PrintBest Fried Chicken Joints in NYC
When I woke up this morning I had a deep yearning for a piece of fried chicken.
I'm actually not that particular about which piece. Thighs, wings, drumsticks and even the frequently dry breast, are all all right with me, because in the end I love fried chicken because of the crispy, crunchy, greaseless exterior coating, in which the breading and the skin become a cosmic one.
So where can I go for my fried chicken fix today?
Three places immediately come to mind:
1) Rack and Soul/Charles' Southern Style Kitchen: Charles Gabriel is perhaps NYC's greatest fried chicken cook. If he used just a little more salt in his batter he would be inducted into the International Fried Chicken Hall of Fame. One note: Last time I was in Rack and Soul for lunch, our chicken arrived two minutes after we ordered it. It had obviously been made well before we ordered it. So if you go at lunch, tell them you'll wait until your chicken is cooked to order.
Rack and Soul: 2818 Broadway (109th St.) 212-222-4800
Charles' Southern Kitchen: 2837 Eighth Avenue (152nd St.) 212-926-4313
2) Blue Smoke: Kenny Callaghan's fried chicken was inspired by an unscheduled stop I forced him to make at Gus' World Famous Fried Chicken , when we were driving back to the Memphis airport after spending two days eating barbecue at the Southern Foodways Barbecue Conference. Though nobody at Gus' let him get too close to the kitchen, he must have picked up something he put to use. The fried chicken here is amazing, crispy and crunchy on the outside, moist and delicious on the inside. Note: It's only served at dinner. I've begged them to serve it at lunch, but they wouldn't do it.
You can order it when you are listening to music at the Jazz Standard downstairs. It is the best thing I've ever tasted in a club.
Blue Smoke: 116 E. 27th St. (between Park Ave. South and Lexington Avenue) 212-447-7733
3) Jacque-Imo's NYC: Jacque-Imo founder Jacques Leonardi had the wisdom to hire the late, great Austin Leslie when he opened his Jacque-Imo's in New Orleans. Austin Leslie passed on recently, but you can eat a reasonable facsimile of his wondrous fried chicken at the Jacque-Imo's NYC on Columbus Avenue. There it's cooked to order. At the branch in Grand Central, the fried chicken has obviously been sitting around too long.
Jacques-Imo's NYC: 366 Columbus Ave. (77th St.) 212-799-0150
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7 Comments:
Ed,
It was great to see you mention Austin Leslie. He truly was one of the greats. Katrina took a heavy toll on older members of New Orleans, and Austin was one of the pillars of the city's culture that we lost.
By the time the storm hit, Leslie had move on from Jacques-Imo's. No longer relegated to a deep fryer in the corner, he was working the crowds and training young African-American chefs at Pampy's. Take a look at these photos to see what the man did beyond fried chicken:
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=68657
Austin's return to glory was too brief. It certainly didn't make up for the indignities he suffered before his death: trapped on his roof, stuck in the Super Dome, the stories you've heard.
Damn I miss his cooking.
TAPrice at 12:55PM on 08/18/06
If you are willing to wait for a table, the fried chicken at Blue Ribbon on Sullivan St. is terrific. Same with Sascha in the Meatpacking District (downstairs bar, not the dining room). I also like the take-out fried chicken from the butcher Lobel's (Madison & 81st), which I write about here.
Bettina at 3:16PM on 08/18/06
Anyone ever try Korean fried chicken?
While in Seoul last December, I ducked into a small joint - one of seemingly hundreds - that specialize in two things: fried chicken and beer. From what I'm told, it's a Sunday afternoon tradition - just hunker down with a whole chicken, a pitcher, and some good friends.
I'm happy to report on two Korean Fried Chicken venues in NYC: Baden Baden, on 32nd Street, and Mani Mani, out on Northern Boulevard in Flushing, Queens. Both recommended. At Mani Mani, you can get two different kinds, glazed or regular. The glazed has a kind of smokiness to it that keeps the mouth watering for days on end. The regular is not bad, gets a little dry on you, but comes with a spicey, tangy sauce that makes up for it.
I wouldn't recommend ordering any of the myriad other items on Mani's menu. Plus, at 15 bucks a pitcher, the beer is overpriced. Baden Baden, overall, is the better restaurant, serving a very tastey looking grilled squid as well. Mani Mani, however, reminded my wife of her college years in Seoul. It is as much a cultural experience as anything else.
Perhaps, in years to come, Korean fried chicken will join the ranks of Dominican and Columbian in terms of opening up the fried chicken experience in NYC.
Polecat at 3:40PM on 08/18/06
I aboslutely adore the fried chicken at Clinton St. Baking Co.
The crust fuses to the skin and has a slightly spicy twang to it
It's served with a little ramekin of honey and some jalapeno cornbread and their wonderful delicious slaw
And if you go for dinner, there's almost never a wait!
Ann at 9:43AM on 08/20/06
I aboslutely adore the fried chicken at Clinton St. Baking Co.
The crust fuses to the skin and has a slightly spicy twang.
It's served with a little ramekin of honey and some jalapeno cornbread and their wonderful, delicious slaw.
And if you go for dinner, there's almost never a wait!
Ann at 9:43AM on 08/20/06
Yikes. We went to the Rack & Soul on Broadway this afternoon at around 4:30 for fried chicken and it was, well, utterly atrocious. It seems like it was cooked to order, as it came out a good 5-10 minutes after we ordered it. The skin was not at all crispy; 'soggy' would describe it. The chicken was dry. It also had no taste. Too little salt in the batter was the least of the problems afflicting this chicken.
We've been to Gus's in Memphis three times in the past several months -- actually, we pretty much planned a trip to Memphis around it and ate there two nights in a row several weeks ago. It was sublime. Indescribably amazing. Our quest to find something remotely approaching it anywhere in between nyc and philly has so far been unsuccessful. Maybe we'll try Blue Smoke next.
dagordon at 6:43PM on 10/14/06
Ed, you have to update your list here. Rack & Soul's fried chicken was nowhere near one of the best in the city. It wasn't bad, but it was very average to say the most.
I must give a non-NYC fried chicken tip to everyone though. If you ever find yourself in or near Nashville, TN, go to Prince's Hot Chicken. It is truly amazing fried chicken (and really hot).
Taylor at 3:40AM on 12/21/07