Eat up, Drink up: The South has risen in NYC!

Root & Bone came to my attention via a fellow foodie friend of mine. I knew they served fried chicken & pimento cheese about 8 different ways so my southern heart fluttered. The restaurant is sister to Miami’s award-wining Yardbird brought to us by Chef Jeff McInnis and his new partner Janine Booth. I was so in.

The place is hot. No reservations and there was a wait at 6pm on a Wednesday. We waited. The space is very charming although tiny and the bar only sits about 5 people and was of course packed. We were seated at high top chairs by the front windows. The seats were great as we faced the hustle and bustle of Alphabet City. If only it wasn't 90 degrees.

What came next could only be described as a legit southern fat fest. We ordered the Deviled Eggs and Fried Pimento Cheese Caprese to start. We did not get the biscuits which I read were fantastic but we were trying to save room for the main event. The Chicken and Waffles. They do serve a Chicken and Waffle Sandwich but it’s made with white meat. I much prefer dark, so we opted to order a few pieces of dark meat and an order of a la carte waffles to make our own. Very good call. Both the chicken and the waffles were outstanding as was the syrup and hot sauce served on the side. We naturally needed some additional southern goodness so out came the Cheese Grits (loaded with corn and pimento cheese) and the Mac and Cheese (loaded with what seemed to be more pimento cheese). Both sides were insane. So good. There were two of us so obviously this wasn’t enough food...we decided to share the Banana Pudding for dessert. It was tasty but next time I’ll just save room for more pimento cheese...

Get there hungry and early...GO!