Cider Summit Chicago Part 2

Now here it is, Part 2 of the Cider Summit Review. This time we feature Hawke's favorite ciders. Now, as Bailey had noted the apple crop this year has been poor due to the weather. As such ciders this year have been mostly on the bitter side. However, there are still some standouts that should be mentioned.

Hawke's Top 4:

#1. Mad Bark - Cider Boys of Wisconsin

http://www.ciderboys.com/

It is not surprising that this cider is #1. Cider boys has been making some excellent ciders and this is no exception. The cider combines the apple flavor with that of cinnamon for a unique taste. 

Color: 

Dark yellow, very clear with no particulate. Few few bubbles present. 5/5

Smell:

The cider has a sweet smell, a hint of apples and a dash of cinnamon. Almost smells like cinnamon toast crunch. 5/5

Taste: 

Sweet, cinnamon sugar flavor. It's not overwhelmingly, but is quite smooth. 5/5

Aftertaste:

Very mild yet quick aftertaste. Had a slight cinnamon flavor. 5/5

Overall: 

This is a good occasional cider to have. The flavor is fairly unique. The cider is readily available at some of the better stocked stores and the price is $8-10 a six pack. This cider gets a 20/20

#2 Smackintosh - Tandem Ciders of Michigan

We found this cider to be one of the more unique ciders. While on the surface it seems quite ordinary, it is full of surprises. 

http://www.tandemciders.com/

Color:

This is a pale yellow color, with a few bubbles. 4/5

Smell:

This cider smells surprisingly sweet, and full of apples. Bailey gives this cider the best smell award. 5/5

Taste: 

A very strong mackintosh apple flavor. Very crisp. 5/5

Aftertaste:

This cider has a slightly sweet finish to it, It did not linger.

Overall: 

This cider is very good, It surprised both Hawke and Bailey that the mackintosh flavor was so strong, Especially in the smell. Overall: 19/20

Blood Orange - Two Rivers Cider of California
A different cider that promises a citrus taste.
http://www.tworiverscider.com/

Color:

This cider was very red, almost blood red. It remained very clear, with few bubbles. 5/5

Smell:
This cider has a sweet smell too it, but it was not overwhelming. It also featured some citrus smells. 4/5

Taste: 
A subtle flavor of citrus, with a slightly bitter taste 4/5

Aftertaste:
A decent aftertaste that had an orange flavor. It was surprisingly full flavored, but with a decent linger time. 5/5

Overall: 
This cider is another unique cider that has its namesake present in the taste, but it does not overwhelm the senses. Overall: 18/20

Sweet Knockers from Apple Knockers of Illinois

This is a more traditional cider. We were interested to try it as there are not many ciders from Illinois. 

http://www.appleknockerhardcider.com/

Color:

A very bright clear cider, with many bubbles. 4/5

Smell:

A very sweet smelling cider, with some, but not a lot, of apple smell. 3/5

Taste:

A very sharp taste that is very sweet. Full of apple flavor. 4/5

Aftertaste:

A very light after taste, but still had some pleasant apple flavor to it. 4/5

Overall:

A solid traditional cider that offers a strong apple taste. It may still be a little sweet for some people. 

Overall: 15/20

This year was a good year for ciders. There were many unique varieties and flavors. Hopefully next year will bring out even more good ciders!

Cider Summit Chicago 2014

Greetings readers! We hope the weather hasn't broken your spirit yet. We are (hopefully) almost out of the woods and on our way to spring. Also, if you were in the Chicago area, we sincerely hope you attended the Chicago Cider Summit 2014! If not, have no fear, we are going to bring you our top ciders from the festival. Overall, this was a year of bitter ciders! We talked to several of the growers in the midwest and east coast areas and were informed it was a dry growing season the previous year. Unfortunately that means a more tart and bitter crop. The cider itself was not a lower quality by any means, but it will appeal to people who enjoy bitter flavors more than sweet ones. If you are looking for ciders on the sweeter side, you should probably consider companies that are based out west.


Bailey's Top 5:

#1 McIntosh Cellars Iced Cider (Limited Production)
http://www.mcintoshorchards.com/winery.html
Keeping with tradition, Bailey picked the sweetest cider she could find for her favorite. This is more of a dessert cider and is better for sipping. It has a thicker consistency than regular cider.

