Living the urban lifestyle in downtown Austin is an emptynester’s dream. The moon is bright in the morning sky, and the pool lights reflect on the leaves of every cherished tree surrounding it. Whenever we get ready for a big weekend breakfast after a long walk around Lady Bird Lake, there are a jillion places in walking distance. However, there’s only one with this kind of chicken and waffles. It’s called Forthright.
With a Name Like Forthright, It’s Gotta be Good
At the previous law firm where I worked, we had a white board. It hung inconspicuously, clean and dry, on the wall behind my desk – until Fridays.
Once a week, when people were bringing donuts to share, and eating their weekly breakfast tacos, and wearing their jeans, I found that my coworkers could let their hair down, just a teensy, and share something about themselves on-the-white-board.
Sometimes I posted a question, like, “What was your favorite summer activity when you were a kid?” Or, at Halloween, “If you trick-or-treated today, what would you hope to find in your pumpkin?”
A Word for the Office White Board
And then one day, someone suggested we all answer this one: “What’s your favorite word?”
That’s a pretty hard question, I’ll tell you. But then again, these were l-a-w-y-e-r-s. Lawyers got words.
Words flew thoughtfully onto the board, written in red, black or green marker. Big words like “propitiation” and unknown words like ichorous. I can’t remember what word I wrote on the board – probably something that displayed my stellar intellect, like “buddy-roe.” (I just love that compound word, highly used by Father Tim in Jan Karon’s Mitford novels.)
If this amazing restaurant had been open at the time, I would definitely have borrowed its name to use as my Friday word-for-the-white-board.
Straightforward and Honest
forth·right – ˈfôrTHˌrīt/ – adjective – (of a person or their manner or speech) direct and outspoken; straightforward and honest
Both Forthright’s menu selections and the easy atmosphere are true to its name. This place has a distinctively sort of hospitable air about it. I’m wondering why it feels that way, and I’m thinking it could have something to do with the crisp white aprons worn by the servers. Maybe that’s what makes me feel like like I’m seated in someone’s kitchen.
The simple white cups, saucers and plates also lend themselves to the straightforward feel at Forthright. Popular items like beet toast and asparagus scramble certainly do look scrumptious on a shiny white plate.
Today We’re Here for the Hearty
Come back with your girlfriends for the yogurt parfait, I whisper to myself. You can eat it outside on the patio, I plan ahead in my hungry brain.
But today, right now, with our college son, home for a brief and fleeting moment – we’re hankering for the hearty. Chicken and waffles for the guys. French toast with bacon for me.
When did Chicken and Waffles Get to Be a Thing?
Growing up in the Texas panhandle, I never had chicken and waffles together, at the same time on the same plate, but they’ve been a popular combo since 1938 when Wells Supper Club opened in Harlem. Later known simply as Wells Chicken & Waffles, the restaurant continued to be a late night hot spot where jazz musicians could enjoy a mix of breakfast and dinner after performing into the early morning hours.

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