As promised in print, here are the notes on the restaurants from my fried chicken search not prominently mentioned in either the article or my list of favorites. (I'm leaving out Ajisen, Massey's, Nate's Seafood, Plus One Chicken and Zyka, since I said pretty much everything I had to offer about them in the story.)
One thing I'd love to hear from y'all about is places you think I missed on my hunt. Fried chicken is an enduring obsession to mine, and an online follow-up report of visits to places I missed this round seems probable if I get some good suggestions. Rudy's Chicken and Hall's Chicken Shack have already been brought to my attention ...
On Monday, I'll dish a bit about some exceptional sides I ate alongside the many plates of browned bird, and also offer some thoughts on fried chicken from a more national perspective - including some quotes from John T. Edge, author of Fried Chicken: An American Story - that got cut due to space constraints.
Pictured above: Chicharron de pollo at La Cubanita
BABE'S CHICKEN DINNER HOUSE
Well, it's a sweet deal here anyway: For about $10, you get lots of sides (the selection revolves, but we got creamed corn, pole beans and mashed potatoes with gravy), biscuits and a weird little iceberg salad with a sour vinaigrette. We got a hard, overly browned batch that seemed to have stayed too long in the fryer. Are other locations beyond the Garland location known for being more dependable, or are they pretty much the same?
What I'd return for here: The luscious smoked chicken!
1456 Belt Line Road, Garland. 972-496-1041. www.babeschicken.com.
BIG MAMA'S CHICKEN AND WAFFLES
Chicken and waffles in a carryout context are a little tricky. The waffles are packaged separately, which robs the diner of the synthesis between the hot chicken and the crisp waffle that starts in the kitchen when the two are plated together. The waffle had snap and came with packets of whipped butter spread and syrup. Containers of hot sauce, to maximize the savory-sweet effect, were sold for an extra $.25. The chicken (not super crisp and a little greasy, but moist and with great frisky seasoning in the batter) came with pickled peppers, which my friend squeezed over the chicken as a flavor booster. As if a waffle wasn't enough carb action (and, to be fair, they are sold separately), the chicken automatically comes with fries, seasoned with that same plucky spicing in the chicken batter. But the fries were also soggy.
All in all, though, I'd come back here to see if the not-crisp shortcomings mentioned in the article happened to be with our particular batch. It satisfied a fundamental craving.
BREAD WINNERS
The menu here is a little deceptive: The first entree under main courses is listed as "buttermilk pan-fried chicken breast" with cream gravy, mashed potatoes and apple chutney. Maybe the "chicken breast" description should have been a tip-off, but the thing was boned, pounded and breaded like schnitzel. Not true fried chicken. 3301 McKinney Ave. 214-754-4940. www.breadwinnerscafe.com.
COOPPIE'S AMERICAN SCRATCH COOKING
Cooppie's almost made my favorites list: I just wish the chicken had been crispier. It didn't lack crunch completely, but it had that in-between texture that suggested perhaps the oil needed to be a tad hotter in the fryer. Meat was just shy of succulent. But this is a spunky little place run by nice folks with good intentions behind it, and if I lived close by, I would stop in frequently for lunch. The menu offers a waffle with the chicken-fried chicken, but not the regular fried chicken. (We did try the chicken-fried chicken and it was much crisper.) Regardless, I would assemble my own dish here, composed of fried chicken over a waffle with the restaurant's nicely balanced cream gravy.
4280 Lavon Drive, Garland. 972-530-8200. www.cooppies.com.
DIXIE HOUSE CAFE
Not much to say here: We had a really sweet server, but I just didn't enjoy their dry, overcooked fried chicken. At least the turnip greens and mashed potatoes with jalapeno-spiked gravy filled me up. Are others out there having a fantastic experience here that I missed?
6400 Gaston Ave. 214-826-2412.
GOLDEN CHICK
Classic fast-food chicken: rippled, midweight, moderately greasy, hot. Requesting the chicken spicy proffered some genuine heat. For a quick fried chicken fix, it ain't bad. Reminded me of Popeye's, frankly.
14430 Marsh Lane, Addison (see Web site for additional locations). 972-406-9799. www.goldenchick.com.
HIGHLAND PARK CAFETERIA
At 12:50 p.m., the fried chicken tasted lukewarm by the time it made the short trip from the heat lamp to the table. It was very KFC: chunks of batter that break off into greasy bits. Crisp, though. White meat was dry, dark was better. Slightly salty, even for fried chicken. Large pieces. Did not make much of an impression.
1200 N. Buckner Blvd. 214-324-5000. www.highlandparkcafeteria.com.
KEL'S RESTAURANT
Like HPC, it was serviceable. It was fried to order, which seemed promising, but then turned out quite oily and didn't have any pow to the seasoning.
5337 Forest Lane. 972-458-7221.
LA CUBANITA (for chicharrones de pollo)
Fun, juicy, freshly made little morsels with that guava-tinged, barbecue-esque dipping sauce that go nicely with the rest of the La Cubanita experience. Look for review of this new spot next week.
4444 McKinney Ave. 214-520-0100. www.lacubanitadallas.com.
MECCA
Mecca has chicken tenders, chicken-fried chicken and chicken livers on their set menu - but no fried chicken. It was on the special list early in my search and I just happened to luck into it. (I had some good karma on this search: Not knowing Sweet Georgia Brown serves fried chicken only on Tuesdays, I showed up there on the right day, too). It's standard diner fried chicken - light-ish crust, basic seasoning, decently crisp, medium-moist. If you're craving this variety, call the restaurant the day before to request fried chicken and they'll put it on day's special menu.
