April 27, 2008
Fried Chicken: A Prelude to Pizza
When you know you're going to attend an all-you-can-eat pizza party for dinner, you should probably be careful about what you eat for lunch. Maybe just stick with a salad or a piece of fruit. Or water. Or air.
- Oops.
Naturally, I ate big ol' crispy hunks of fried chicken. Oops.
- It was them!
I blame Kathy and Tina. ...Actually, it was more Kathy's fault. But I can't really blame her considering that it was probably my fault for giving her a fried chicken craving in the first place.
See, what happens a lot (and by "a lot" I mean "almost every morning") is that we'll be chatting online and I'll mention a food that I wouldn't mind eating. While my thoughts will easily wander onto something else, Kathy will instantly get a craving for whatever food I mention. A serious craving. The kind that can linger for days. Hell, I've seen her have cravings that linger for months (pie and poutine—not together). You probably shouldn't talk about food around her.
- Ah, more fried chicken
I met up with Kathy, Tina and Helen at BBQ Chicken & Beer, so far my favorite America-style fried chicken place in the city. If the name confuses you, BBQ stands for "Best of the Best Quality Chicken." A silly name, perhaps (in addition to being difficult to google), but not far off the mark. Their fried chicken—which they tout as being deep fried in extra-virgin olive oil—has a thick, crisp golden skin and tender meat that acts like a sponge of...chicken juice. It's super moist, basically. And if you leave it out for hours (we've done this at work), it still tastes really good. Not that you would leave it out for hours. The accompanying fluffy, buttery biscuits probably won't last for hours, so eat them right away.
- Spicy creamed corn
The thick-n-chunky spicy creamed corn was...unsurprisingly, spicy and creamy. Just a little spicy though, nothing of the fire-breathing sort.
- What the hell?
And then there were pepper munchers, which despite containing the word "pepper" didn't appear to container any pepper matter. Take a closer look.
- Huh?
A better name for this would've be "deep fried cheese nubs." They weren't like mozzarella sticks where there's a discernable chunk of cheese encased in fried batter; rather, they were crispy nubbins containing some melted cheese goo, along with empty space and...potato? Maybe some chopped pepper bits? I don't know. I just don't know. It was an unintentionally elusive dish.
Our food came uncharacteristically quickly; my previous experience with BBQ Chicken involved having to wait a long time. The waitress told us that our food didn't take forever because the owner was in, making lots of chicken for the lunchtime crowd. Dinner might not be as fast.
Pizza gorging report shall come later.
Previously:
Eating (Unidentified Flying) Korean Fried Chicken in Queens
Fried Chicken, Gelato, Falafels and Burgers (and Indigestion?)
Blue Ribbon Bakery and...that's it for now
Address
BBQ Chicken & Beer
232 7th Avenue
New York, NY 10010
Posted by roboppy at 11:03 PM
Comments (21)
hmm, i wonder if the claim about the extra-virgin olive oil is true. the flashpoint is so low it's a very unusual oil to fry with. it's also super-expensive.
Posted by: tristan at April 28, 2008 8:15 AM [#]
Sheela: Ah, I didn't have a shot from that meal, but here's a previous one!
Olivia: NOOOO OMG NOOO NO LOVE FOR THE FRIEDNCHICKEN!
Mousie: That's what I was aiming for.
Tristan: I don't know! I thought those were the reasons most places didn't use olive oil. My googling didn't get me any different info on BBQ Chicken's frying practices, though. Maybe lower grade olive oil would work, but extra-virgin?...euh.
I think you could deep fry with extra virgin olive oil if you combined it with an oil or clarified butter--something with a higher smoke point.
I had a fried chicken craving for a long time until I made my own last week. Now I'm building another friend chicken craving. Those pieces really do look huge--like fried goose, maybe. Either way, it looks really fraggin' good.
Mmmm... OMG that looks good! It's time to start saving up for a trip to New York.
And I can't wait to read about the pizza gorging. Why don't I eat delicious food more often?
