I’m curious to see who shows up at Saturday’s panel I’m moderating at the Southern Festival of Books… provocatively titled “New Southern Cooking: How We Learned to Hate the Rebel Flag and Love the Fried Drumstick.”
Southern Foodways Alliance director and prolific author John T. Edge will open up this can of worms with chef-author Bill Smith, no doubt whipping the crowd into a feeding frenzy.
It’s set for 3 p.m. Saturday in Room L11 at Memphis Cook Convention Center.
Now, that’s got me thinking about fried chicken: What’s your favorite place to pick up poultry?
Southern Exposure
Responses to “Them’s fighting words?”
October 13th, 2006 at 11:12 am
This is a tough one.
Really there’s no place in town that does it like home.
Gay Hawk is good and Gus’s does some fine spicy bird.
However, a friend of ours does a lightly breaded version that’s just delicious and then mom’s version was buttermilk batter and I haven’t managed to get mine to taste like hers….something about a labor of love I think.
If you do a tour of MS gas stations you’ll find some fine eatin’. I travel to Tupelo weekly and find the Exxon in Byhalia and the Texaco in Holly Springs both offer some really fine Q and Fried Bird. South on 55 to Coldwater is another spot where chicken on a stick is king. If you ever go to a festival or event and see Penn’s from Forest, MS don’t hesitate to eat anything they have. The chicken and fish are really fine.
I would venture to say the bird at Little Tea Shop is good though I’ve never had it. They do every other Southern staple really well. I can’t imagine them not excelling on Fried Chicken.
October 13th, 2006 at 11:45 am
Gotta be Gus’s for spicy chicken and the 24 or 40 oz beers. I would live at that place if the wife let me.
October 13th, 2006 at 12:37 pm
Right in my own kitchen or I have my dad make it for me.
As fast-food chicken goes - the “buy it in a bucket and bring it home type” - my family’s always gone to Mrs. Winner’s out on Summer.
However, if we want fried chicken and don’t want it in enough of a hurry that we can’t just wait, we always make it at home.
October 13th, 2006 at 1:54 pm
You know, I don’t think I’ve ever had a really good piece of fried chicken at a Memphis restaurant, it’s either greasy from cooking at the wrong temperature, or it’s been deep-fried and the crust comes off in a sheet, or the secret ingredient is salt.
October 14th, 2006 at 11:35 am
For chicken that’s fried soft, I like Jack Pirtle’s. Unfortunately, salt is the secret ingredient there too, but I just eat a bite of biscuit with it & that helps. The chicken is moist on the inside & they also have chicken livers available if you like those. Their gravy is good with the biscuits, & they also have a side order of rice & gravy that’s mildly spicy. Cut the coupon out of the Friday Playbook & you get a free two pieces meal with purchase of a meal & drinks. They have great sweet tea.
October 14th, 2006 at 7:00 pm
This about the book festival event- it was great listening to you guys talk. We were absolutely starving by the end of the discussion and rambled out the mall and found a spectacular strawberry cake at one of the vendors/then rolled on down to Hunt-Phelan for a martini. Little slices of heaven on a beautiful fall afternoon.
October 17th, 2006 at 2:11 pm
Gus’ downtown is the best on the bone fried chicken in town for me. I do like chicken tenders from Danvers (yum! with onion straws), the Mrs. Winner’s chicken biscuit is good any time of day, and Heavenly Hoagie is my son’s fave for chicken tenders. Passed up my chance to indulge in some fried chicken at The Blue and White this weekend, but it looked great!
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