Take a love of fried chicken (and other fried foods), combine it with a lot of inventiveness and you get this funky new spot near the Cherokee business district. The combinations are highly unconventional—garlic butter-chive beignets, chicken livers with pickled carrots, smoked chicken and cheese curds—but that adds to the fun.
So does the hubbub of standing around for a spot at the counter, or if you’re really lucky, at one of the four dining tables. If not, there are picnic tables out front and a drive-thru window for carryout. Oh, and once you do get seated, be prepared to have waiting people standing all around, sometimes uncomfortably close. It’s all part of the ambience.
Much has been made of the South Side Poutine starter ($8). It’s a jambalaya of excellent, bready tater tots, pulled pieces of smoked chicken, cubes of cheese curd and chicken gravy served on a tray (like all dishes are here). While many of the elements were good—the tater tots and the smoked chicken, in particular—the gravy could have used more flavor and the cheese felt like a mismatch.
The Cauliflower ($6) starter was an appealing dish, with florets of the roasted vegetable served with toasted cashews and covered with grated grana Padano cheese, salsa verde and aioli. The flavors were good.
The big reason for enduring the wait for a spot here, though, is the fried chicken, which comes piping hot and heavily crusted with possibly the thickest, juiciest coating—fried very dark. It’s tasty, oily and kind of addictive. You can and should order sides. Don’t miss the slaw ($4), mixed with house-made mayo, or the beignets ($4), doughy and beautifully crusty on the outside. The Pickles ($2) are, well, weird. They’re called ‘Kool-Aid’ pickles because they are, literally, marinated in the ’50s fad food.
The don’t-miss dish is the Bahn Mi ($8), an Asian-inspired sandwich with shredded pickled carrots, slivered jalapeño, fresh cukes and aioli complementing fried chicken livers. It’s all served on a crusty French bread bun, and the combination is inspired: mouth-puckering from the vinegar, crunchy from the fried livers and creamy from the aioli. Party on.
amuse bouche
The Scene | Fun, creative fried chicken diner and drive-thru
The Chef | Bob Brazell
The Prices | $6-$8 starters, $1.50-$3.25 chicken by the piece
The Favorites | Chicken Liver Bahn Mi, Beignets, Cole Slaw, Fried Chicken
chef chat » bob brazell
Pedigree | Le Cordon Bleu
Favorite Ingredient | Pork
Favorite Cookbook | Ideas in Food by H. Alexander Talbot and Aki Kamozawa
Favorite St. Louis Restaurant | Niche
Most Memorable Meal | The first time my grandma made me a BLT
Guilty Pleasure Food | Red Hot Riplets
3422 s. jefferson ave. | 314.875.9998
Photos: Bill Barrett