, was late.  Also unfortunately, Roscoe’s has a policy that they won’t seat you until your entire party is present.  Since it was 90 degrees out, and the blazing summer sun was beating down on the front of the restaurant with no shade to speak of, we were quite thirsty by the time we got to the table.  When Michael arrived, he brought us a gift in the form of a new friend.  I love it when I meet someone and instantly feel like we’ve been friends for a long time, and such was the case with Yvonne.  The four of us went inside and proceeded to have an amazing experience.

We took our seats and our server Marlon came by to take our drink orders. Water for Yvonne, Coke for Claudia, iced tea for me and an Arnold Palmer (half tea, half lemonade) for Michael.  We immediately started chatting and forgot all about the menu, but Marlon was patient and waited until we were ready to come and take our order.  I was so engrossed in conversation that I failed to take note of what everyone ordered but me!  So, I just took note of what was on their plates as we ate.  It seemed like only about 10 minutes before Marlon brought our food out.  And as servers go, you couldn’t ask for a better one than Marlon.  Our meals came out exactly as ordered, he kept our drinks topped off without having to ask, his service was as prompt as you can get and with a smile on his face.  Very well done, man.

Yvonne ordered breakfast, two eggs, a waffle, and two chicken sausage patties.  A stark contrast to her usual healthy, mostly vegetarian diet, Yvonne actually enjoyed the sausage, and loved the waffles.

Yvonne’s breakfast

Michael ordered a plate that consisted of a leg and thigh of chicken, macaroni & cheese, greens, and cornbread.  It’s kind of hard to judge how Michael liked his food, as once it arrived he didn’t say another word until it was gone.  After that, the descriptions were just variations of the word “awesome”.   When I asked about his judicious use of the hot sauce he replied “I love hot sauce, what can I say?  I view chicken, or any meats for that matter, as just hot sauce delivery vehicles.”  As it became clear that Yvonne wasn’t going to finish everything on her plate, Michael eagerly jumped in to assist.

Michael’s dinner

Claudia ordered a chicken burger.  A all-white meat fried chicken patty with lettuce, tomato and onion, and potato salad on the side.  At first Claudia was wishing she had ordered something bigger, but by the time she finished she said it was just the right amount, and delicious.

Claudia’s chicken sandwich

When dining at restaurants that I know and love (as is the case here) I will usually “over order” with the intent of taking home yummy leftovers for the next day.  This time, however, since I was 2 hours from home and we had planned on taking to the streets of Hollywood after dinner to do some street photography I decided to take it easy and order the Carol C. Special.  One chicken breast, one waffle, and I tacked on a side of mac ‘n cheese and a slice of cornbread.  The chicken is some of the best in the state, lightly breaded and seasoned Southern style.  The waffles are hands down the best I’ve ever had.  Golden waffles, served with butter and syrup (which I didn’t seem to need), just melt in your mouth.  Seriously, you don’t even need teeth with these babies. The mac ‘n cheese is the best restaurant mac ‘n cheese I’ve had.  I was always a fan of Marie Calendar’s cornbread, but Roscoe’s is the new king of cornbread in my book.

The Carol C. Special, with macaroni & cheese and cornbread added.

If you ever find yourself in the Los Angeles area, head over to Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles and see for yourself how good a waffle can be.  There are six locations, with a seventh opening in Anaheim soon.

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Venice Pizza House

Venice Pizza House has had a place in my heart since my mom started taking us there as kids in 1968.  Back then, Venice was in the building across the alley that now houses a nail salon, and dinner’s out (even pizza) were reserved for special occasions.  Venice’s history began in 1954 by Sam & Prudie LoMedico, and is still family owned, though I think current owners Joe and Mar have handed day-to-day operations over to their kids.  While in high school, my friends and I would regularly have “pizza nights” at Venice, and whenever I would start dating a new girl I would bring her there.  The idea was, if she didn’t love Venice, we probably wouldn’t get along that well!  As I grew older and had my own children, I made sure they got to know and love Venice as much as I did.   After moving to Carlsbad in 2005 though, I find it harder to get down as often as my taste buds would like.

After much complaining by my taste buds, I decided a proper trip to Venice was in order so I called my good friend Debra to see if she was up for an adventure.  She was, so off we went.  There is nothing fancy or pretentious about Venice Pizza House, no dress code, no Maître d’,  just good honest food like your Italian grandmother would make.  Damn, I wish I had an Italian grandmother!

Venice Pizza House
3333 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104

Venice Pizza House  is known for their pizza, after all, it’s in their name.  They wind up at, or near the top of every major local poll when “Best Pizza” is discussed.  Seeing as how Debra is more of a “veggies and greens” girl, and I’m more of a “meat and potatoes” guy, we settled on a cheese pizza 🙂  The pizza has the most delightful, flaky crust and Venice’s own special pizza sauce.  Just the right amount of garlic and tomato, perfectly proportioned and topped with an abundance of cheese.  And since I don’t get down this way much anymore I wanted to bring home some leftovers, so I ordered a couple of pasta dishes to go with it.

