Chicken and Waffles on Desserts Required?
One of my co-workers Angel told me about Bay Bay’s Chicken and Waffles restaurant, which, according to him, makes the best ever fried chicken and waffles. And when I say waffles, that is intended to include dessert waffles, too. I know I write about desserts on Desserts Required, but I must take a moment to chat about one of my favorite non-dessert foods, fried chicken.
I don’t eat it often due to the quadruple number of miles I’d have to walk in order to burn off what I would consume; but beyond that I do not think many restaurants know how to make outstanding fried chicken. In my opinion if it is anything less than outstanding, it is not worth eating.
Fried chicken with waffles is more of a southern dish and, growing up in Cleveland, not something I was really exposed to. I first took Shoshana and Samuel to Bay Bay’s for dinner about six weeks ago. It was such a wonderful experience that I decided to turn my next visit into a Road Trips for Food because they offer many varieties of dessert waffles; and difficult as this might be to believe, I was too full on that first visit to try one.
Walking into Bay Bay’s feels like a flashback in time to a place where the people who work there are thrilled to see you and welcome you in like family.
“WELCOME TO BAY BAY’S” is called out to everyone upon arrival. There are three booths and several counter seats available inside as well as many tables outside. As soon as we sat down, someone came over and asked if we had eaten there before. When informed we had not (with the exception of the few of us who had already been there) they said we could not order until we had a sample of their fried chicken.
When our fried chicken samples came wrapped like a little pouch inside red and white checkered paper, we were hooked. To describe the chicken as perfectly prepared would almost be an understatement. The well-seasoned battered chicken pieces are deep fried until the outside is crispy and toasty brown, while the meat itself is moist and delicious. The crunch one hears with each bite confirms that Chef Albert knows what he is doing behind the fryers.
The 13 of us on the RTFF had to decide what kind of waffles we wanted under out chicken, knowing that we were going to have dessert waffles after we ate the chicken. Some chose the Cornbread Waffles, others more traditional waffles and Shoshana opted to have her Strawberry Waffle for dinner. I decided to save all waffle room for the desserts!
The chicken was just as wonderful as the first time. It took a bit longer to get our food than the first time, but then again, with 13 of us nearly taking up the entire inside seating space, it was understandable.
When it came time to order our dessert waffles, there wasn’t a moment’s hesitation on what we wanted. I ordered a Snickers Waffle Dessert, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Waffle Dessert, Red Velvet Cake Dessert and a Cuban Coffee Waffle.
WOW! The waffle presentations are beautiful. The Reese’s and Snickers waffles were topped with ice cream and drizzled in chocolate and caramel sauces. The candies are baked into the waffles so each bite is this perfect blend of waffle and candy. As the Snickers cools, it also hardens a bit because of the caramel within. I was seeking out these pieces!
The Red Velvet was good, but the other three were a bit more unusual and therefore devoured.
The dessert waffle that was the most original was the Cuban Coffee Waffle. The description on Bay Bay’s menu states, “Rich pieces of cream cheese mixed into a waffle and topped with an orange guava glaze.” Megan described it best…with silence. Just pure joy in savoring each bite. A true compliment to every chef I know.
Shoshana, Samuel and I met owner Israel Johnson on our first visit. He has been busy working on the opening of their second location on Palm Beach Lakes Blvd just east of Congress, but managed to get to our location on Okeechobee Boulevard while the group was still there.
Israel is the epitome of a wonderful host…an incredible smile, ability to chat with everyone and genuinely interested in making sure all diners are enjoying their experience at Bay Bay’s. Israel took a picture of 11 of the 13 of us (the two older girls did not want anything to do with a picture!) and had Samuel, Mason and Riley standing on the table so they were sure to be seen. No question, this is a place that is wonderful to take children of all ages.
Parking is tight, but there is extra parking in back lots. While we all pleaded with Israel to open a third location up in Palm Beach Gardens, the reality is that it is quite easy to get to Bay Bay’s on Okeechobee Boulevard. I guess it is also a good idea to let him get the second location up and running before our dream of his third one can begin. All of us sure do hope Israel, as well, shares our dream!
