Chicken & Waffles! YUM!

Sure, you could blame it on Southerners, but it's a dish that is as beloved and renowned up North as well as on the West Coast. And the best in this town for my money, is just a stumble from all the racket on Sixth Street and the Austin Convention Center: Tony's Southern Comfort on E. Sixth.

Tony's, owned and run by chef Tony Herring, is a totally local comfort food palace that is holding steady despite our city's best efforts to squeeze out li'l homegrown places like this with looming catacombs of ground floor retail and California-priced condofication.

Just a few blocks east of the highway, Tony's is a delicious respite from precious chain coffee houses and the downtown crowds. In fact, there are a number of great eateries along the E. Sixth, E. Fifth, and E. Seventh corridor, close to the highway worthy of your attention, appetite, and love. (Progress Coffee, Cisco's Restaurant Bakery & Bar, Rio Rita, Nuevo Leon, and Cafe Mundi come to mind.) And some of them will have later hours throughout the conference. Tony's, for example will extend night hours for SXSW: next Mon.-Wed. until 9pm and until 11pm through Saturday. And if you're still here Sunday, catch brunch 11am-4pm.

But back to Chicken & Waffles! Tony's chicken coating is sensationally delicate and flavorful. Herbs and spices that'd make the Colonel jump back. And the waffle is light and fluffy with just enough crispy edge to put a little snap in the mix. Damn. Now if you are still not convinced that this particular combo is the sweet-meet-savory bomb, the menu is chock full of homecooked faves. Ask about his homemade desserts. But really, you know you want the C&W.

I just about spit up my syrup when I read this line about the delicious dish in Wikipedia: "This unusual combination of foods is beloved by many people who are influenced by traditions of soul food passed down from past generations of their families.[1]"

And, yes, I checked: When you click the footnote, no, it does not say, "Black people."