Holy moly. How come I’ve never knew of this place so close to me? Look at these Chicken and Waffles smothered with white gravy! Everything cooked perfectly. Three pieces (thigh, leg and wing). Add some syrup to the mix and it’s insane. The best cooked Deep Fried Pickles I’ve ever had. Crisp, not soggy. $2 Coors all day and wasn’t crowded (3pm Saturday).
Jimmy’s Diner – 577 Union Ave (btwn N 10th & N 11th St) Brooklyn 11211
Recently, one of my favorite cheap lunch spots (2 Bros Pizza Plus –see Jerk Chicken, see Pizza, see Ribs, see Fish and Chips) raised the prices mostly 25cents on each dish. Pizza slices are still $1. Still a really good deal though.
The guy behind me in line was “Oh man, they raised their prices? Why did they do that?” I turned around and looked at him like “yeah, I know. Right?” Then he kept asking me seriously, “Why did they do that?” He really wanted me to explain to him why they raised their prices 25cents. He couldn’t understand why.
Then the guy in front of me pointed at the Fried Chicken and asked if that was the Baked Chicken. Then he asked which one was the Baked Chicken. Then he got the Fried Chicken.
It was strange. These two men did not look old, poor, or stupid. They looked like me. …Oh shit.
Hill Country Chicken just opened today. I passed by during lunch and there was too much of a line for me. I figured I’d come back later. First after work, I went with Todd and his friend to Blood Manor haunted house’s dress rehearsal, courtesy of Michael Impollonia. I think he plays the butcher or chef. It was pretty scary and a lot of fun …and there’s 3D! Not quite like Avatar, but just as terrifying. By the way, here’s a $5 discount promo code if you order tickets online: “EN542” —BloodManor.com
Afterward we headed over to Hill Country Chicken. Fortunately, it opens until 11pm. Unfortunately, they were out of a lot of things. But thighs and wings are good enough for me. The staff was super nice and accommodating. They let me try a huge sample of the chicken salad. Very good.
The fried chicken was great. Different from any fried chicken I’ve had before. The breading was heavily seasoned …sorta like a more intense crunchy fried version of Shake ‘N Bake. The meat was moist. The thigh was large. I thought they gave me a breast. I think the chicken had so much flavor that the bit of liver on the thigh was underwhelming and I usually look forward to that part. It was nice they had Fried Chicken seasoning on the side to shake on. Seemed like a salt and Cajun mixture.
Other thoughts: The biscuit and Carrot & Raisin Slaw was just okay. My hands and mouth were a greasy mess. I heard there were arcade games in the basement. Overall the food is pricey. It’s no $1.89 for two pieces and a biscuit at Popeyes. But this chicken is a different beast.
I walked by Popeyes yesterday and it was packed. I figured everyone was there for the $1.89 two-piece chicken and a biscuit meal deal. Today, the same thing. Packed. Sam pointed out to me that it’s only a 10cent savings. I didn’t even notice it was originally $1.99 before. Did everyone else?
Two different friends this week told me that The Commodore in Brooklyn has the best fried chicken they’ve ever had. They ain’t kidding. I got some friends to meet there for happy hour. The fried batter was so light and mix that in with the honey butter and hot sauce …hot dang. The Hot Fish Sandwich with spicy fried fish topped with cole slaw was amazing. I gobbled it up so quick because I didn’t want to share no more.
Then we headed over to Good Company, where Sam Jayne was taping his “Hi Mom, I’m on the Sam Jayne Show” –a television variety show filmed in a bar before a live studio audience. He kills two birds with one stone by bartending and hosting a show at the same time. I took a lot of photos with my new Canon EOS T2i DSLR camera I got this afternoon. What you think? I had a difficult time with the 50mm f/1.8 lens, only because I had to be like ten feet away from the food to get it in frame. But luckily this means I can take photos of other people’s food from another table.
After, Rusty and I headed back to The Commodore to give Yasmin (my ex and ex-bandmate) a Justice of the Unicorns shirt. She made us a coconut tiki drink. Russ invited her back into the band. I wonder if that means I’m kicked out.
We ended up at Carmine’s II where we saw Carmine. I think we had too much to drink because Rusty told Carmine the same thing ten times and tried to pay twice. They got a real nice backyard there. Then back home, Rusty modeled a bunch of different Justice of the Unicorns shirts that his friend JB (American Crossroads Apparel) made for us. Not just shirts, but skirts, aprons, negligee and a karate outfit. They are badass.
The Commodore – 366 Metropolitian Ave (@ Havemeyer St) Brooklyn, NY 11211 Carmine’s II Pizza – 436 Union Avenue (btwn Devoe & Keap St) Brooklyn, NY 11211
Footage from the Canon T2i w/ 50mm f/1.8 lens, 1080p 29.97fps (auto-everything, manual focus)
One Hundred Dollars – myspace
Celebrated Pi Day (3/14) with members and friends of ScienceBlogs & Serious Eats at the new Pies-N-Thighs. We were supposed to meet up at 4pm, but found out last minute that they close from 4-5pm everyday. So 5pm it is. Luckily it was Daylight Savings (Spring forward), so we sorta did meet at 4pm after-all.
The new Pies-N-Thighs is a much nicer and cleaner version of the old place. Looks small, but there’s extra seating in the back. Everything I tasted was pretty good. The collards are cooked more than I’ve ever had, but still good. I liked the mac n cheese that had hot sauce on it. We ordered a slice of each pie they had. Banana Cream was a crowd favorite. I liked the Boozy Raisin. The Coconut Cream tasted like my lotion, but in a good way. We almost had to start dinner all over, because I forgot to take a photo of my own food (Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich Box).
Check out ScienceBlogs for the latest on the 2010 Pi Day Bake-off. Plenty of entry photos up!
Pies-N-Thighs – 166 S. 4th Street (@ Driggs) Brooklyn, NY 11211
All food deserves a smiley face or at least an alien face. I got some fried chicken wings today at my local Chinese fast food —East Met West, strawberry jam, Aunt Jemima buttermilk waffles and Ms. Butterworth syrup. I don’t know which one is more politically incorrect. Well I always assumed Ms. B was white, but now looking at the bottle she is pretty dark. I suppose it’s not really a bad thing. Why can’t she be black mamy figure? Colonel Sanders is an old fart and the Hamburglar is a no good thief. Good thing they didn’t make him black.
I decided to try a new way of reheating the frozen waffles. Instead of sticking them in the oven where they come out hard and crunchy, I put them in the microwave to defrost and then put them on a frying pan to crisp up the edges. It leaves it soft and fluffy in the middle and toasty on the outside. Chicken and Waffle Man was happy. He’s supposed to be Chinese.
I got this afternoon. What you think? I had a difficult time with the 50mm f/1.8 lens, only because I had to be like ten feet away from the food to get it in frame. But luckily this means I can take photos of other people’s food from another table.