Color:
Rich amber color, very clear with no carbonation. Gorgeous! 5/5 apples

Smell: 
Very powerful sweet apple smell. Really packs a punch, almost has a syrupy smell to it. 5/5 apples

Taste:
Robust apple flavors, VERY sweet, thick consistency, flavor really stays with you. 5/5 apples

Aftertaste:
The powerful apple flavor carries into the aftertaste with a little bit of sour apple. A really great finish. 5/5 apples.

Overall:
Not an everyday cider, but perfect for sipping on a chilly night. This one is definitely for people with a palette for sweetness. Bailey gives it a 20/20 apples, or a green apple.

#2 Sonoma Cider "Hatchet"
This cider is organic, which was a huge positive for Bailey.
http://sonomacider.com/ciders/

Color: 

A pale yellow cider that is very clear. This does have slight carbonation. 5/5 apples

Smell: 

A pleasant sweet smell with apple and floral notes. Very aromatic. 5/5 apples.

Taste: 

A light acidic sweet apple flavor. Almost has a floral honey taste to it that is mellow, very interesting and refreshing. 5/5 apples

Aftertaste:

Mild aftertaste of the floral honey flavor. Does last for awhile. 4/5 apples

Overall:

Bailey really enjoyed the flavor of this cider, it is something different from the norm. She thinks this would be a great summer cider. 19/20 apples, or a green apple.

#3 California Cider Company - Ace Apple Honey

Apple and Honey in the name? Bailey is so there! She also heard several people that were walking around the festival talking about this one. You should definitely check this one out!

http://www.acecider.com/

Color: 

A light golden color and very clear. This cider does have some carbonation. 5/5 apples

Smell:

This cider has a very lightly sweet smell. Not much boldness to it, very pleasant though. 3/5 apples

Taste:

The smell definitely tricks you into thinking this cider will have a mild flavor, Wrong! This cider has a very bold apple flavor which is slightly sweet. This is a very smooth and crisp cider. Fantastic! 5/5 apples

Aftertaste:

Sweet and sour aftertaste that is quickly fleeting. 3/5 apples

Overall:

This is a great cider with bold flavor. Bailey would have liked if there were more of an aftertaste, but great nonetheless. She gives it a 16/20 apples, or a yellow apple.

#4 Virtue Cider - The Mitten

Bailey has discovered that she really likes an "woodsy" flavor in her cider. This one has notes of vanilla, oak, and caramel.

http://virtuecider.com/our-ciders/

Color:

A light golden color, very clear. No carbonation in this one. 5/5 apples

Smell:

A bold smell of earthy wood aroma mixed with a slight bourbon smell. The apples take a back seat to the other powerful notes. 4/5 apples

Taste:

This cider has a lot of flavors to offer. There is a slight sour apple flavor at the beginning. Others include; mild spice, bold bourbon, and oak/woodsy flavor. There is a great smoothness to this cider. 5/5 apples

Aftertaste:

This cider offers a slightly sour apple mixed with bourbon aftertaste. 4/5 apples

Overall:

This is a great cider for fall. The flavors are great for whiskey lovers. Bailey gives this a 18/20 apples, or a green apple.

#5 Urban Farm Fermentory - Hopped Cidah

This cider comes from a unique company in Maine. They not only make hard cider, but also ferment Kombucha! They locally source as many ingredients as they can to give you an authentic taste from Maine. You can check out their products here: 

http://www.urbanfarmfermentory.com/products/

Color:

This cider presents with a strong yellow hue. It is moderately cloudy with just a few bubbles. Bailey gives it a 5/5 apples.

Smell:

It has a light sweet apple aroma with a bit of alcohol smell mixed in. The smell is not very powerful, but it is pleasant. Bailey rates it as a 3/5 apples.

Taste:

The taste is full of sour apple with a clear note of hops at the end. Overall it's a very mellow and somewhat smooth taste. Even though she is not a huge fan of beer, the hops are light enough that it's just the right amount of flavor. She gives it a 4/5 apples.

Aftertaste:

The aftertaste was a little bitter apple flavor that vanished rather quickly. Bailey gives it a 2/5 apples.

Overall:

This cider is a good middle of the road cider. It would be great for someone who likes beer and it looking to transition to cider. It has a nice mellow flavor that isn't too powerful one way or the other. Overall, Bailey gave it a 14/20 apples, or a yellow apple.

Thanks so much for reading! Hopefully you will be able to find some of these ciders to try in your local markets soon. And by all means, if you have the opportunity to attend one of the cider summits please do! It's a wonderful experience to talk to all of the producers and really find out what goes into their products.

Stay warm friends, spring is almost here!

