Porter’s Fried Chicken (Maplewood)

I threw out a question to a couple of co-workers a few days ago.  I wanted to know if there were any good places to get fried chicken livers around the Brentwood area.  Instantly, their eyes lit up (they knew I was a bit of a foodie), and simultaneously exclaimed that Porter’s carried them and they have the best fried chicken around.  I definitely had to check this out, although, I was a bit skeptical.  I’ve had bad experiences before with what STL calls ‘the best.’  This is a city that thinks the stink pit of El Maguey is some of the best Mexican you can get in the city, and that claim couldn’t be farther from the truth.  Following the restaurant reviewer’s code, I decided to make multiple trips at different times, trying dishes across the board.  Here’s what was cooking:

On my first visit, I decided to go for what I was craving and found myself staring at a pound of chicken livers and a small side of potato salad.  A thin layer of breading coated each chunk of liver.  They were really nice with the crispy, peppery breading complementing the creamy livers quite well.  I grabbed a couple of tubs of hot sauce and proceeded to dunk away, finishing off the whole box.  Then, I dived into the potato salad, which was a sweet mustard blend with perfectly cooked potatoes and crisp touches of onion.  It wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t too keen on the sweetness of it.  I prefer a little more savory in my tuber salad.

The second visit was a trip down the river with catfish.  I spotted the catfish nuggets on the menu last time I was in.  I’m a huge fan of fried fish and the taste of catfish reminds me of Friday night’s during lent back in Central Illinois.  Just like the livers, it was a huge portion.  This was served with a roll(pre-packaged and not worth discussing), cole slaw (which a yelper had raved about) and mashed potatoes with gravy.  The catfish chunks were some of the best I had ever had.  Unfortunately, about midway through my meal, I bit into a scale from improper cleaning and later a bone.  It turned me off a little, and I cautiously finished off the rest of the fish.  The slaw was up next for tasting as I was curious to see why this was considered someone’s favorite.  It was a finely chopped blend of carrots, onions, and cabbage that suffers from the same sweetness the potato salad did.  The mashed potatoes were, also, quite unremarkable, and appeared to be an instant mix covered in a pre-packaged gravy.  These sides were a little disappointing.

Finally, I was on my third trip and this famous fried chicken was the obvious choice.  I got the 2 piece, taking it easy as this was my third trip that week with deep fried fare and my body was starting to feel it.  It came with the same sides as above, and since these were pretty unimpressive, I asked about getting another side.  I questioned my cashier on a few of the other sides and was told that they were all frozen goods and not made in house.  I wasn’t about to review something that I could do just as well at home, and stuck with the chicken getting a side of fries to fill me up.  I was served a wing and a thigh for my 2 pieces and each were blissfully greasy, moist, and crispy.  This was probably what I should have been eating the whole time and I can understand why people rave about it.  I’ll definitely be back to take a stab at some more, and possibly go for the spicy breading on my next visit.

That fried chicken was Porter’s saving grace.  It’s probably the only thing that I would go back for, getting just the chicken and letting them keep those shitty sides.  On the positive side, I never spent more than $7 on a meal there and was served a filling portion.  But, that’s probably because they save a whole bunch on frozen foods, pre-packaged sides, and sauces that come in packets.  There’s a bunch of flaws that Porter’s needs to deal with, however, the staff was nice, the prices  right, and the fried chicken delicious.  Porter’s will get my nod when it comes to chicken.  Just don’t expect too much out of the rest of the menu.

