Everyone knows, the bird is the word

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/01/2018 (3105 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

We all know about Burger Week. Now hungry Winnipeggers can round out January with Fried Chicken Fest (Jan. 21-28). This inaugural celebration is starting out with 15 venues across the city, but it’s got tons of potential.

Like the burger, fried chicken can go in all sorts of directions, from classic southern style to the super-crisp Korean variation, with loads of freestyling flavour variations.

Cornerstone (93 Osborne St.) is serving up its fried chicken banh mi style, with pickled veg, Sriracha and mayo. Little Goat (2615 Portage Ave.) is going classic French with pommes aligot and green beans. Brazen Hall (800 Pembina Hwy.) pours a little of its Steel Cut Blonde ale into its marinade before smothering a big chunk of bird with Nashville hot sauce. La Carnita (456 Main St.) drizzles its fried chicken thighs with guajillo sauce and adds a side of green papaya frito.

Fried Chicken Fest has not yet reached Burger Week levels of craziness, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Battle-hardened Burger Weekers know all that buzz can lead to long lineups and “sold-out” signs.

There is enough going on with Fried Chicken Fest to generate some good foodie debates, though, which is part of the fun with these kinds of events. Buttermilk marinade or brine? What’s the best breading for optimum crunch? Dark or white meat? What plays well with chicken and when is it all too much?

Fried chicken can make for heated opinions, so don’t forget to vote. (Check out participating venues and register your personal fried chicken favourite at friedchickenfest.ca.)

Here are a few Fried Chicken Fest options I’ve sampled so far:

The Tallest Poppy (103 Sherbrook St.)

Every week is fried chicken week at this soulful venue in the West Broadway neighbourhood, which turns out one of Winnipeg’s best chicken and waffle combos all year round.

For its Fried Chicken Fest special ($10.25), the kitchen has pulled off a rich melange of blue cheese biscuit, slow-caramelized onions, crunchy slaw and bacon-garlic sauce. The fried chicken was good, as always, but a little skimpy. I’m still thinking about those heavenly blue cheese biscuits, though.

(Bonus points: At Tallest Poppy, southern fried chicken often gets a matching soundtrack, with lots of old-style hurtin’, lovin’ and leavin’ country music playing in the background.)

 

Inferno’s on Academy (414 Academy Rd.)

This substantial slab of good fried chicken is served on a ciabatta bun. The Inferno’s special ($14.95, including soup, salad or fries) brings in some intriguing flavours, with Moroccan spices in the buttermilk brine and harissa mayo in the condiments. Tasty.

 

The Merchant Kitchen(314 Donald St.)

This SHED-located resto has opted for an eclectic fried chicken bowl ($18), with super-crunchy Korean-style fried chicken, silky whipped yucca, pickled red onion and serrano chili-spiked hollandaise, making for a lovely mess of textures and flavours.

 

Have a Nice Day (625 Portage Ave.)

This downtown student hangout goes straight-up, offering two pieces of fried chicken ($9) drizzled with a little ranch dressing and hot sauce. (You can also get a bunwich for $6.) This dish is all about the chicken, and it was the best I tasted, the meat moist and tender and the coating crisp but light. And the unpretentious accompaniments — Old Dutch ripple potato chips and pickles — will be familiar to anyone who attends Winnipeg socials.

 

alison.gillmor@freepress.mb.ca