Mouths are Watering for Chicken and Waffles Even Before Gussie's Opens

Michele Wilson

Delayed gratification: Wilson's chicken and waffle.

In a city where soul food options remain patchy at best, there's big buzz building around the scheduled opening next week of Gussie's Chicken & Waffles (1521 Eddy at Fillmore). Helmed by Michele Wilson, a veteran of the much-written-about L.A. and Oakland outposts of Roscoe's, Gussie's is poised to unleash the sweet 'n' salty goodness of fried chicken and waffles, a duo that received new attention in May with the opening of Little Skillet.

Wilson had hoped to open earlier this week. In a tweet yesterday, she suggested that the opening might be on track for next Monday, July 27: I am waiting on a custom door to be installed. Once that happens we are ready to rock and roll! Hold tight! Thanks for being so patient. Keep up with news of Gussie's opening on Wilson's Twitter page.

Wilson plans to serve waffles with butter and homemade brown-sugar syrup. Waffle variations include cornmeal, banana pecan, vegan buckwheat, and sweet potato. Other options include fried okra with red pepper remoulade ($6.99), buttermilk fried chicken livers with onion strings ($6.99), cheddar cheese grit cakes with artichoke-jalapeño sauce ($6.29), and Louisiana fried catfish or red snapper sandwiches ($9.59).

As to the question of how best to chow on a plate of chicken and waffles, Wilson told SFoodie that anything goes: "The way I do it is a bite of the waffle with syrup, then a bite of chicken. But that's just me."