Thatcher's Green Goblin

After a holiday hiatus we're back!

A new cider that has appeared in the local stores in Chicago is Green Goblin. Upon spotting this cider, Bailey was instantly intrigued by its label art. Upon reading the label, she declared that 'this was the next one to sample.' This is an oak aged English cider made with Somerset apples and matured in 100 year old oak vats. It has an ABV of 6%. It promises full flavor and a bittersweet dry finish.

Color: Upon pouring, Bailey was immediately taken by the color from the cider. She enjoys the dark amber color, which is very clear with few bubbles. She comments that this one of her favorite cider colors. Hawke felt that this is a rich gold color. Very unexpected for english cider, as many of the english ciders we've seen have been pale. Bailey: 5/5 Hawke: 5/5

Smell: Bailey detected a slightly sour smell mixed with a sweet apple/woodsy finish. She decided that this was a good scent, but it was not the best smell she has sampled. Hawke felt, upon smelling, that this was a very sweetly sour smell, that was almost overwhelming. He did not detect any apple flavor in the scent unfortunately. Bailey:4/5 Hawke: 3/5

Taste: Bailey enjoyed this flavor upon sampling it. She described it as a pleasant sour with slightly bitter tones. The oak barrels give it a bold flavor. She decided that this is a good cider for beer lovers in her opinion as it is not very sweet. Upon tasting this cider, Hawke detected a sour flavor that was strong but not overwhelming. This flavor started off strong, then became relatively mild after. He also did not really feel any apple flavor, which surprised him. Bailey: 5/5 Hawke: 4/5

Aftertaste: Bailey detected the woodsy flavor dissipating quickly, to a mix of sour and sweet apple flavor. She was quite pleased with the aftertaste. The aftertaste was a good sweet flavor according to Hawke. It has minor notes of apple with a hint of woodsy flavor. The after taste was slightly dry, but not overwhelmingly dry as some ciders have been, as well the aftertaste did not linger as much as it could have. Bailey:4/5 Hawke: 4/5

Price: 3-5 Bailey likes the price of the cider. It is a very fair price in her opinion. Especially considering that a 12oz bottle of Woodchuck or Angry Orchard is ~6 at a bar. Hawke agrees with this, as the price is very good. It surprised both of them that the cider was good for the price, as many times low cost ciders tend to have strange or strong flavors that come with them.  The quality to price is quite good. Bailey: 5/5 Hawke: 5/5

Overall: Bailey enjoyed this cider. The flavor, color and price made this cider very atractive to her. She plans to get more of this cider next time it is available. Bailey gave this cider a 23/25 or a green apple.

Hawke also liked this cider, but not as much as Bailey. It would definitely be a cider that he does not turn down.  Hawke gave this cider a  21/25 or a green apple.

Make a Wish at Macy's on State Street

Greetings readers! Tis the season for eating, drinking, and celebration. This week Bailey traveled downtown to Macy's on State Street for another cooking demonstration with Marcus Samuelsson. This was a very special demonstration because the Make A Wish Foundation was also there to help a very special teenage girl.

First of all, who is Marcus Samuelsson? You may have seen him as a guest judge on the T.V show Chopped, but do you know about his very interesting background? He was born in Ethiopia, but at the age of 3 he was adopted by a Swedish family. He was drawn to cooking after watching his adopted grandmother in the kitchen. He attended the Culinary Institute in Gothenburg and moved to the U.S in 1991. He soon became a head chef at one restaurant and started another at a young age. He now owns several restaurants in Chicago and New York and has received several awards for his food. He has also prepared food for President Barack Obama at a state dinner. He is a an adviser to the Institute of Culinary Education in New York and also serves on the Macy's Culinary Council.

Now a little bit about the special girl that received her wish. Her name is Sara Opsenica and she is a Chicago native. She is only 17 years old, but she has already had a great accomplishment: her Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma is in remission. Sara is very interested in becoming a chef herself one day and her wish was to be able to cook with one. Thanks to the Make A Wish Foundation, she was able to spend a whole day cooking with chef Marcus. She was his sous chef during the demonstration and she was also able to tour his Mac Burger restaurant. On to the review!

The first course was a couscous paella. This is chef Marcus' ethnic spin on traditional paella recipes. Normally paella is made with rice and can take a long time to make. This recipe is a quick alternative that doesn't skimp on flavor. The couscous had a very creamy texture, while the veggies and shrimp added some chewiness. There was also some chorizo that added a nice spice without making it too hot. Bailey thought that it was somewhat like gumbo with a creamier texture to it. Very delicious! This is a dish that you could curl up with on a cold day. The best part is that is only takes about 30 mins to make.