Links:

• http://www.yelp.com/biz/porters-fried-chicken-saint-louis
• http://www.porterschicken.com/
• http://www.riverfronttimes.com/bestof/2008/award/best-fried-chicken-582446/

Thanksgiving Duck (Bailey’s Range)

It’s November and one of my favorite holidays is on the horizon.  Thanksgiving is a holiday that was built for foodies as we get together with family, load our plates, and veg out together.  My family doesn’t get too creative with the spread and it’s usually just your run of the mill turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.  So, to get my foodie fix, I have to venture out a little and see what type of fare some of the local eateries are offering up around this time of the season.  I was pleased to see, when doing a little burger research, that Bailey’s Range had a TG inspired burger named the Thanksgiving Duck.  Here’s what I thought:

Since the research had already been done, I walked into Range confident on what I was going to order without needing a menu.  However, being a curious guy, I picked up the two sided menu and flipped it over to give it glance.  Realizing that I was quite hungry and a burger alone might not do the trick, I decided on some fried pickles to start with.  This turned out to be one of the best and worst decisions I have ever made in my life.  They make the pickles in house and as the molten hot fried pickles were placed in front of me, you could smell how fresh these were and a waft of dill tickled my nostrils.  They were covered in a thick layer of golden beer batter and made a nice crunch when bitten it to.  They were quite possibly the best fried pickle that I have ever consumed.  The bad part of this decision was now in play.  With my proximity to Range, I knew I was going to find myself back again for the gluttonous dish.

the onions cooked in pumpkin ale were the highlight of this burger

I finished off my pickles just in time for the main event.  My burger choice, Thanksgiving Duck, was presented to me.  A perfectly grilled fresh ground duck patty lay on a golden bun.  It was topped with onions cooked in pumpkin ale and a plum bbq sauce.  LTO lay at the side with another pickle which I was glad to see.  I readied my Thanksgiving inspired burger, leaving the LTO on the side with the idea that this is how Dave Bailey intended me to enjoy his creation, and sampled my first bite.  The first thing that hit my tongue was the pumpkin spice that had been infused into the onions.  It was complemented by the sweet plum bbq sauce and finished with the rich flavor of duck.    I gobbled it up (see what I did there) realizing that this was probably one of my favorite burgers ever.  The flavor lingered in my mouth, making me crave another one.  Ridding myself of this feeling, I sank my teeth into the remaining pickle to cleanse my palate of the delicious duck burger.

Getting that craving yet for Thanksgiving dinner?  Well, you have options, and at Range you can quench that thirst with their aptly named duck burger.  While you’re there, don’t forget about those fried pickles and tell me they aren’t the best.  Don’t want to take my advice?  Well then FORK U and wait until the 22nd to get your TG fix.

Chicken Livers (King Edwards Chicken and Fish)

livers...mmmm

Most chicken and fish joints are all the same, offering up all the same deep fried goodies that you can find at all locations with the same name.  In Saint Louis you will find an abundance of them over on the north side, particularly on Page.  I suddenly had the craving for some protein breaded and submerged in hot oil.  I was over on the west side of the Lou, and popped out my trusty smart phone and loaded up Yelp to see if there was anything of the like near my area.  Lucky for me, King Edwards was conveniently located off of Watson in Crestwood.  I had heard good things about this chicken and fish joint and had to check out the fare.  Here’s what happened:

I popped into the parking lot of a strip mall that housed King Edwards and found a close spot.  I could smell the deep fryers at work immediately as I stepped out of my car.  Once inside, I took a look around and a tiny dining area was buzzing with folks of all walks of life.  I joined the queue of about 4 people, giving me time to examine the menu.  Their menu consisted of a huge options of chicken combos, fried seafood, and a list of po’ boys that are offered on Saturdays.  Much of the items on the menu were of southern influence and included spicy hush puppies, frog legs, and my favorite, chicken livers.  Being a connoisseur of livers, I had to give these a shot.  I put in my order and added an order of fries.  After about 10 minutes, my fried chicken livers were up and delivered to my table.  They were lightly breaded and looked rather unappetizing to the untrained eye as they were the dull brown color of a liver.  I took a bite and they were subtly crispy with the wonderful soft texture of liver.  The lack of breading was a little disconcerting and I really prefer a thicker crunch to accompany the velvety texture of the liver.

loads of options

These livers weren’t my favorite, but after looking at the menu, realizing I had just downed a small sample size, I wasn’t turned off the the idea of making a return visit.  The prices were down right incredible and it sure beats getting fried chicken from a fast food chain.  So, go in and try something else out.  If you do, send me a FORKing pic, and tell me what you thought.