10422 Harry Hines Blvd. 214-352-0051.
POLLO CAMPERO
Food writers have a funny relationship with Popeye's: I know many who swear by that chain as their fast-food chicken fix. Cathy Barber is proudly among them. And, I'll admit, when I lived in Atlanta there was a Popeye's up the street that got my business now and then.
I say this all to preface that Pollo Campero is my new choice for fast-food fried chicken. Sorry, Popeye's. I'm into that low-grease coating. I'll also agree with one reader who mentioned the plantains: A refreshing change of pace from fries and cole slaw (though the Campero cashier did try to steer this gringo toward the fries).
3071 W. Northwest Highway (see Web site for other locations). 214-358-5200. www.campero.com.
RJ'S CRUSTACEANS OF NEW ORLEANS
Powerfully seasoned batter at this Deep Ellum eatery, and its weight was lighter and more enmeshed with the chicken than is often the cae. Unfortunately, the chicken itself was stringy and overcooked. It was a white meat or dark meat proposition at lunch, so I ordered dark meat plus an extra breast, which they had oddly pre-cut in half. You can order them with fries or, for a NOLA spin, over red beans and rice.
2711 Elm St. 214-747-0900.
SOUTH DALLAS CAFE
I like South Dallas Cafe and, since it's not far from the paper's offices, I come here solo for lunch occasionally. But I caught the chicken on an off day. It had been sitting on the steam table for a while and had lost its mojo (i.e., veering toward soggy and dry inside). It was overly salty, too. What I do love reliably at South Dallas Cafe will show up in another article in a few weeks ...
3126 Grand Ave. 214-428-8898.
VERN'S PLACE
Vern's was an intriguing case. I arrived at high noon on Wednesday, the only day that the restaurant offers fried chicken, and requested my oversized share of bird. It was cold, almost literally: As in, on the far side of lukewarm. What fascinated me, though, was that this chicken tasted really good nonetheless. Still faintly crisply, and spiced by a knowing hand. So, I'm not sure I can recommend an onsite meal at Vern's, but if happen to have the day off and want to pick up some fried chicken for a picnic? You know where to head now.
2807 Elm St. 214-823-0435. www.vernsdallas.com.
WILLIAMS
Again, I wonder if there's a branch of this local chain that somehow excels beyond the others? Medium brown and passably crisp, it tasted, in crust and meat, roundly bland. But, in a fast-food kind of way, I very much enjoyed two of the accompaniments to the fried chicken. More about that on Monday.
4875 Sunnyvale St. (see Web site for other locations). 214-375-5055. www.williamsfriedchicken.com.
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Comments
Posted by Cliff LeBlanc @ 2:22 PM Fri, Mar 28, 2008
Bill,
As a cajun...I'm surprised with your use of Popeye's as the basis yet you didn't really review it. I realize it's very much a commodity but it's always an option.
As for a quality meal...I'm always a fan of Marc Cassell's "Dad's Sunday Chicken" from Dragonfly.
Posted by Bill Addison @ 2:34 PM Fri, Mar 28, 2008
Hey Cliff --
I mentioned in the Pollo Campero write-up that I used to go to the one in Atlanta, and I've had it here, but I also note in the article that I forewent national chains for this search. But trust me when I say that Popeye's fried chicken is lodged in my taste memory.
And thanks for the Dragonfly rec -- hadn't heard about that one at all ...
Posted by Terri @ 2:59 PM Fri, Mar 28, 2008
Where is Brother's Fried Chicken????? Did I miss it?
Posted by Shannon Sutlief @ 3:35 PM Fri, Mar 28, 2008
Terri: Bill wrote about Brother's Fried Chicken in the original story. Click on the hyperlink above that says "fried chicken search." It's under "Personal tastes" about half-way down the page and "Bill's Favorites" about two-thirds of the way down.
Posted by Brad @ 4:20 PM Fri, Mar 28, 2008
Only problem is that Marc Cassel hasn't worked at Dragonfly for over a year.
Posted by Margie @ 6:17 PM Fri, Mar 28, 2008
OK. 30 fried chicken joints in a month. Tell me. Did you not get a little sick of fried chicken? Dude.
Posted by Char @ 11:41 AM Sat, Mar 29, 2008
I grew up eating Popeyes literally once a week and plan to go this weekend to honor founder Al Copeland, who died a few days ago.
But what disappoints me about Texas Popeyes is that the FANTASTIC onion rings are not on the menu. The only places I've ever found them are in Louisiana and one on the California/Arizona border (I think in Blythe).
Have I missed a Popeyes in Dallas that has onion rings on the menu? 'Cuz I'd gladly drive there.
Posted by Kim Pierce @ 6:03 PM Sun, Mar 30, 2008
I just got back from brunch at Hattie's, which had fried chicken and waffles as a special. Now it was all good, but the fried chicken was a chicken-fried boneless, skinless breast. The waffle was an excellent buttermilk number, which may have had OJ or traces of orange peel in it - all served with a chile-maple syrup. Thanks for inspiring me to reach further - or as we say hereabouts, FUH-ther - than I would have without your piece.
Posted by Bill Addison @ 12:21 PM Mon, Mar 31, 2008
"... but the fried chicken was a chicken-fried boneless, skinless breast."
No offense to Hattie's, but that ain't real fried chicken in my book.
Posted by Impiltdownman @ 12:58 PM Thu, Apr 03, 2008
Anyone remember Youngblood's Fried Chicken? For anyone who does, Youngblood's is the bellwether!