Cider pairing for paella: This dish has a bit of spice to it so you could go one of two ways with a cider. You could play it safe and drink a cider like Yakima Valley Dry Hopped Cider. This is a smooth cider that isn't going to butt heads with the flavors in this dish and may help level out the spice. You could also throw a party in your mouth and go for something that will complement the bold flavors in this dish with Peach Country. This is a sweet peach cider, but any cider with one bold fruit flavor would go nicely with the paella.

The second course was Swedish meatballs with carrot and apple mashed potatoes. This is one of the recipes that chef Marcus' grandmother used to make. It's a very authentic old country recipe that will stick to your ribs. The meatballs are glazed with BBQ sauce and you can use any kind you like. This way you can change the flavor a bit depending on the kind you use. The meatballs also have a nice texture because they are very soft and have other elements such as onion and breadcrumbs. The mashed potatoes offer a nice kick with fresh horseradish and apples. They are definitely not your everyday mashed potatoes and they are a great side for the meatballs. There are several really nice flavors that pop in these potatoes.

Cider pairing for the Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes: Since this dish is a bit sweet, you will want to pair it with something light and crisp. Bailey suggests either Unified Press or Uncle John's Draught Cider.

The last course was a Korean style beef short rib. This is a very simply recipe that allows the meat to marinate and soak up all the flavors before cooking. They are served with a piece of lettuce for a wrap which makes this a great finger food if desired. You can also serve them with kimchi for an extra flavor kick. The meat was very tender and the Asian style flavors were very vibrant within the meat. It does have a bit of heat in the flavor, but the lettuce does a good job of cooling it down. This recipe would be great as an appetizer for a party or as a main dish for dinner.

Cider pairing for the short ribs: If you want an extra zing and really love the flavor of ginger you could pair this dish with Angry Orchard Apple Ginger. However, Bailey would normally want something a little sweet such as Woodchuck Amber to balance out the spice.

So there you have it! Bailey was very happy she could make it to this event at Macy's on State Street to see a wish come true for a very brave Chicago teen. The food was also amazing and all of the recipes in this review can be found in Marcus Samuelsson's book: Yes,Chef. We hope you enjoyed this review and have a great holiday filled with family and food. In our next post, we will be looking back at a great summer cider as we wish for warmer weather here in Chicago.

Disclosure: I am a member of Everywhere Society and Everywhere provided me with the compensation for this post about Macy's Culinary Council. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own.

Cider Boys Cranberry Road

With the fall season upon us, we start to look at some of the more seasonal ciders that appear. Last time we reviewed a cider that brought the spices of the season. This time we review a cider that promises some of the flavors of the season: cranberries. Hawke has confessed that he has a love-hate relationship with cranberries. He generally cannot drink their juice by itself as it is too bitter for him. Cider Boys brings us their cider as part of the expanding line up. This cider promised to tone down the bitterness and merge it with a good apple flavor.

Color: Upon pouring the glass, Bailey had noticed that it was a very golden cider. It has a pleasant color to it, that it quite clear. Conversely, Hawke noted that the cider did not appear to have even the slightest tinge of red to it. Both were disappointed as cranberries are a main ingredient. This aside, there was not much to take away from its color and clarity. Hawke: 4/5 Bailey: 5/5

Smell: Bringing the glass up to her nose, Bailey inhaled a sweet almost citrus flavor. There was no cranberry smell, but there was still a little bit of apple that she detected. Hawke smelled a decidedly sweet smell, with some bitterness accompanying. He surmises that the bitterness is from the cranberries. However, he could not detect them or the apples in the smell. Hawke: 3/5 Bailey: 3/5

Taste: Trying out the cider, Hawke tasted a sweet flavor, with the slightest hint of cranberry. Along with the cranberry flavor, there was also some bitterness. Hawke expected this, but it was not as strong as he expected it. Upon drinking the cider, Bailey enjoyed the sweet apple flavor. She also felt some bitter flavors, and a small hint of cranberry. Both were expecting more cranberry flavor to be present in the cider. Hawke: 3/5 Bailey: 3/5

Aftertaste: Hawke felt that the aftertaste was very short. It was mostly sweet, was a slight bitterness and really no flavors carried over to the cider. Bailey however got mostly bitter flavor, with a little sweetness. She also felt that the aftertaste was very short. This was overall, slightly disappointing as our two had thought that the cranberry flavor might appear more present here, but it sadly did not. Hawke: 4/5 Bailey 3/5