The Shack (Midtown)

If you’re planning on opening up a restaurant on a college campus, walking that fine line between good food at a great price can be quite difficult.  Typically, you’ll see your mix of pubs and grills each with their own unique spin on burgers, wings, and fries.  These grilled and fried dishes are served in a basket or a boring plate with little to no presentation.  Let’s face it.  These are college students and not refined foodies that you’re trying to impress.  Buy it frozen to save a few bucks and keep the food cost at a reasonable rate as most coeds are living on a tight budget.  So, I have to admit, when few friends and I dragged our half hungover asses over to Saint Louis University’s campus on a Sunday, I was quite surprised that what I was walking into was a campus eatery.

Midtown’s newest addition occupies the old Laclede’s.  Unlike its former occupant, this place is clean and pristine and not covered in grime from the night before.  We sat down at a table made out of an old door with light metal stools surrounding the waist high surface.  A waitress promptly made her way to our table and gave us the spiel on the specials of the day.  It was Sunday Funday and $15 buckets of Bud products and $1 off appetizers were the choices of the day.  Plenty of inexpensive items lined the menu and we chose some appetizers to begin with.  An order of onion rings, chicken wings, hot and spicy boardwalk fries, and fried pickles and peppers were relayed to our server.

Our appetizers made their way in a timely fashion to our table.  A smorgasbord of starting dish were strewn about waiting to be devoured.  Just at first glance, they all looked great.  Presented on small metal trays and shallow pails lined with tissues, they beckoned us to dig in.  I started off by picking out a jalapeno pepper out of the fried pile of pickles as I was craving a little spice.  The breading was light and crisp and the jalapeno was cut thick enough that it wasn’t drowned in the fried coating.  Next, I snagged a few of the hot and spicy boardwalk fries.  Each fresh cut fried potato dripped with buffalo sauce as bits of bleu cheese and green onion clung to each fry.  It was a great balance of spice cooled off by creamy bleu cheese.  Finally, I tried the wings and the onion rings each quite good and freshly prepared.  By the time we had finished all of the appetizers, 2 pitchers of beer had been polished off and I was still a little hungry.

Our server cleared off our table and I turned on the food blogger switch, impressed so far with the beginning bites.  I asked her to put in an order for me, telling her that I wanted whatever the chef or owner would want people to know about.  She came back and informed me that I was soon to be presented with a pastrami shack-wich and some ham and eggs boardwalk fries.  My specialized meal was delivered by the manager who gave me the rundown on the food which lay before me.  The pastrami is brined and smoked out at their restaurant in the county.  Intrigued by this, I had to dig into the cured beef deli meat first.  I cut the shack-wich in half exposing the layers of tomato, fries, coleslaw, andprovelone cheese all stuffed on top of the pastrami in between two slices of freshly baked french bread.  My first bite was filled with the smoky, salty flavor of the thinly sliced pastrami.  Hints of creamy slaw and fresh tomato complemented the meat well, and the bread was a little tangy and very tasty.

The green egg ‘n ham boardwalk fries were up next.  These fries looked amazing as they were coated in creamed spinach, covered in chopped ham, and topped with an over-easy fried egg.  My friends, who are not exactly foodies, turned their nose up at the dish at first.  I took the first bite, and it was delicious as I broke the yolk of the egg, allowing it to coat the fry mixing with the ham and creamed spinach.  I must have made it look great, and one by one they each took turns trying out the fries.  The manager came back around to check up on us, with a few of my friends thanking him for choosing these fries out as they would have never thought to order them without the nudge.

