I bet you're asking, "Hey, Jose... No food report today?" Well...
On the walk back to the hotel, I stopped into "Gus's World Fried Chicken". I had passed it on the way to the Civil Rights Museum, and made a mental note to stop there. Soon.
So...
When I sat down at the table, I noticed the menu was headed with "Gus's World Famous Hot & Spicy Fried Chicken". Hmm, "World Famous Hot & Spicy" - even better!
My very friendly and funny waitress came over and informed me that they feature "Chicken, Chicken and Chicken".
So, I ordered Chicken. A breast and thigh plate - with baked beans, cole slaw and white bread. I also ordered a small side of seasoned fries and sweet tea.
After the tea was brought to my table - in two plastic cups (she was thinking ahead in regards to refills) - I realized the chicken was being cooked to order. The wait was well worth it. Well Worth It.
The chicken arrived on a styrofoam plate with a plastic fork and a pile of napkins. The chicken was a deep nut brown. When I first touched it, it was still fresh-out-of-the-fryer hot, and the crust/coating seemed very crisp. It was the type of fried chicken that is basically seasoned and dredged in a coating of flour - no batter, no "extra crunchy" coating.
When I took the first bite... "crunch"... followed by some steam... then some juicy goodness running down my chin... then some heat from the red pepper in the coating and marinade... and the moist chicken. This was definitely "Slap yo' mamma good" fried chicken!
The cole slaw was OK. The baked beans tasted like canned baked beans that had been doctored up with peppers and spices. The fries were good. But it was all about the Fried Chicken. I found myself slowing down to eat just to make sure I was tasting all of it. The "hot and spicy" provided just the right level of heat and seasoning. I was even tempted to order another wing or two... But once all I had on my plate were the picked over bones... Dessert!!
And, boy, did I splurge. The waiter had informed everyone in the dining room that a coconut pie had just come out of the oven. I like coconut pie, but I really wasn't in the mood for coconut pie. When my waitress came back to my table, I asked her what I should have, what her favorite was. She highly suggested the Chess Pie. "Lemon Chess?" "No, Vanilla Chess". Hmm... I've never had Vanilla Chess Pie, so...
What came to my table was a big wedge of Vanilla Chess Pie. 1/6 of a pie, as opposed to the usual 1/8 (or smaller). Dense, rich, sweet, vanilla-y... and a pretty good crust too! It was basically a mass of egg yolks, butter, sugar and vanilla. Soooo good. And definitely something that I should only have once a week, if not just once a month.
I left Gus's Fried Chicken with a very full stomach, and a big smile on my face.
