For the spice lover, this place has seven levels of Nashville-style hot chicken heat. Its current incarnation is as a pop up, located at 66 S. 1st Street, but I'm sure, given their rising popularity, it will have its own spot in no time. The menu is small but full of crave-worthy, heat-soaked morsels and the portions are large enough for one very hungry person or a small village.
Scratch Cookery
Here are some of the things I've enjoyed.
Nashville Hot Chicken. This was a mega sandwich with a very generous piece of chicken breast that was soaked in buttermilk and then dredged in seasoned flour before getting fried until extra crispy. I chose level 3 with my heat and that left my nose running and my mouth tingling with tasty, fruity chilies, which was as spicy as I was able to enjoy. The tangy slaw and thick, drippy, decadent comeback sauce helped cool things down a bit, while the pickles added a nice hit of acid. All this was barely held together by a buttery, fluffy brioche bun. This is how addictions begin.
Grilled Cheese Nashville Hot (Texas Toast). This was a similar sandwich with buttermilk soaked, fried chicken breast, with similar toppings of tangy slaw, comeback sauce and pickles. But the housing structure was not similar at all. Everything was encased in Texas Toast that had cheese incrusted on one side. If cheese by itself was not good enough, toasted cheese, in my humble opinion, is at least a thousand times better. This is probably my favorite version of the Nashville Hot.
Fries. A standard side for many fried and non-fried entrées alike, but these were a little different. Not quite curly fries and not quite steak fries, these were something in between. I'm not sure how these were cut into the slightly twisted, half-moon shapes, but they were very crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. After finishing one order, I needed to order another.
Classic Chicken Tenders. A Halal option of buttermilk fried chicken tenders, with no spice, over a bed of fries. Perfect for the the spice-novice or kids. This was also large enough to share.
Whenever my hot chicken cravings kick in, I know exactly where to go. I hope they gain enough popularity to maintain their current location as a pop up or eventually acquire their own, permanent space.