Venice’s cheese pizza

Yes, the pizza is world class, but my heart truly lies with their pasta dishes and Manicotti is my go-to dish.  Rather than stuff pre-formed noodles like most Italian restaurants, Venice uses fresh made crêpes for their 5-cheese stuffed manicotti.   Each order is prepared individually and served with your choice of marinara or meat sauce (their sauces date back to Sam LoMedico’s original 1954 recipes), then topped with mozzarella and baked to arrive just short of molten lava temperature!  Add a couple slices of their awesome garlic toast and a glass of iced tea and I’m in heaven.  Melt in your mouth, cheesy goodness.  And special kudos go to Crystal, our server.  She’s been serving my family since my kids were babies and she always greets us with a smile and knows what we like.  She keeps our iced tea and water glasses topped off without ever having to ask, knows when to come see if we need anything else, and is just one of the most pleasant servers ever.

Manicotti with Meat Sauce

I also ordered another one of my favorites, the ravioli with meat sauce.  Meat-stuffed pasta pillows stuffed  covered with their awesome sauce, served with garlic toast.  Simple in preparation, yet divine in taste.  The meat sauce is so delicious I always order extra just to sop up with the garlic bread.  Just enough tomato flavor, the right amount of garlic and basil, and their home made Italian sausage blend together perfectly for every pasta dish on the menu.  But you don’t have to have the meat sauce, they also have an incredible Marinara, Creamy Alfredo, Butter and Garlic, Olive Oil and Garlic (for the health conscious), Pesto, and both red and white Clam Sauce as well.

Ravioli with Meat Sauce

The overall value of Venice just can’t be beat.  If you can forgo the fancy atmosphere of trendy places, the food here is outstanding and the service is on point.  If you want a delicious home style Italian meal at very reasonable prices, Venice Pizza House is your place in the San Diego area.  Forget Little Italy.  Come to North Park, you will not be disappointed.

*Note*  Venice Pizza House is closed on Mondays and Holidays, so plan accordingly!

Dan’s All American Macaroni & Cheese

Without a doubt, this is my most requested recipe.  Therefore I have decided to release it to all my friends here on The Foodists as a “thank you” for all of your support!  As with any recipe, you MUST be at least semi-competent in the kitchen and be able to follow directions.  If you have any questions feel free to send me an email BEFORE you make it!  If you wait until you are ready to put it in the oven I probably will be away from the computer at that time.   If  you share this recipe with anyone (and you may, I give you permission) remember to attribute it to me as author, as it is copyrighted and is an award winning recipe (All American Recipe Contest, July 4 1998 San Diego County Fair).  This recipe may not be entered into any contest or competition, since it has already won one therefore using will get you disqualified by the judges.

This is your classic “Mom’s Mac ‘n Cheese” type recipe, nothing fancy, just mac ‘n cheese with a breadcrumb topping.

Let me know how you like it, and if you modify it let me know what you do and how it turned out  in the comments section!

With love,

Dan

All-American Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe by Daniel Knighton

1st Place, San Diego County Fair

All-American Recipe Contest, July 4, 1998

Bread Crumb Topping

 

1 cup Panko (Japanese) bread crumbs         ½ tsp. ground black pepper

¼ cup Parmesan cheese                                         3 Tbsp. Butter, melted

½ tsp. garlic powder                          

 

Cheese Sauce

4 Tbsp. butter                        

1 ½ Tbsp. flour                                   1   lb. American cheese, (24 slices)

½ tsp. salt                                           1   lb. sharp Cheddar cheese, diced into ½ inch

½ tsp. ground black pepper                    squares or grated

3 cans (36 oz) evaporated milk

 

Additional ingredients

1 lb. Small elbow macaroni                4 qt. Water    

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients for breadcrumbs together in a bowl. Melt butter in pan; turn off heat. Add breadcrumb mixture and stir until well blended. Return mixture to bowl. Bring water to a boil in large pan. Add macaroni and cook approximately half the cooking time listed on the package, it will cook the rest of the way in the oven.  Drain.

 

Cheese Sauce

In a saucepan over low heat, melt butter; add dry ingredients, mixing until all lumps are dissolved. Raise heat to medium high and continue stirring for about 3 minutes or until mixture begins to foam. Add evaporated milk (regular milk may be substituted).  When thoroughly heated, start adding American cheese a little at a time, stirring constantly as it melts. Then add half of the Cheddar cheese the same way, a little at a time stirring as it melts. When the sauce is hot and creamy, add sauce to macaroni; stir until blended. Add the rest of the diced Cheddar cheese and stir. Pour into casserole dish. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over Mac n’ Cheese evenly; bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbling around the edges and topping is a golden brown.

Serves four as a main course or six to eight as a side dish.

Dan’s All American Macaroni & Cheese
Photo © 2012 Daniel Knighton/Pixel Perfect Images
Recipe © 1998 Daniel Knighton