Tag: pizza

finding the best fried chicken

Somebody recently used our (underutilized) “Contact Us” form to ask: “Where’s the best fried chicken?” I can answer this one.

This was at Monte Ne Inn. All they serve is fried chicken and sides. You get a table, and they bring the food out. There’s no ordering, except for a drink and then later cobbler with ice cream (which is also great). They bring all the food you want. Worth a visit if you’re ever in northwest Arkansas.

The best fried chicken is at my mom’s house. Unfortunately, her house is not open as a restaurant, so you don’t get to experience it. I can tell you about how she makes it, though. She buys the whole chicken, cuts it up, puts on a breading, and fries it. Then she uses the grease to make gravy (milk-based, Southern style) to go on biscuits and homemade mashed potatoes. This is one of the best meals possible. It’s time-consuming, but worth it.

Which restaurant has the best fried chicken? That’s hard to answer. I don’t often get fried chicken at restaurants anymore because it’s somewhat disappointing by comparison. I would recommend looking for some country-style kitchen where they cook everything from scratch. Find one that’s not a chain, where it’s older people working there, who cook for others because they like to. A place where the food is cooked to be delicious, rather than squeezing out more profits. A place where they use real butter. We have a few of these where I live, and the food is consistently good.

There are probably chain restaurants with good fried chicken. You could ask for suggestions from friends who have similar taste preferences. If you ask online, you’ll get answers that will include almost every restaurant*. Perhaps you should make this your own adventure quest: over the next few months, try different restaurants to see whose is the best. It’s a fun time. 🙂

I wish I had more answers on this. Ultimately, the best option is learning to cook it yourself. It’s more work that way, but it tastes better, and it saves you money, too.

* I saw this with an online discussion for the best pizza place in my town. It was funny for how absurd it was. People listed every single pizza place there is, including gas stations and the lowest-cost pizza places where the main emphasis is the low-cost. Someone mentioned a place that’s more famous for children’s games and parties, where the pizza is definitely not high quality. I don’t want to dis’ them by name, because they all have a role, if that’s what you’re looking for, and we all have our preferences. But to say they have the best pizza is absurd. I recommend asking friends who like the same restaurants as you.

What do you think about the idea of a food adventure quest where you find the best instance of a type of food in your city?

Is a taco a sandwich?

In the last post we discussed whether a burger is a sandwich. This topic may seem like a trivial issue, and often it is, but the definition of a sandwich was recently debated in an Indiana courtroom where a judge had to rule whether tacos are sandwiches.

There is a zoning policy in Fort Wayne where a shopping center can’t have fast food outlets but it can have sandwich shops. A taco restaurant wanted to open but was told it wasn’t allowed. Apparently the restaurant owner was adamant about getting that location, so he took it to court. The judge ruled that tacos and burritos are “Mexican-style sandwiches”, so the taco place can open there.

So add that to your debate with friends about the definition of a sandwich. There’s legal evidence to support one side. Although personally I would not consider tacos or burritos to be sandwiches.

So let’s look at the official definition of a sandwich, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary:

1a) two or more slices of bread or a split roll have a filling in between.
1b) one slice of bread covered with food.
2) something resembling a sandwich.
especially : composite structural material consisting of layers often of high-strength facings bonded to a low strength central core.

That last definition seems problematic. I figure it’s referring to a generic use of the term for non-food items, but it doesn’t seem like a valid definition to say if something looks like a sandwich then it is. Perhaps they should clarify it as non-food usage. But I’m no etymology expert.

Also, back on topic, the first definition seems legit, but it does not include tacos or burritos, unless you are going to argue that a taco shell or tortilla is bread. I’m not prepared to go that far.

The second definition (1b) doesn’t work for me. If you accept that, then pizza is a sandwich. That stretching it too far.

Who knew it was so difficult to decide what a sandwich is? That’s what makes this a potentially fun conversation with your friends.

Pizza Hut perfume

pizza-hut-perfume-colognePizza Hut has released their own brand of perfume, just in time for Valentine’s Day.  Pizza Hut’s CMO said, “Eau de Pizza Hut is one of the most sought-after and rarest of scents available.”  I’ll give him rare, but “one of the most sought-after” seems somewhat embellished.  I like eating their pizza, but I’m not sure if it would be good for my wife to smell like cheese, dough, and tomato sauce all day…

When I first saw the headline, it seemed like April Fools Day — has it moved up this year?  🙂  Of course this is a promotional gimmick, and if you manage to acquire the free giveaway, it comes with a $20 gift card, which would be sought-after.  You have to tweet something specific to enter, so it will get lots of attention.  Who wouldn’t want free pizza?

By the way, if I win this, would it make an acceptable Valentine’s Day present to my wife?  She likes Pizza Hut…  🙂

new Pizza Hut crusts, plus our ideas

It’s not uncommon for American restaurants to feature cultural variations on their foods in other countries.  Even McDonald’s has some vastly different options around the world.  But what’s odd is when an American food company takes American-style food and offers it only in other countries.

If you click this picture to enlarge it, be forewarned that it will probably make you want to order pizza. If only I had a printer that could “print” out a real pizza like this when ordering online…

For example, Pizza Hut has several new types of crusts for their pizzas in the Middle East.  America has had the stuffed crust pizza for years, which is a great idea.  Now, in the Middle East, there is a crust with hot dogs in it, and there’s a crust that’s made up of mini cheeseburgers and one made with chicken nuggets.  That seems like something you’d have in the U.S. first.  Rumor has it they are considering bringing these crusts to the U.S.

Here’s some I’ve heard of (with the commercial linked so you can see it): Crown Crust Chicken (with chicken nuggets), Crown Crust Burger (with mini “burgers”), Star Pops Pizza (with “sausage pops”, which look like mini hot dogs).  Also of note, from Malaysia, there’s the Golden Fortune Cheesy Crown, which has shrimp, fish, pineapple, and “crowns of cheesy liquid gold”.

I’m all for innovation, but I’m not sure those ideas above will make the pizza better.  The Buffet o’ Blog staff discussed this topic, and all of us agreed that the next logical evolution in pizza crust should be to add bacon.  Now there’s a can’t-miss idea, if implemented well.  Why hasn’t one of the pizza places thought of that?  (It’s obvious to us, which is just another sign that we should open a new restaurant, if we can acquire the necessary funding.)

Now if you want to think outside the box on improving pizza crust, here’s an idea: make the outer rim of crust breaded like southern fried chicken.  There might be logistical issues with making it work, but that’s what R&D departments are for.  If you could pull that off while maintaining the necessary texture and not having the crust absorb too much grease, it would be most awesome.  And then, as some of you are already thinking, add bacon to that.  🙂

We have more ideas, too, so, Pizza Hut (or other pizza restaurants), if you’re listening, have your people contact our people.  We’ll work for cash money and/or free food.  🙂