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You might think chicken and waffles sounds like an odd combo, but it's no weirder than pancakes and bacon. The essence of both duets is the interplay of salty and sweet. Oni's Chicken & Waffles on Stockton Boulevard has the pairing down pat, with jazz on the sound system and a friendly atmosphere to boot. Some friends and I went a couple of weeks ago, but I haven't stopped thinking about their macaroni and cheese since. That's what brought me to Oni's in the first place.

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A couple of months ago at a birthday party, I tasted some of the best mac and cheese I've had outside of my mother's kitchen. It wasn't fancified with blue cheese, brie, or black truffles--it just had great savory flavor, good texture to the noodles, and plenty of real cheese. I had to have more, so I planned a trip to Oni's to get it and try their chicken and waffles while I was at it.

I first discovered the concept of chicken and waffles in Oakland, I think, but I've since read about it in John T. Edge's great book Fried Chicken: An American Story. In it he says (and Oni's Web site quotes), "My guess is that it comes from the days when someone would go out in the morning and wring a chicken's neck and fry it for breakfast. Preparing breakfast bread with whatever meat you have on the hoof, so to speak, comes out of the rural tradition." The Wells Supper Club in Harlem lays claim to the commercial birthplace of the combo, where late-night jazz patrons in the 1930s often wanted both dinner and breakfast foods at the same time. More famous now is Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles in L.A. But whatever the origins, it's a food pairing that you often see in more Southern or African-American neighborhoods. Stockton Boulevard being the United Nations of Sacramento, it's not surprising to find Oni's there and doing a brisk business.

You might miss Oni's if you aren't careful. It's in a strip mall across from Kmart, just next door to Thrift Town. It looks nondescript, but the inside is sunny and cheerful, with an open kitchen and menu specials posted on the windows. We went on a Friday night around 7 p.m. and were the only patrons, but it turns out that Oni's does most of its business at lunchtime. The chef told us he had gone through some 47 pounds of oxtails that day alone! (It was a special, but they have it on the menu with rice and gravy, plus one side dish for $12.50.) On the weekends, they have Saturday morning Cup of Jazz and Going Gospel Sunday, "all day with no interruptions." The jazz on Saturdays is live, starting at 7 a.m., but they had recorded jazz classics on the sound system the night we were there. The walls were lined with posters and photos of jazz legends like Duke Ellington, plus some sweet pages from a child's coloring book in one section.

But most importantly, the food was plentiful and tasty. We had to get the chicken and waffles, of course, plus plenty of macaroni and cheese. I also chose some candied yams, my husband got collard greens and red beans & rice, and we had to taste the butter-pecan syrup too. They don't have a liquor license yet, but a new location opening next month will (see below). Three chicken wings and a waffle with two sides was $9.75 (3 sides would have been $11.50). The wings were super crispy and flavorful, not greasy at all. I'm not a huge fan of wings, but these were meaty and delicious. It was especially good to dip the wing in some syrup from the waffle, then have a bite. The waffle was pretty standard and a fine example, and I didn't really taste a big difference in the regular maple vs. the butter-pecan syrup, but our table was so full that I could have gotten them mixed up. The greens were good and smoky, with some bacon or ham hock added, and the chef provided Louisiana Hot Sauce for the perfect condiment. The beans and rice were also outstanding, with lots of complex flavor from well-seasoned beans. My friend the mac and cheese addict likes hers with onion, but she sprinkled on some hot sauce (she had brought Tabasco in her bag just in case) and said it was definitely in her top two for Sacramento (#1 being Esquire Grill's version). The yams were well candied and maybe a bit too sweet for me, but I finished them nonetheless. We had hoped to taste the pecan pie but they were out. Instead, we got big helpings of peach cobbler ($3.00) with a delicious biscuit topping that we all ate first. The service was great--although we were the only ones there--but special touches like the wetnaps they provided show that they're thinking of the details.

Apparently, Oni's got a great deal on a business lease at Howe and Arden and hopes to open a second location by the end of June. It will have a full bar and live jazz in the evenings, plus the same delicious menu offerings. The Oni in the restaurant name is Rashida Oni Allen, whose background is in catering and party planning. Oni's does catering as well, or you can order a large pan of their mac and cheese (or other items) ahead and pick them up. Other items on their menu that I'd love to try in the future include fish (tilapia, catfish, or snapper) and creamy grits ($11.50 at lunch with 2 sides), the oxtail, and homemade pound cake ($3.00). I'm getting hungry now. Maybe I could just sneak over there for some mac and cheese. Mmmmmm.

Oni's Chicken & Waffles
5015 Stockton Boulevard, Sacramento
916-453-1224
Tu to Fri, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sat 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sun, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.