How Can Fried Chicken Be Improved? - Honey Butter Fried Chicken, Chicago, Illinois

  On our recent excursion to Chicago, we decided to pass by some of our favorite food places and try some new ones.  We started our journey on You Tube.  We watched many episodes of Chicago 's Best.   This show is a show that highlights some of Chicago's restaurants that are sent in by viewer tips.  From the many places we watched, we picked the ones that tripped our food triggers.  Right from the start Honey Butter Fried Chicken did just that.
  As we located the restaurant and tried to find a place to park,  we noticed a line going out the door.
As we went inside the door, there was a sigm telling us to grab a menu, order at the counter and we will be seated.  We decided to bypass eating inside and ordered it to go.  We decided to try two thighs and a some creamed corn.  We found the corn to be good.  It wasn't your typical creamed corn,this was Thai green curry,and you could taste the flavor in the corn.  It was a good flavor ithout being overwhelming.  The bone free chicken had an extra crispy crust that held up well to the honey utter that we slathered over it.  The sweet buttery taste paired well with the slightly spicy chicken.We needed many napkins to get through this juicy chicken.
  Honey Butter fried Chicken is a little pricey, but they use the finest ingredients that are locally sourced, cage free and antibiotic free.  The employees don't work for tips and are paid industry leading salaries with benefits. They are located at 3361 N. Elston Ave in Chicago.  They accept charge cards.  You can find them on the web at; https://www.honeybutter.com/ .  You can order online at the site.

Drive By Try - Mary’s Fabulous Fried Chicken and Fish , Ann Arbor, Mi

Have you ever been past a place and thought to yourself, “Someday I have to try that place. “ Well after saying that about Mary’s Fabulous Fried Chicken and Fish, we decided today was the day.

  At Mary’s, you walk to the counter and give your order.  There is only one table in the place and the condiments are on the table.

  I decided to try the 3 piece fried chicken dinner, and Rebbel decided on the 2 piece fish dinner.  I asked for three thighs because I love the thigh.  Meaty and juicy dark meat. Can’t go wrong! I found the chicken to be all that with a little bit of heat way in the back.  It was very good chicken.  The dinner came with cole slaw and mashed potatoes.  The potatoes were good, but could have used a bit of salt in my opinion. The slaw was excellent. A good sweet slaw. Only complaint was that it was ground pretty small and resembled mush, but was still tasty. A roll was served with the dinner and was good but nothing special.

  Rebbel did not fare as well with the fish. She found it to be chewy instead of flakey.  It was a white fish but the kind was not listed. Her fries were good. Medium size, no crinkles. 

  We would definitely stop again in the future, but would stick with the fried chicken.  Mary’s also offers  hoagies, clams, and shrimp on their menu.  They are located at 3220 Packard St. In Ann Arbor, Mi.

Southern Buffet in the Old South - Blue Willow Inn, Social Circle, Georgia

Deep in the heart of Dixie, about 45 minutes east of Atlanta, life gets slower and you seem to travel back in time. You see old towns with single owner party stores, old towns, gas stations with only two pumps with no credit card slots, and lots of older homes. In this area dwells a historic southern cooking icon called the Blue Willow Inn.                            

   Located in the town of Social Circle, The BLue Willow has been around since 1991. The building was renovated and a kitchen area added. It opened for business in late 1991. A gift shop came soon after along with expansions to get to where they are today.

  We arrived for the lunch buffet.  The buffet had ham, fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, field peas, squash, and pies and cakes. 

   We found the menu to be a very good example of down home southern cooking. The chicken in my opinion was a bit bland and a little bit of a letdown.  The rest of the meal was good.  While we didn’t indulge in the deserts, some looked like they were made outside the restaurant but I withhold judgement, because we were too full to try them. The price was a little moderate, but for a true taste of the south, this would be a good place to try. This was our second visit and probably our last as we are ready to move on. I was happy though, to try them out.   If you would like to try them out , they are located at 294 N Cherokee Rd Social Circle Georgia. Find them on the web at www.bluewillowinn.com

An Amish Buffet In Sunny Florida - Der Dutchman, Sarasota Fla.

On our recent trip to Florida, we decided to visit a buffet we has first found out about on You Tube.We drove down to Sarasota which turned out to be a pretty long drive.  Der Dutchman offers a full menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner also, but we went there for the buffet.  We got there early, so we browsed through the gift shop and looked through the bakery and the pies and doughnuts as big as a manhole cover.  Lunch did not start until 11:30. We finally made it to lunch and our server was prompt and friendly.
 The lunch buffet include he regular Amish food staples you find in Shipshewana or other Amish buffets. Noodles, creamed corn, dressing, salad selections, and soups. For meats they offered fried chicken, meats like pulled pork, and turkey that you could make a sandwich

