Ellington

Description

Wayne's Fish & Burgers to Go, nestled deep in midtown, or what used to be referred to as the "west end," is deceptive. For one thing, Wayne is actually a woman. For another thing, she does not specialize in fried fish and burgers, as the restaurant title would lead one to believe. But these points can be easily overlooked. The friendly and gregarious Wayne offers more-than-generous soulfood plate lunches and dinners - meat, two sides, corn bread - for $6. Actually, "more than generous" may even be an understatement. Each plate lunch would feed two healthy appetites, or three average ones. Wayne's is in one of those small, unobtrusive buildings that is easy to miss but which always seems to house the most precious culinary treasures. Here, customers walk into a small vestibule and face a wall broken up by windows that allow viewing of the food and conversation with the server; meals and money are exchanged via a drawer. We tried the meatloaf, which we can best describe as a huge hunk o' heaven - just the right mix of spices, with onion taking center stage. It was served surrounded by a big, fluffy cumulus cloud of flavorful mashed potatoes (which was counted as part of the meat, not as a side). We also explored the baked chicken, a serving of which consisted of two drumsticks and two thighs. These were tender, slightly pink and served with sage-rich dressing that was neither too gooey nor too dry.