Superbowl of Chicken, Part II

Before I begin, apologies for the serious lag between posts. (Has it really been almost 2 weeks since I last wrote?) There isn’t a special excuse as to why I haven’t been posting as often; mostly, it’s because I’ve been too busy/lazy/tired to write. I’m sorry to say that this will likely be a continuing trend because I’m moving in 3 weeks to a more spacious apartment (hurrah!), so I’ll be preoccupied organizing, de-cluttering, and packing. Just wanted to share that with y’all, since I know some of you out there worry when I’m not posting (bless your hearts!).

Part II: How homemade buttermilk fried chicken made me care about Superbowl XLIV

Even though I just came from a big meal at Zuni, I couldn’t resist the pull of KP and JA’s homemade fried chicken, which they were making for KP’s Superbowl party. If you ask me, I think they were just using the Superbowl as an excuse to fry chicken all day long. Anyway, the recipe came from the Cook’s Illustrated The New Best Recipe cookbook. Battered in buttermilk and flavorful seasoning before being fried in oil in a dutch oven (my beloved, red Le Creuset oven to be exact), this fried chicken was the bomb. I had two pieces but would’ve definitely eaten more if I wasn’t already so full.

The original recipe

The whole process from start to finish...

Golden fried drumsticks of yumminess.

So Addictive

Best fried chicken sandwich ever.

You know how some things are really really bad for you, yet you still indulge in them every once in a while?  The fried chicken sandwiches from Bakesale Betty are like that. What’s so special about them? Three to four pieces of juicy, tender, and freshly fried chicken topped with cole slaw made of cabbage, red onion, and diced jalapenos to give it some zing.  Honestly, I can’t really remember everything that’s in it because everytime I’ve had one, I completely obliterate it in about 5 minutes.  It’s a blur; a delicious, dreamy blur of fried chicken heaven.

The fried chicken sandwich isn’t the only thing that’s great at Bakesale Betty.  There’s also the chicken pot pie, homemade lemonade ice (think lemonade slurpee), and lots of great baked goods. In particular, I am in love with their chocolate chip cookies.  I swear that they put crack in them; they are that addictive.  I pretty much shove the whole cookie in my gob before I remember to take photos, so if you’re curious about that they look like, as well as how the restaurant looks, go to this photo page at Yelp. Also, I can’t blog about Bakesale Betty without mentioning their strawberry shortcake.  It is really super delicious. Here is a blurry photo of the lemon ice and strawberry shortcake.  (I think I was either really eager to eat my fried chicken sandwich, or I was in post-sandwich euphoria. Apologies for the poor quality.)

Strawberry shortcake and lemon ice: a great combo.

Finally, there’s the whole “Bakesale Betty Experience.”  The store is very small, and the only seating is outside on the sidewalk, where old ironing boards and stools are set up.  There are only a few signs scattered about describing what they sell and how much it costs, so it’s a bit bewildering at first. Because the food is so good, there’s almost always a line but it usually moves at a brisk pace.  If you’re lucky, you might get a free chocolate chip cookie with your order if you happen to get the right person to take your order. (My friends and I are still trying to decipher the science behind this. We have yet to crack the code.)  All of the mayhem only adds to the charm, for me anyway.

Oodles of Noodles

While I was in Maryland, my sister would ask me everyday what I wanted to eat for lunch.  The reply was always the same: noodles!  She took me to a couple of noodle places that were pretty solid.  The first place, Michaels Noodles, is right around the corner from my sister’s house.  We ordered fried noodles (sort of similar to lo mein) and Chinese rice cake “noodles”– what I refer to as the Chinese version of gnocchi.  For lunch noodle dishes, it was pricey (I think each dish was around $8 or $9), but the rice cakes were really flavorful and had great texture, without being too oily.

Our two noodle dishes, side by side, at Michaels Noodles.

The next day, we headed to China Taste.  My sister took me there so we could pick up some of the “tastiest fried chicken” (according to her and my brother-in-law).  Of course, I was excited because I love fried chicken.  Also, she said the two of us could probably share one bowl of noodle soup and leave with leftovers.  And all for $7.  I was very skeptical, but also extremely curious.  How big was this bowl of noodles?  Was it going to be Bigger Than My Head?  (Y’all know I’m obsessed with that…)  Well, the bowl came, and I was not disappointed.

This bowl of noodles was way bigger than my head!

The ginormous bowl of mushroom and pork noodle soup: Before.

The ginormous bowl of mushroom and pork noodle soup: After. Seriously.

The noodle soup was good, but not great.  However, for $7, it was a very good value considering it could feed a family of four.  We also ordered some aforementioned fried chicken, which was drenched in teriyaki sauce and pretty tasty, and the skin was carmelized and crunchy sweet.  As with the noodles, the chicken was also a good value (I don’t remember the exact prices, but it was very reasonable.)

They don't look super appetizing, but trust me when I say that this fried chicken was good!

"I'm gonna show this chicken who's boss!"