Wednesday, December 18, 2013

When you go to a place legendary for long waits and there's no line, that makes for a happy Honey Butter Fried Chicken-filled belly

Delicious, delicious Honey Butter Fried Chicken.
Hey, another bit about food! At least this is a food I'm well equipped to write about because fried chicken may just be my favorite food ever. Well, next to Texas brisket. It's up there though! Honey Butter Fried Chicken opened in Chicago recently and have been getting major kudos, which has lead to long lines and wait times, so we took our time after it opened before finally making it over to the joint tonight. They debone their chicken, so I was intrigued to try that out.

The ambience is rural roadhouse chic. Tables lined up next to each other, you orderer at the register and then sit while waiting for food. The cocktails are a bit pricey for little return on actual flavor so next time I think I'll either just go for a beer or stick with good ol' just plain water. The wait between ordering and eating was about 15 minutes, so if that's how long it takes to get food when the joint is nearly empty I can only imagine what kind of wait their is to get your meal when the place is hopping.

On my end, the meal didn't disappoint. I ate two chicken breasts and was stuffed. The breading is slightly spicy and they serve the chicken with honey butter that you're urged to put on the chicken to eat. I tried it both ways and thought the flavor of each piece was enough on its own o apply butter at your discretion. For me it was a nice option but didn't really add anything to the chicken's flavor. I did taste delicious on their cornbread muffins though! So apply liberally to those, should you try the place out. GalPal tried some of their hot sauce on her chicken near the end of the meal and lamented not utilizing it before her tummy was full because she thought that condiment did add an extra layer of yum to the chicken. She also tried their Schmaltz smashed potatoes with chicken gravy but gave that side the thumbs-down. Stick with the chicken plates.

We drove by on our way home an hour or so after we left and saw their was a line stretching to the door and every table was filled, so my guess is that if you want to get in and out you should eat their before 7 or 7:30 p.m., otherwise make sure you bring along a good conversationalist or have a bunch of reading to catch up on. We'll be back, even if there is a wait, because the food was worth it. It wasn't so amazing we'll be there more than a handful of times a year, but it is tasty enough for us to trek out to its not-so-easy-to-reach-by-public-transportation location that handful of times!

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