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| - There are so many reasons I hate that Jewel's has the best chicken and waffles of all time.
1. It's not a chicken 'n' waffles place. There are plenty of chicken 'n' waffles places. This is better.
2. Everything is entirely gluten-free. Even when I factor that culinary feat out of the equation, this dish is best in show. As I'm shoving a fluffy, crispy Belgian waffle into my face hole, I find myself wondering why gluten even exists.
3. It's a bakery, but the meat is better than most restaurants. The chicken is tender, boneless, and there are no bad pieces. The fried coating is entirely crispy and incredibly flavorful. Ask for extra. It doesn't come with all that much, and you'll want it.
4. It's not a Southern joint, but you get warm buttermilk syrup and Sriracha honey, and it beats hot sauce and honey by miles (coming from a Nashville native, tail betwixt legs.)
5. The whole thing is topped off with crispy kale pieces, which, despite seeming superfluous, is entirely necessary and adds a fantastic, toasty flavor.
6. There are too many insane-looking desserts not to get one. The creamy lemon meringue with graham crust is superior to the slightly gummy apple pie, but if you're limited to GF goodies, they'll be the best you eva had. I put Jewel's up against "normal" bakeries because nothing about them reminds me they're gluten-free.
However, the comprehensive experience is a mixed bag. On my first visit, the kitchen staff called out, "we can't make that. The iron broke." And the cashier simply said, "so... what can I get you that's not chicken and waffles?" The blasé shut-down sans any alternative offerings was a bummerdrag, especially since we came specifically to try that dish. (As substitute-for-waffle items go, the fine-crumb biscuits are awesome. The eggy, but basic, French toast doesn't pair quite as well.) Another time, the staff had little clue what was in the pastry case, and despite nothing requiring prep, took 10 minutes to get two pieces of pie to our table. This would be ignorable if there were more than three people in the café. The ambiance is basic, and like most Arizona things, Jewel's is in a strip mall. Fanf*ckingtastic food combined with hum-dum everything else earns an emotionally-conflicted four stars from me, because Jewel's really does have the best chicken and waffles I've ever had.
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