Tag Archives: Nashville hot chicken

GRAND REOPENING: Baos ‘n beers @ Broadview Hotel

Here on Triple B, we’ve been to more than a few rooftop patios downtown, but there aren’t nearly as many in the East End — the only ones I know are Gusto 501 and the Broadview Hotel. Now, I’ve got some good memories of slamming some AYCE BBQ at the Broadview back in the good old days of 2019, so we figured it’s time to head back to their rooftop. Only this time, there’s no BBQ on the menu…but they are serving up not one, not two, not three but four different kinds of baos, bro!

I really wanted to try one of every bao on the menu…but man, this Nashville hot chicken bao was about as Nashville as Lil Nas X. I mean, at this point, I kinda know that anything called “Nashville hot chicken” in Toronto ain’t gonna have the face-melting, extreme heat of Hattie B’s — but I was expecting at least a lil bit of spice here. And there was none. Chicken wasn’t bad on its own, but man, I’ve had mild Thai food that was (a lot) spicier than this!!!

Now we’re going with something more traditional in this braised pork belly bao. While it didn’t blow my mind, up in the air, up in the air, it is pretty much what you’d expect from a Chinese steamed-bun sandwich.

While I was really looking forward to this beef brisket bao, it turned out to be more brisket pho than Texas BBQ. Still wasn’t bad though — the cashews were an interesting touch.

But now we’re gonna funk it up a notch with a crispy tofu bao, bro! I could say that this was one of the top five crispy tofu dishes I’ve ever had…but I don’t think I’ve even had five crispy tofu dishes ever.

When it comes to the beers, I was pleasantly surprised to hear they had Dieu du Ciel’s Rosée D’Hibiscus as their rotating seasonal tap. Probably the pinkest beer I’ve ever had, it packs a lot of fruity flavour with a slightly sour finish.

And you KNOW I couldn’t hit the former home of Jilly’s Strip Club without slamming down a Jilly’s Blonde, bro! Hey, it beats licking the sweat off a stripper’s g-string, or so I’m told… 😛

TORONTO’S TOP TAKEOUT: Four fried chickens and a Coke

Dude, PG Clucks was serving up fried chicken sandwiches before fried chicken sandwiches was cool, bro! This place started out as a takeout window in the Royale Theatre, but when Birreria Volo opened next door, you could order their sandwiches right to your table, washed down with some killer craft beer. Of course, everything is takeout and delivery nowadays, and they’ve even opened a second location on Queen St West, but the OG in Little Italy is still closest to me. So, when I found out they were serving up 2-for-1 fried chicken on Uber Eats, I was all over that like John Belushi on a mission from God, Blues Bro!!!!

Now, you won’t get any chicken wings or chicken legs here — it’s all boneless, bro! Their two piece chicken + one side meal gave you the option of half regular, half Nashville Hot, so I ended up with two pieces of each. They also came with smokey chili and buttermilk ranch sauce…so I saved the smokey chili for the mild pieces. Chicken was nice ‘n crispy, and the boneless factor made it easy for dipping. I wouldn’t fill up on just one order, but 2-for-1 seemed just right for a light lunch in Flavourtown.

Now, their Nashville Hot Chicken wasn’t nearly as spicy as the stuff I’ve had in Nashville — or the best Nashville hot chicken in Toronto, for that matter. But while I loaded up on the buttermilk ranch — dude, this is body by buttermilk ranch — it still had a pretty decent kick. I may or may not have been all Johnny Cash on the toilet after, put it that way…

On the side, I went with macaroni salad, which was probably just the right amount — once you double it, anyways. The creaminess took a bit of the edge off the Nashville Hot, and it’s always good to have another bite in between. One two-piece order is just a light snack in Flavourtown, but when you double down, it’s at least enough for lunch, son!!!

Nashville hot chicken at an Italian pork sandwich place… Whaaa???

Now, I’ve had some legit Nashville hot chicken in Toronto, and I’ve also had the real deal in Nashville, so I definitely know what’s up. Man, even the “medium” will melt your face off at some of these joints! But at the same time, you’ve got these places that just stick “Nashville hot” on stuff that isn’t even spicy. (Nashville hot shrimp, anyone?) So when I saw that Porchetta & Co., this funky little joint on Dundas known for serving up roast pork sammies, had a Nashville hot chicken sandwich, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect…

Now, don’t get me wrong, this was a pretty tasty sando, bro. The chicken was thick and juicy, the pickles were super-crunchy, you’ve got a nice white bread that dissolves in your hand…but it was definitely not Nashville level spicy. The heat reminded me of a Wendy’s spicy chicken sandwich. They definitely kick it up a notch in the flavour department, but there ain’t enough heat here to call it Nashville.