Needless to say, I will be heading back to The Shack.  I had been on the search for new Sunday hangout, and due to the fact there’s still quite a few things on the menu left to try, I won’t be getting burned out anytime soon.  For those of you who can’t make it on Sundays, make it up the the Shack on Mondays for $1 burger night from 6-9pm or Tuesdays as they dish out $1 tacos.  The Shack is sure to be a favorite among SLU students and I don’t imagine it will fade anytime soon.

Fried Chicken Sunday (Square One Brewery)

Whether it’s brunch or some off the menu special, every good restaurant keeps their doors open for the groups of family and friends that flock to get their weekly grub on.  You’ll find tables of hungry eaters dressed in their sunday best dotted with hungover slobs in t-shirts and sports fans dressed in the colors of their favorite teams.  There’s no doubt these folks are down to feast and If you want them to return you had better offer up something that they’ll be pining for next week.  This is exactly what I found at Square One Brewery in Lafayette Square.

$13.95

Before I even sat down, the hostess wound us through the room of diners with just about every table having a dish of golden brown fried chicken in front of them.  We were seated and a server promptly collected our drink order.  We went with a board of four sampler beers sticking to some old favorites, with 2 seasonal brews that are all made in house.  She, then, delivered her pitch, although, there was no need as I had already spotted what I was going to eat.  I ordered the fried chicken served with au gratin potatoes, a vegetable medley, and a dinner roll for only $14.  After a short wait, we were served and and my chicken rested before me in a good sized portion of 3 pieces, beautifully fried with the aroma of rosemary rising out of the breading.  I grabbed my fork and sank into the chicken as steam rolled out from the break I made in the skin.  Gently blowing on the chunk of meat I separated from the breast, I dug my teeth into the moist piece, chewing slowly to allow for maximum absorption from my palate.  I’m a bit of an eclectic eater and made my way through the potatoes and steamed veggies which complemented the chicken very well.  The highlight of this dish was the dinner roll that was covered in a sweet, buttery crust.  It’s exactly the balance that you need in the sweet and savory combo that keeps your palate guessing.  

$6.75

I washed down the rest of the dish with the 4 samplers that sat before me.  Thoroughly satisfied, I payed my bill and made my way home as I was sure to slip into a food coma.

Guerrilla Street Food

Trucking has been around for quite some time.  Recently the food truck business has exploded bringing a gaggle of mobile culinary treasure boxes that roam around the city.  It’s even become such a trend that you can take classes and get a degree from many culinary schools and become officially certified to run one of these trucks.  Today I visited Guerrilla Street Food to test out some of their Filipino features.

I made one of my biggest mistakes in visiting a food truck.  Showing up late means that you’re probably not going snag that one popular pick everyone else has been craving since catching word that their favorite mobile food truck is making a stop.  This was exactly the case when I poked my nose into the window of Guerrilla.  There were only a couple of items still on the menu, which is just a testament to how tasty and popular everything on the menu is.  Tofu Adobo was left up on the menu.  A Filipino dish of fried tofu, bell peppers, onions, bok choy, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and vinegar was served to me over over fresh steamed white rice and dressed with Sriracha.  The aroma was fabulous as the heat of the Sriracha hit me first followed by the medley of garlic, ginger, and bell peppers.  The first bite ran across my palate hitting some really great notes, as the normally bland tofu was expertly fried giving it all the crunch I desire in any dish.  Each bite after is incredibly different as you get a different mix of rice, sauteed veggies, and crisp tofu.  It didn’t take me long to finish this, and was quite conveniently packaged allowing me to consume this dish as I made my way along the streets of downtown Saint Louis.

Filipino food has steadily become one of my favorite flavors.  The melting pot of Asian influences come out in every dish.  Every dish is chock full of savory sauces and plenty of fresh veggies.  I highly suggest following them on twitter.  After that first hit, you’ll be craving another sample following them around to every stop they make.  I know I try to hit them up every time they plant themselves near City Garden.  So, try some Filipino next time they’re in your hood, and if you miss out….well then FORK U.