Posted by: Maja at April 28, 2008 2:29 PM [#]
I could eat fried chicken any day of the week! Actually last night we made fried DUCK at home (Kylie Kwong recipe) and it was superb! It was asian-style with a sour plum sauce, not good ol' American-style, but hey, it was fried and delicious, and had about an obscene amount of fat on it. Sign me up anytime!
Julie: I've never made my own fried chicken before. Actually, I've never deep fried anything in my kitchen! :[ ...Or. Maybe once in my life. But it was so long ago I can't remember what it was. Buh well.
Steph: HAHA...(tumbleweed rolls by)...
Well now I can't look at it with a clear mind. Waaah!
Maja: Oh, on the days I don't eat delicious food I eat the most boring stuff in the world that you will thankfully never read about. So don't feel bad. (pat pat)
Kathy: I DIDN'T MENTION CUSTARD! THAT IS YOUR DOING! YES.
Erin: Fried duck! I haven't had that. I want that. Yes. Please.
Ah I love BBQ Chicken! I think I like the teri-gold wings more than the regular chicken, although the regular chicken IS delicious. In addition to the distinct flavor of being cooked in olive oil, it has great flavors of teriyaki and garlic and is dredged in rice flour. Delicious. You should try it.
Posted by: Joseph Bayot at April 29, 2008 2:35 AM [#]
I have had a craving for fried chicken for months. In fact, I was craving it and thinking about it this morning and then I went to this post, argh!! I made some oven fried chicken with panko last week. It is just not the same. I want chicken.
Posted by: Cindy at April 29, 2008 11:36 AM [#]
I am not giving into your temptation. Think yoghurt...think granola....carrot.....lettuce
Posted by: reese at April 29, 2008 3:07 PM [#]
Joseph: Ah, I haven't tried the teri-gold wings. Next time!
Danny: IT WASN'T WRONG; IT WAS SO RIGHT. Actually...maybe it was a little heavier than I would've preferred, but it was full of delicious dairy fatness, so I won't complain.
Ulla: I'd love to know what you think of this place! I don't know what my absolute fave food is, but fried chicken is definitely up there. You'd be crazy not to like it. Unless you don't like meat...in which case...hm.
Cindy: Using an oven ain't the same as a bit vat of hot oil, that is true.
Reese: HAHA...did your mind trick work? ;)
Christina: I'd eat that! Hell...yeah.
Man, you're going running? I don't think I've done that in years. I mean, for the hell/fun of it. It's a bit sad.
you've never deep fried anything? then you're missing out on one of life's great joys.
that's some good looking fried chicken. why aren't we friends? we should be eating chicken and biscuits together.
Posted by: michelle @ TNS at April 30, 2008 11:26 AM [#]
Wow, this post reminded me that I have not eaten fried chicken in FIVE YEARS. That is too long to wait, seriously. And lunch is in fifteen minutes.
Off-current-topic, but I discovered your blog earlier this week and loved it so much that I went back and read...allllll...the entries. From the beginning. You are an amazing person, and I love your writing. It was like reading a great novel about food and never wanting to put it down...except I don't have to, as long as you keep posting! If you ever decide to visit Madison, WI, we have many delicious restaurants. I wish I had someone like you to visit them with.
Carry on!
Jenni: Five years? FIVE YEARS? What? Why? WHY!?
...Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if I had had a 5 year fried chicken-less stretch. During the vegetarian/hard core dieting period. Even now I can't say I eat it that much. But five years...hm. Get back on that fried chicken horse!
You read all my entries? holy! Jebus! You get a prize! A virtual ribbon! [ding!] There it is. That's really impressive and I'm honored you found my writing that interesting because, honestly, the early stuff was like brain farts. It still kind of is. Um. But yeah! If I'm in Madison I'll hunt you down, sweet!!! ^_^
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Awww, no chicken innards shot??
Posted by: Sheela at April 28, 2008 1:32 AM [#]