Now, I wanted to order a side of Fries Supreme–dude, this is body by Fries Supreme–but it turns out there were all outta cheese sauce…which is like a cardinal sin in Flavourtown. Instead they suggested the poutine, which I would normally be OK with. But once again, this dish wasn’t quite what it was supposed to be. Don’t get me wrong, the fries were chunky and delicious, the gravy was super thick, and they put little bits of crispy pork skin on top, which were TheBomb.it, bro! But those sure as shit ain’t squeaky cheese curds — more like shredded mozza, which is a major letdown. The rest of the equation was solid enough that some real-deal cheese curds would make it too legit to quit, but instead it’s more like Yo!!! Sweetness…

Sometimes, to get the real-deal hot chicken, you gotta go to Nashville…

Happy Nashlorette Party, dudettes! So, we’re down in the Music City, hanging out at Hattie B’s, the most popular hot chicken joint in town. People line up over an hour for this stuff—and that’s just the sweaty lineup for the bathroom, bro!!!

Now me, I wanted to get Redneck Crazy with the Boys Round Here without having to Fire Away, so I just went with the medium:

I gotta say, this is some of the crunchiest fried chicken I’ve ever had. And the chicken itself tasted like you get at the deli counter when it’s still nice and fresh. Nothing wrong with that at all! As for the heat level, I’d say it was about the same as a good Buffalo wing. You get a nice kick, but it doesn’t melt your face off, unless you decide to kick it up another notch (or three)…

Still, to play it safe, I went with a couple of cool and creamy sides. I’d give the coleslaw an edge over the tater salad, but I wouldn’t kick either outta my picnic basket! And it’s hard to believe that all this food is just nine bucks, bro!!!

I gotta give Hattie B’s the edge when it comes to value and crunchaliciousness, but I gotta say, the best Nashville hot chicken I’ve ever had has still gotta be at Chica’s Chicken. Now, THAT bird is the word, surfer bro!!!!

Chica’s Nashville Hot Chicken is the new Toronto chicken champion!

Better put on yer boots and go honky tonkin’, cuz Nashville hot chicken is taking over Toronto, bro! A couple weeks back, we hit up Five Points Hot Chicken, this little takeout window inside a funky dive bar at Bloor and Dufferin, and that place was pretty legit. (I would know, cuz I’ve been to Nashville…) But now this new funky chicken joint just opened in The Junction, and it’s 2 Legit 2 Quit. Chica’s Nashville Hot Chicken is run by the former head pitmaster at Adamson Barbecue, the best BBQ joint in the city, and this place definitely knows what’s up!!!

Now, some hot chicken joints use the heat to hide the meat, but that’s definitely not the case at this place. This chicken is tender, juicy, deep-fried to order so that it explodes all over your face, bro! And yeah, it just might be a little spicy. I went with the medium, which went down pretty easy, but came back to bite me the next day. The taste of love is sweet, Bro-nny Cash!!!

Real-deal, authentic Nashville Hot Chicken in Toronto!

Now, I’ve had actual Nashville hot chicken in Nashville–even on a pizza!–but I never thought I’d find the real deal in Toronto. Most places that offer “Tennessee Hot Chicken” in this city are about as authentic as Red Lobster’s Nashville Hot Shrimp. But then this new funky chicken place opens up on Bloor Street…

Five Points is this traditional hot chicken joint inside of a craft beer dive bar called Open House, where you order in the window, and then they ring a bell when it’s ready for you to bring back to your table. (Kinda like how they do it at Casino El Camino in Austin, but with chicken.) And man, they’ve got everything: chicken legs, chicken thighs, chicken breast, chicken wings, chicken tenders…all done up Nashville style:

Picture the best Shake ‘n Bake chicken you’ve ever had, but with a bit of sweet, and more than a bit of heat. Mind you, I only got mine mild, which wasn’t so bad. The bread underneath absorbs a lot of the sauce, though, and I gotta say, that was some of the spiciest bread I’ve ever eaten! Definitely needed a ice cold beer after that one!!!

Now, this here brewski definitely hit the spot. Black Bellows White is a light, refreshing wheat beer, with just a touch of elderflower. If I’d gotten my chicken any hotter, I’d probably hafta pound a few more of these!

