oc`s best fried chicken

SEC: Life
DT: 12-03-2015 ZN: 1 ED: 1 PG #: 1
PG: Cover_E
BY: dcomfort TI: 12-02-2015 14:51 CLR: C
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THURSDAY, DEC. 3, 2015
1
LIFE FOOD
The
BUCKETlist
O.C.'S BEST FRIED CHICKEN
Believe it or not, KFC sets the bar,
and few can rise above it.
SEE
SEE PAGE
PAGE 44
The best fried chicken
in Orange County is at
370 Common in Laguna
Beach, says critic Brad
A. Johnson – but it’s
available only one day
a month.
PAUL RODRIGUEZ,
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
COOKING WITH O.C. CHEFS
A HOLIDAY
DINNER FIT
FOR A BOSS
SEE PAGE 2
‘TOP CHEF’
LAGUNA RESTAURATEUR
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SEC: Life DT: 12-03-2015 ZN: 1 ED: 1 PG #: 4
PG: PageC_E
BY: dcomfort TI: 12-02-2015 14:06 CLR: C
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LIFE | FOOD
Life 4 Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015
1
The Orange County Register
REVIEW
THE PICK OF THE FLOCK
370 Common and
Grits are among
the local few who
can beat KFC’s
fried chicken.
stack up:
GRITS
What you get: All-you-caneat fried chicken, family
style, with a punk-rock riff
on classic sides, plus dessert
When: Sunday nights
Cost: $26
Better than KFC? Definitely
Bonus: $1 off all beer and
wine by the glass on Sunday
nights.
Where: 133 W. Chapman
Ave., No. 102, Fullerton; 714449-0939; gritsfullerton.com
Story and photos by
BRAD A. JOHNSON
RESTAURANT CRITIC
I have a confession. I eat
Kentucky Fried Chicken. I
blame it on my late grandmother, who stopped cooking fried chicken after she
discovered the Colonel’s
original recipe. From that
point on, she put away her
cast-iron skillet, and if we
ate fried chicken at her
house, it came from a bucket, not her own kitchen.
I was weaned on the original recipe, but I later
graduated to extra-crispy.
It’s been seven months
since my last transgression,
but the Colonel’s chicken
frequently occupies my
mind, like the time last
month when I was reaching
into a bucket and licking my
fingers at 370 Common in
Laguna Beach. Those 11
herbs and spices were all I
could think about last week,
too, as I was tackling a plate
of spiceless fried chicken at
Roscoe’s House of Chicken
and Waffles in Anaheim.
In reality, I don’t eat at
KFC often because while I
love their chicken, everything else on the menu – especially those powdery
mashed potatoes and metallic-tasting gravy – turns
my stomach. But that chicken is hard to resist, so whenever I find myself eating
Southern fried chicken somewhere else, I always ask,
“Is this better than KFC?”
Chef Ryan Adams’ fried
chicken at 370 Common is
exponentially superior to
KFC, served family style
CHICKEN COOP
What you get: Three pieces of “broasted” chicken
(same high-pressure frying
technique as KFC), plus oldschool iceberg lettuce salad,
mashed potatoes, gravy and
green beans.
When: Lunch and dinner
daily
Cost: $12
Better than KFC? Chicken,
yes. Mashed potatoes, no.
Bonus: Time-warp atmosphere
Where: 414 N. Newport
Blvd., Newport Beach; 949645-6086;
chickencoopnb
.com
Grits in Fullerton serves all-you-can-eat fried chicken with sides such as slaw and spicy pickles.
GRANDMA’S
CHICKEN HOUSE
Chicken Coop in Newport Beach uses the same frying
technique that KFC uses.
At Grandma’s Chicken House in Cypress, pair your bird
with a serving of huge french fry wedges.
with phenomenal mashed
potatoes and gravy, along
with fresh green beans, kale
salad, coleslaw and leafy
greens braised with pork
belly. Chicken night comes
only once a month at 370
The cumin-laced slaw and
chili-spiked pickles pair perfectly with a wide selection
of craft beers on tap.
Grandma’s
Chicken
House in Cypress? Porthole
on the Balboa Peninsula?
Common, so you really must
plan ahead.
Chef Cody Storts similarly serves fried chicken every
Sunday night at Grits in Fullerton. His chicken, too, is
seriously better than KFC.