Price: 8-10. Bailey feels that this cider is good for its price, as the quality is good and there is only one main detractor from the cider. Hawke likewise felt that the cider was decent, but that there is still room for improvement. Hawke: 5/5 Bailey: 4/5

Overall: Both agreed that this cider is a decent cider. Bailey liked it, but was disappointed that there was not more cranberry flavor. Especially considering that this cider is marked as having such. She thinks that this would be a good cider for holiday dinners. Bailey does admit that she feels that this is more a sweet or seasonal cider rather than a cranberry specific cider, and that if there was more cranberry flavor present she would of rated this cider higher. Hawke feels that this cider is good, but really lacking the flavors it should have. The cider does seem to balance the sweet and bitter flavors very well however.
Hawke: 19/25 or a yellow apple

 Bailey: 19/25 or a yellow apple

McKenzie's Hard Cider Seasonal Reserve

Greeting readers! The fall season in Chicago has been lovely this year, but one thing has been missing: the perfect seasonal cider. Look no further, because Bailey and Hawke have found it! We were browsing our local Binny's store when we came across McKenzie's Hard Cider Seasonal Reserve and Bailey was curious, so she purchased it. She had never heard of this company before and was very excited for a chance to try  something completely new to her palate. This cider boasts a mulled spiciness for the fall season. Flavors include nutmeg, cinnamon, and apple goodness, Oh My! This cider has a 5% ABV and is sold in six pack bottles. It is bottled in Seneca, NY, but doesn't specify where the apples are grown or what variety they are. We are going to assume they are also grown in New York. On with the review!

Color:

Bailey thought this cider had a nice light gold hue and was very clear. It also had a few bubbles, but was otherwise unblemished. She rates it with a 5/5 apples. 

Hawke agreed that it was a brilliant gold and was very clear. He also gives it a 5/5 apples.

Smell:

Bailey took one whiff of this cider and summed it up in one word: Spices! This cider will make you think that your Grandmother is in the immediate area baking pumpkin pies. She easily detected the cloves at the forefront, then the nutmeg with its' somewhat sweet aroma, and the cinnamon was also present. All together it was lovely and she couldn't wait to drink it. She gives it a 5/5 apples.

Hawke was very surprised by the spiciness, but only because it was so wonderfully fragrant. He smelled mostly cinnamon with some clove, but not much apple aroma. Although the spices are very pungent, they are not overwhelming. He rates it with a 5/5 apples as well. 

Taste / Complexity:

Bailey eagerly took a sip and instantly started daydreaming about sitting in front of a fireplace with some nice fuzzy slippers on. There is some sweet apple flavor that complements the spices very well and keeps them from being too much, but definitely takes the back seat. All the spices are perfectly blended and it is deliciously smooth. She quickly rates this cider with a 5/5 apples.

Hawke thought that the cinnamon was the strongest flavor but the clove and apple were also there. He agreed that this cider was incredibly smooth and that the quality was very high. He also gives it a 5/5 apples.

Aftertaste:

Bailey found that the spices lighten up a bit in the aftertaste, but still hang around. She also tasted a bit of sour apple on the back of her tongue that went quite nicely with the spices. The aftertaste definitely left her wanting another drink. She rates it with a 5/5 apples.

Hawke tasted mostly the nutmeg with a good transition to a little apple flavor. He also commented that the aftertaste lingers for a decent amount of time before diminishing. He also gives it a 5/5 apples.

Price:

$8-10

Bailey was very please with this price as it was sold in a six pack of bottles. She thought that the quality of this cider was amazing and that is was totally worth it. She is planning on going back and getting a few more six packs to save for Christmas time. She rates it with a 5/5 apples for the price. 

Hawke also thought this was a very fair price especially because it is a seasonal limited release. This price is competitive with most other brands that are sold in six packs. He also gives it a 5/5 apples. 

Overall:

Bailey thinks that this cider will really please anyone who loves mulled cider in the fall, but it will also be perfect for whiskey drinkers. It has a "darker" smooth flavor that will quench the palate of a bourbon lover. The spices in this cider blend very well and the quality is fantastic. Overall she rates this cider with 25/25 apples, or a green apple!