So many cheesecakes, such little time…

So, we’re hanging out at The Cheesecake Factory, the first one to open in Canada, up at Yorkdale Mall. I’ve heard of lineups up the ying-yang for this place, but if you get there right when they open, at 10 am on a weekend, you can be seated around 11:15 and finished eating by 12:45. That’s assuming, of course, you save room for dessert. And who goes to The Cheesecake Factory and DOESN’T save room for dessert!? That’s such a weak move, bro!!!!

The menu at this place is the size of a Guy Fieri cookbook, and it definitely takes a while to flip through it. But one of the first things I spotted was these Nashville hot chicken nuggets. They’re not quite the same as eating hot chicken in Nashville, but it’s a nice snack to tide you over when you’ve skipped breakfast to get there early!

Unfortunately, all the cheese from my stuffed cheddar burger leaked out onto the plate before I could take a bite. I had to scrape it up with my knife to give you this ooey, gooey money shot right here…and that meant I didn’t get cheese in every bite. Still, it’s not as painful as having hot cheese squirt out onto your arm, lemme tell ya!

And now, for the moment you’ve all been waiting for…

Man, it was hard to pick a favourite among so many great cakes. But when the server told me that Chris’ Outrageous Cheesecake tastes like a Nanaimo bar, I knew that was so outta bounds that I had to shut the back door and buy a ticket! What you’ve got here is a chocolate chip coconut cheesecake, with layers of chocolate cake, brownie, coconut pecan frosting and a side of whipped cream. So you’re basically getting three desserts in one. This cake was super rich and decadent…but you KNOW I licked the plate clean, bro!!!!!

NASHVILLE NOSH: You know I like my chicken fried, cold beer on a Friday night…

Just got back from Nashville, and boy, is my mouth tired! We’ll be sharing some of Music City’s funkiest eats over the next two weeks–starting with this local taste sensation, son!

So, we’re hanging out at Party Fowl, the official hot chicken joint of the Tennessee Titans. And this place is funking it up with hot chicken poutine, hot chicken nachos, and this delicious pairing, the Chicken B&B:

So, they take a boneless chicken breast, do it up hot chicken style, and pair it with three sugary pillows of deep-fried goodness–I’m talkin’ bout beignets, bro!

Now, the thing with hot chicken is that it’s not an overpowering kick–more like a slow burn. The first couple bites are no problemo, but then the heat builds as you go along. I only got the mild, which was still plenty spicy–I can’t imagine what the Poultrygeist tastes like!

At least these beignets took a bit off the heat off. These warm dough pockets were smothered in powdered sugar and drizzled with a bourbon glaze for just a bit of a kick. I could definitely eat these all day, dude!!!

Now The Stillery on 2nd Ave does have a hot chicken sandwich, but they’re also kicking it up a notch with this hot chicken pizza. Man, it may not be in the original recipe, but I’m a big believer that putting bacon on everything makes it taste better…and you can’t go wrong with the amount of bacon on this here pie, bro!

And of course, if you’re eating hot chicken, you’ll wanna cool it down with an ice cold beer. And what better beerski than Chicken Scratch, a refreshing pilsner from local brew house Little Harpeth. Why did the chicken cross the road? To head straight down my beerhole, broski!!!!!

This Nashville-style sandwich is hotter than Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean combined!

So, we’re hanging out at Let’s Be Frank, this funky little dive bar right next to the El Mocambo. I first was here in February for Poutine Week, where their bacon blues poutine wasn’t quite a winner, winner, poutine dinner. But I said I’d be back, and I came to check out this honky-tonk hero of a sandwich, the Nashville Hot Chicken:

Now, here’s the deal. This dish comes with three levels of heat: Flocking Good, Bad Ass Bird and What the Cluck!!!??? (Not even making this up, bro!) I was in the mood for some badass bird, but the server talked me down to Flocking Good—and I’m awfully glad she did!

Even at its lowest level, the heat hits you right away. It’s not overpowering at first, but it’s got a wicked aftertaste; a nice, slow burn. Kinda makes you wanna shotgun some of the crazy craft beers they’ve got in the cooler—which couldn’t hurt their bar sales. That’s smart marketing, homeslice!

But man, these dudes are super legit. They even went down to the Music City to try a buncha different places before perfecting their recipe. It turns out that the Flocking Good doesn’t contain ghost pepper, which is probably why I’m still standing, son!

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