Fried rooster just isn’t about style alone.
Growing up in my grandmother’s home since infancy, I can first keep in mind the wealthy odor of the kitchen because the rooster that she so lovingly soaked in buttermilk and dredged in seasoned flour perfumed the room.
Then there was the sound: the sizzle and pop coming from the large, old black skillet that was at all times on the stovetop, on the prepared.
But the style and texture is what I keep in mind most. Big, golden items of rooster have been offered, their brown crust crispy and flavorful. I’d pull off lengthy strips of the pores and skin, and luxuriate in them on their very own advantage.
Underneath was the actual deal with, nonetheless. Plump, juicy meat, cooked till tender was the reward for enduring the aromas, sounds, and time concerned in making a darn good chook.
There’s loads of fried rooster on the market. Not all of it’s value crowing about, however then there may be some that evokes these childhood recollections of a half-century in the past.
I discovered some memory-worthy rooster lately at Neat Bird within the new urbanist Summit Pointe improvement in Chesapeake.
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The Eat: Two-piece chicken rooster, $7
At its coronary heart, Neat Bird brings collectively two culinary professionals and marries their passions into one thing all of us can get pleasure from.
Throughout the years I’ve loved Chef Eric Nelson’s delicacies. Vintage Tavern in Suffolk. Chops in Virginia Beach. Todd Jurich’s Bistro in Norfolk. His personal eatery, which continues to be open, Crudo Nudo, additionally in Norfolk. He brings his many experiences and expertise to Neat Bird.
Also for years I’ve loved high quality cocktails shaken and stirred by Josh Seaburg. Behind the bar for greater than a dozen years, his creativity has shone at areas like Hilton Norfolk The Main, and in his personal pop-ups, Model Citizen.
Nelson’s menu at Neat Bird, is, understandably, chicken-centric.
Here there’s a mixture of basic choices, and the modern takes I’d count on from the chef.
There’s rooster wings in 5 flavors, rooster strips with an assortment of sauces, salads that may be topped with strips or nuggets, greater than a half-dozen rooster sandwiches together with one dipped in scorching honey and served with pickles on Texas toast, a half-roasted rooster, and loads of complimentary sides.
There’s additionally rooster by-the-piece, and that’s what I ordered.
Served in a wire basket on high of a slice of white bread was a really massive breast, and a complete wing, that means the tip, flat, and drumette have been current.
Both items had a great, crispy pores and skin to them, however they weren’t overly breaded. The crust simply got here off, revealing the meat under, and there was no extra oiliness or greasiness. The style of the pores and skin was pleasant, seasoned judiciously with a mix that features simply the precise trace of warmth with out being distracted.
Of be aware, ask for a shaker of the “chicken seasoning” tableside to sprinkle on a little bit additional taste to deviled eggs, salads, and sides.
The meat was extraordinarily tender and juicy, making every bit among the finest fried rooster I’ve had in recent reminiscence, and every chew was scrumptious. I’m wanting ahead to having it once more.
Chicken can be available in darkish meat for the two- and three-piece choices, and a mixture of white and darkish meat comes with an eight- or 12-piece order.
From an assortment of sides, together with home slaw, small salad, mac and cheese, basket of waffle fries and others, I picked Creamed Corn with Chorizo and Hot Honey Carrots. The corn was a beautiful dish that was decadently wealthy and creamy and accented with small cubes of spicy chorizo sausage; I may make a meal off this dish alone.
The carrots have been a enjoyable tackle the basic maple-glazed carrots, however the roasted root vegetable was as a substitute slathered within the sweet-heat providing of scorching honey. I loved it very a lot.
But along with the rooster, the opposite star of the present was the deviled eggs, supplied as an appetizer.
Deviled eggs are a dish that cooks can simply mess up, not essentially by the cooking technique, however by how they embellish a dish that’s at its most chic when it’s merely ready.
The ones right here at Neat Bird are the epitome of excellent deviled eggs. The whites are the vessel for a yolk paste that’s mild, ethereal, and easily seasoned. There’s no difficult or uncommon additions. They are completely satisfying, and extremely addictive.
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The Drink: House Old Fashioned
The Old Fashioned is a cocktail that your grandparents made. And their mother and father. And their mother and father earlier than that will have loved it.
Around in some form-or-the-other for some two centuries or extra, an Old Fashioned is a drink that, classically, consists of solely three substances: whiskey, sugar, and bitters.
But it’s what’s carried out with these three substances by a proficient bartender, resembling Josh Seaburg right here at Neat Bird, that makes or breaks the drink. Seaburg blends bonded bourbon, Angostura bitters, and turbinado, a golden brown, massive crystal uncooked sugar.
Bonded bourbon refers to a bourbon that has met particular tips concerning substances and growing old to attain the designation.
Seaburg has crafted a scrumptious drink right here, offered with minimal ice and garnished with a easy lemon twist. It’s completely balanced and refreshing, a real homage to Old Fashioneds previous. The value is $10, however it’s supplied from 4 till 6 p.m. day by day at $6, together with a slew of different specials.
They additionally provide highballs and a mixture of authentic and basic cocktails plus frozen drinks.
Neat Bird is at 565 Belaire Ave., Chesapeake. Call 757-410-2341 or go to www.NeatBirdVa.com.
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A la carte
Since the brand new urbanist Summit Pointe improvement in Chesapeake opened, we’ve loved some good meals, notably Wasserhund Brewing, Cork and Bull, and most lately, Neat Bird.
We’ve instructed you about our experiences at Wasserhund and Cork and Bull in earlier columns.
And there’s excellent news: extra eating places are coming right here.
One is Toastique, a nationwide chain specializing in connoisseur toast dishes and juices. Dishes embrace a tackle the basic avocado toast, and toast topped with crab, smoked salmon, tuna, and extra. More at www.Toastique.com.
The different is a Chesapeake outpost of Union Taco, which has a location at the moment in Norfolk. I wrote about my experiences there in my NFK Eats column for the Norfolk Compass part of The Virginian-Pilot.
We’re very enthusiastic about Union Taco, which provides extraordinarily scrumptious Mexican-inspired dishes, high quality cocktails, and an intensive assortment of agave spirits.
Union Taco proprietor tells me that he expects the Chesapeake location to be open by mid-November, and to search for some enjoyable twists to this retailer. More, www.UnionTacoVa.com.
Patrick Evans-Hylton, [email protected]