Hawke thought that this is a cider that is more about tasting the season and not having the apples at the forefront, but he very much enjoyed it. This is the first variety of cider we have tried from this company and it was so good he can't wait to try more.  He also rates it with a perfect 25/25 apples, or a green apple!

And there you have it! The first perfect score of the fall season. We were very impressed with this cider and we hope you will be too. As always, thanks for reading and enjoy your cider!

Food Review: Chicken and Waffles of Evanston

Unfortunately, Hawke and Bailey don't spend all of their days sitting around drinking cider. They occasionally sample food as well. This time they were invited to Chicken and Waffles a restaurant that specializes in chicken, waffles, catfish and other southern home style recipes.

The Evanston location is their newest location (there are two more Chicago locations in Oak Park and the South Side) and the building itself is beautiful. Inside and out is covered with gorgeous brickwork that both Hawke and Bailey loved. Inside the restaurant there is a soft lighting and rich color. Live jazz plays on Thursday nights, but the house music was also soft and really helped complete the dinning experience.

Hawke and Bailey were promptly seated and a very friendly waitress came over. Looking over the menu, the waitress pointed out some of the popular items: The Saint which is a quarter of white or dark meat fried chicken with 2 waffles and Tonya's choice, which is 3 wings and a choice of one waffle, potato salad, or fries. Hawke opted to try The Saint with dark meat, while Bailey ordered Kisha's Creation. This is 2 fried or grilled catfish filets with a choice of waffle, grits, or rice, as well as 2 eggs done in any style. Bailey chose the fried catfish, scrambled eggs and a buckwheat waffle. She also opted to get a side of gravy.

Food arriving quickly, they surveyed the meals. Hawke's was served up with two large traditional waffles and two pieces of chicken, all on one plate with a heap of butter and two containers of syrup. Baileys was served on three plates with surprisingly large pieces of catfish and a large thick buckwheat waffle. A large portion of rice and eggs were also given, and the gravy was separate. The portions here are definitely worth the money.

The Saint

Digging into the meal Hawke found the waffles were sweet but not overwhelmingly so. They were crispy without being overdone and were not soggy at all. It went well with the syrup provided, which had a very nice maple flavor. The chicken was also very good, cooked just right. It is a traditional pairing of chicken and waffles, so it can come as no surprise that the syrup goes well on the chicken, but hot sauce is also an option. Surprisingly, there was no grease or oil that was on the chicken, despite being fried. Both the meat and the skin were done just right. Reaching over he did dip some of the chicken in the gravy that Bailey had gotten and found that the pairing was delicious. There are many different cider pairings that can be done with this meal. It is very earthy and one may want to stick with that. Hawke decided that the Grasshopp-ah Cider from the Colorado Cider Works would be a good pairing. As well, the Tieton Yakima Valley Dry Hopped Cider would also be good cider to try with this meal. 

Kishas' Creation

Sides

Baileys' meal was almost overwhelming in the amount of food that was presented. She first tried the eggs, which she really liked. They were cooked perfectly and had just the right amount of seasoning to them. The waffle was also quite good. It was very thick which Bailey almost had mistaken for two waffles, and almost had a cake-like texture to it. Despite its' size, the texture was very light, something she did not expect. Switching to the catfish, she found it to be crispy, with a rich buttery taste. Realizing that the crust was breadcrumbs and not flour, she also discovered that the catfish was not greasy at all. She was also quite a fan of the gravy. The gravy is homemade from their chicken. It is not greasy, but thick and creamy. It had a sweet peppery flavor to it. It pretty much went well with everything that was on the table. The rice was moist with a bit of stickiness to it that made it easy to dip in the gravy.

An ideal cider pairing for this meal would probably be the Woodchuck Amber or  Woodpecker Cider. Both are very standard ciders, and do not offer a lot of complex flavors. Covering up or worse, clashing flavors with a meal like this, especially the gravy, might confuse your pallet. 

Peach Cobbler

Lastly, dessert came around. This was a peach cobbler. Bailey and Hawke both found this to be delicious. It was not overly sweet as many cobblers can be. Instead it had an effective balance between sweet and tart, and was eaten very quickly.

Chicken and Waffles Restaurant offers a variety of different options while sticking to their roots. You can tell that the owners care about what comes out of the kitchen, and serving food that everyone can eat. The waitress told us that they focus on not over-seasoning or making things too greasy so that their more elderly patrons don't have to worry about diet restrictions.  Price for all the dishes was very reasonable for the quantity and quality of food served. Hawke and Bailey will definitely be eating there again, or at least getting carry out in the future.