  We found the chicken to be crispy and juicy on the inside and very good. The only thing we did not like, was that the food wasn't hot enough. That migh be because we were early birds and the food did not have a chance to warm.  They had a few desert choices and ice cream was served with the buffet. The place was clean and service good.  We were not sorry we visited, but would not put it on our list to have to visit.  If you are looking for an Amish meal in sunnu Florida though, this is the place for you. Der Dutchman has locations in Walnut Creek, Ohio, Berlin Ohio, and several other locations in Ohio. The location in Florida is located at 3713 Bahia Vista St, Sarasota.  You can find them on the web at: http://www.dhgroup.com/restaurants

Just Plain Good-Das Dutchman Essenhaus, Middlebury,Indiana

On our trips to Shipshewana, Indiana,in the heart of Amish country, we always make it a point to travel 6 miles down hwy 20 to Middlebury to visit one of our favorite Amish cooking restaurants called Das Dutchman Essenhaus. On our most recent trip, we learned from our brother in law Tim, that Essenhaus was eat house in German, and that is exactly what I did! Eat.  TheEssenhaus offers menu dining, and  family dining, but we always go for the buffet. It's nothing fancy, in fact it's pretty simple.What is offered is good. mouth watering crispy,juicy, fried chicken, which is the highlight for me. They also have beef and spaghetti, vegetables and good, moist, dressing; potatoes, soups,noodles and salads. Sometimes you can get there just at the right time and they still have the breakfast buffet up and you can get some of that too. Still not enough?  Meander past the crafts to the bakery, where you can choose a doughnut as big as your head or a house made pie along with other bakery goods. Das Dutchman Essenhaus is located on hwy 20 in Middlebury Indiana. You can find them on the web at:
 http://www.essenhaus.com/page/13/Restaurant-Bakery

Was It Just Us?? - Price's Chicken Coop Charlotte, North Carolina

Maybe it's just me. Maybe it was just the wrong time of day, or the something else I just can't grasp. We had heard of Price's Chicken Coop on the Food Channel.They are located in the south end of Charlotte at 1614 Camden Rd. and have been serving their chicken since 1952. The place was crowded four lines deep. This is a no - nonsense chicken restaurant. They don't take credit cards, they don't take checks. You get your meal take out only, in a box. They also have fish and shrimp. Have your order ready by the time you get to the counter.
The chicken we ordered came with a roll,hush puppies, tater rounds and slaw.
By the long lines, we thought we were in for the best chicken ever! We were wrong.
Now this is just our opinion and I don't mean to disparage the good folks of Charlotte,
but I just don't get the fascination. It wasn't the worst chicken I ever had, but I guess I was just expecting better. Maybe it was the long walk back to the car. Chicken is best when it is hot and juicy. There was a huge lunch time crowd and we had to park around the corner. I really did want to love this place like everybody else in Charlotte seemed to, but I just didn't feel it. If you go, be sure to park close, have your cash ready, and try to keep your expectations low. I'm sure it was just us. You can find them on the web at: http://www.priceschickencoop.com/

Winner,Winner,of a Chicken Dinner - Culver's, Adrian, Mi

Culver's is a chain restaurant that originated in the state of Wisconsin. That beautiful state is famous for cows and everything dairy, but more importantly Culver's. There is a Culver's, it seems, at almost every exit on the interstate. The first time we ate at a Culver's was in Wisconsin. We had gone to Wisconsin in search of a butter burger. Doesn't everybody travel hundreds of miles to eat a butter burger? We had heard about a place called Solly's Grille. They were supposed to have the very best butter burgers. We took off on a holiday weekend only to find that they were closed until Tuesday. Somebody suggested that we try a Culver's. So we did and it was love at first bite. Over the next couple of years, anytime we were near a Culver's we had to eat there. They were very rare in our state of Michigan at the time. I think at the time there were two. Our dream was to have a Culver's in our city. Imagine our joy and surprise when we found out they were building one right here in Adrian!
Usually when we visited a Culver's, we would stick to the butter burger. It was what we knew, and we never knew when we would get another. Now that we got our own Culver's, we have branched out to their fried chicken, and we are glad we did. On Monday's, in this town, it is all you can eat between the hours of 5-8! The chicken is crispy and golden brown on the outside, and hot and juicy on the inside. You start off with 2 pieces and they keep bringing out more of it. You also get 2 sides, and a roll.
Culver's is not your typical fast-food restaurant. The food is cooked fresh. If you go through the drive-through, you will get a number and pull ahead. They will bring your order out to you. Go inside and you will order and sit down. They bring your food out to you. It is better this way. The food is juicy, hot and delicious.
The menu is big. Not only does it offer many different types of Butter Burgers, but they also have fish, shrimp, salads and a lot more! They also have very rich and creamy custard! They feature a different flavor daily.
We still have never been able to try a Solly's butter burger, but we are sure glad we found Culvers. If you don't have one in your town, just hang on. They are a fast growing chain, or you can drive a few hundred miles to a nearby state like we did. Once you try them, I am sure you will be back. You can visit their web page and find the nearest location. http://www.culvers.com/default.aspx