Not as impressed with Bourdain these days. Most shows he spends most of his time trying to be funny (& failing). His post production dialogue on the other hand is very very good when he can play it from 3rd person perspective.
I did enjoy the waffle house bit, mostly from my memory of 2 stops with the family going through Florida/ Georgia 5 years ago. We had a great time during those breakfasts.
Oh, the music choice was brilliant parody. Vivaldi, which is used as the intro to ‘Chef’s Table’ on Netflix.
What’s not to like about Waffle House? It’s inexpensive food cooked to order right in front of you. The eggs are fresh, the processed meats (bacon, sausage, ham) aren’t any more processed than anywhere else, the waffles have a pleasant maltiness, and the hash browns include a ton of options for those who aren’t satisfied with the inate tastiness of fried potatoes alone. I’ll take mine scattered well, or at most scattered and smothered well though, thanks. The skill with which the wait staff and cooks manage the volume and pace of service is both impressive and entertaining as well.
It is nice to see that Bourdain hasn’t fallen prey to the despicable and hypocritical need to “prove” one’s sophistication by fetishizing the everyday cuisine of other cultures while snubbing our own, To avoid misunderstandings, let me add that this statement isn’t directed at anyone in this thread.
I was born in the South and Waffle House was considered a special treat as a kid. What I like the most is being greeted by staff when entering the restaurant. At a Waffle house in Irving, TX when you enter the entire staff turns toward the door and says “Good morning” in unison. My wife and I went to a Waffle House in Beaufort, SC a few years ago and were greeted there with "Hey y’all. Gourmet food? No. Decent food and great, friendly service? Heck yes.
Yes. I agree with Glenn, Dennis, Milton and Mike Evans. This place is special. Late at night, you will get a real slice of local life no matter where you are located as a bonus. The pecan waffles are wonderful.
2 eggs over medium, bacon, scattered-smothered & covered a pecan waffle and coffee (or a vanilla coke depending on the time of day).
When I first moved to Atlanta I couldn’t believe there were exits along the highway (every highway) where there’d be more than one Waffle House so traffic going either way wouldn’t even need to cross over the highway after exiting.
Not been to the French Laundry but I did convince my spouse to try a Waffle House in West Virginia off I-81 a few years back. She still ribs me about the food but I thought it was a magical place because of the way in which the staff treated their customers. They held a small birthday party for a young boy and pull it off beautifully. It was clear to me that they had become a integral part of the neighborhood. Kudos to Waffle House for being a great destination for locals.
Way back when, a high school girlfriend got dragged to the Florida panhandle by her Father’s work, and she ended up working at Waffle House for the summer. She had great slice-of-life stories. Much later, I was a late night participant in a couple of slice-of-life Waffle House stories when I was a club door guy here in KC.
