One of my mother's more daring culinary moves was the very occasional event of serving waffles for Sunday night supper. I hadn't thought about that in ages. But Sunday, I took a friend about to leave the United States for an extended period of time out to eat. What did she have a hankering for? "Fried chicken," she finally decided.
We went to Old Standard. I'd written about it last month and found the chicken just okay, but this was the place we ended up. The brunch menu is available all day on Sunday, and we had the bread basket and chicken and waffles that evening, a festival of carbohydrates.
The bread basket was, not surprisingly, slightly different this time. Large madelines of a delicate, fine-grained cornbread, and a wedge of a sturdier version, moist and hauntingly flavored with what I suspect was some kind of honey. The rest, the biscuit and the scone, the butters and the jams, were the same.
But it was the bird that beat all, as my grandmother used to say. The waffles come with chicken tenders, three large pieces of white meat curled next to four quarters of Belgian waffle. A cup of maple syrup sat in the paper-lined tray, and the waffles glistened with what turned out to be a brushing of same, making them lightly sweet without the sogginess of the shower of syrup. The first bite of chicken was quite a surprise. Much more assertively seasoned than its predecessors on my previous visits, but just as crisp and greaseless, it was almost shocking, considering what I expected. Some pepperiness, but a very low, slow and manageable heat most of the time, with a couple of bursts of more intensity as the meal progressed, was noticeable.
There's probably a proper name for what occurs when one takes a bite or drink of something, closely follows it with something else, and the flavors meld in the mouth. I refer to it as the "jump" between foods, or equally possible, wine and food. The jump from waffle, especially without extra syrup, to chicken was excellent, a delightful blending of tastes.
The leftovers, next day's cold lunch, showed that the waffle was a little salty and not quite so sweet as it seemed when served. The chicken remained remarkably crisp, the heat continued, and while the seasoning was complex, I certainly got a hit of garlic and/or onion, the ubiquitous allums always a welcome ingredient with poultry.
What happened? Who knows? Is this a change in the current recipe? Was the previous chicken a fluke? At any rate, it was mighty fine. I'm glad I went back.
Old Standard
1621 Tower Grove Ave.
314-899-9000
Lunch & Supper daily, Brunch Sun. through 8 p.m.
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Good
Smoking: No
Entrees: $8-$10