Angie’s Soul Cafe

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I love to come across a deserving mom-and-pop that’s below the radar and tell the world (well, at least my readers) about it.

But finding those can be tough, partly because they have a tendency not to announce themselves. I try to spot them when I can, but short of cruising every street in town, I can’t catch them all. So I love it when friends and readers let me know about any that shouldn’t be missed.

That was the case a while back when a trusted source left me a message extolling the virtues of M&M Chicken and Waffles on Martin Luther King Boulevard, an offshoot of M&M Soul Food on West Charleston Boulevard. His raving convinced me, but since we schedule in advance, it would be a while before I could get in.

The day arrived, and I drove over with a co-worker. We found the address in a strip center, saw a sign that said "M&M Chicken and Waffles" and one that read "Angie’s Soul Cafe" and entered under the appropriate sign — to find that both doors led to the same space.

Confusion set in, but the woman behind the counter waved us over and welcomed us warmly. Angie’s, she said, had bought out that M&M location, but she assured us that the cook made waffles the same way as the former owners and that Angie’s had long roots in Cleveland. That sold me. I grew up in the Best Location in the Nation, and I knew that anyone who’d had two long-running soul food restaurants there likely knew what they were doing. She showed us to a table, and we settled in.

And promptly went on a chicken binge. The kitchen is fairly open, and we could smell chicken frying. And while the menu includes pork chops and short ribs and oxtails and catfish and more, it seemed nothing but chicken would do.

For me, it would be chicken and waffles, since that had been the original mission. My friend said that if it had been Tuesday, she probably would’ve gone for the liver-and-onion daily special and maybe the okra, and if it’d been Wednesday maybe the meatloaf, but it was Thursday, when the special was — wait for it — chicken. No wonder the aroma permeated the place.

There still were decisions to be made, since there are six chicken-and-waffle combos (including buckwheat) and seven fried-chicken options on the menu. I wanted a chicken breast, but since it came with two waffles, ($7) I’d take her suggestion and take one to go.

And let’s get to the waffle first. I’ve heard that there’s national Eggo shortage, and frankly I don’t get it, because a proper waffle is far more nuanced than those sad soggies — and this was a proper waffle. A thick Belgian style, it was delicately crisp on the exterior, creamy/fluffy inside and graced with the flavor of cinnamon.

The flavor of the chicken was a match for that heavenly aroma. Again, we encountered the striking contrast between the interior and exterior, this time with a golden, shatteringly crisp crust and moist, flavorful meat — two things that don’t always characterize white meat.

The two-piece white ($8) involves a breast and a wing, again skillfully prepared. But this one came with a choice of two sides, and the baked macaroni and cheese was almost custardlike in its richness, with layered flavors and a golden crown, while the collard greens were just short of soft, with their characteristic pungent flavor. The real surprise with this one was the included corn muffin, which actually turned out to be more of a corn cake or corn pone, a pancake-style preparation that was all the more appealing because the increased surface area lent an added degree of crispness.

We may have been in the wrong place, but it definitely wasn’t the wrong time, because one thing was clear: A mistake, our serendipitous lunch was not.

Las Vegas Review-Journal reviews are done anonymously at Review-Journal expense. Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at 383-0474 or e-mail her at hrinella@ reviewjournal.com.