Both are good, but only one
is better than KFC. Jimmy’s
Famous American Tavern?
Disneyland’s
Carnation
Cafe? Georgia’s Soul Food?
The Chicken Coop and
more? Here’s how they all
What you get: Crisp
“broasted” chicken (same
high-pressure frying technique as KFC) and fried potato wedges.
When: Lunch and dinner
daily
Cost: Two pieces, $5.50
Better than KFC? Yes, although the coleslaw looks and
tastes identical.
Bonus: Gigantic french
fries, best eaten straight
from the fryer.
Where: 6072 Lincoln Ave.,
Cypress; 714-527-3162
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Active Adults 62+ interested in learning about FHA’s Hecm For
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625 N. Grand Ave, Santa Ana. The event is free but seating is limited
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SEC: Life
DT: 12-03-2015 ZN: 1 ED: 1 PG #: 10
PG: Back_E
BY: dcomfort TI: 12-02-2015 14:05 CLR: C
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LIFE | FOOD
Life 10 Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015
1
The Orange County Register
CHICKEN
way, of Shake ’n Bake, but
with serious depth and
soul. Plus, chipotle potato
salad, coleslaw and ultrabuttery corn bread.
When: Daily, lunch and
dinner
Cost: Two pieces for $10
Better than KFC? Yes,
dramatically
Bonus: Jalapeno agave
syrup on the side
Where: 4th Street Market, 201 E. Fourth St., Santa Ana; 714-486-0700;
4thstreetmarket.com/pfc
F R O M PA G E 4
ROSCOE’S HOUSE OF
CHICKEN AND WAFFLES
What you get: Flavorless
fried chicken made with
the absolute bare minimum of breading and
spice, plus soggy waffles
or overly salty gravy.
When: Lunch and dinner
daily
Cost: Two pieces, two
waffles, $13
Better than KFC? No
Bonus: None
Where: 2110 S. Harbor
Blvd., Anaheim; 714-8234130; roscoeschicken
andwaffles.com
PHOTOS: BRAD A. JOHNSON, STAFF
Perhaps it should be renamed Roscoe’s House of Bland
Chicken and Soggy Waffles.
Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern in Dana Point cooks
up a tender, juicy bird.
Cornmeal-coated chicken is fried till crisp at Georgia’s
inside the Anaheim Packing House.
Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant in Buena Park is
on par with KFC.
GEORGIA’S
What you get: Three pieces of cornmeal-battered
chicken fried to a deep,
dark brown crisp, served
with choice of soul food
sides.
When: Lunch and dinner
daily
Cost: $11
Better than KFC? Yes
Bonus: Authentic Southern-style collard greens
Where: Inside the Anaheim Packing House, 440
S. Anaheim Blvd., No.
209A, Anaheim; 714-9061900; georgias-restaurant
.com
JIMMY’S FAMOUS
AMERICAN TAVERN
What you get: Two pieces
of remarkably tender, juicy, buttermilk-fried boneless chicken, with creamy
gravy, buttery mashed potatoes and green beans.
When: Lunch and dinner
daily
Cost: $18
Better than KFC? Yes, exponentially
Bonus: It’s all about the
gravy. Be sure to ask for
extra!
Where: 25001 Dana Point
Harbor Drive, Dana Point;
949-388-8900; j-fat.com
REUNION
What you get: Two pieces
of boneless, beautifully
seasoned fried chicken
with buttermilk biscuits,
red-eye gravy and mashed
Yukon gold potatoes.
When: Lunch and dinner
daily
Cost: $17
Better than KFC? Yes
Bonus: Absolutely perfect biscuits and sausagestudded gravy.
Where: 5775 E. Santa
Ana Canyon Road, Anaheim Hills; 714-283-1062;
reunionkitchen.net
LUCILLE’S SMOKEHOUSE
BBQ
What you get: Two boneless breasts marinated in
buttermilk and fried to a
golden crisp, served with
mashed potatoes and veggies.
When: Lunch and dinner
daily
Cost: $19
Better than KFC? Yes
(sampled only the Tustin
location)
Bonus: Blues bands every Saturday night.
Where: The District,
2550 Park Ave., Tustin;
714-259-1227;
lucillesbbq.com
CARNATION CAFE
What you get: A single
and rather small, boneless
breast of buttermilk-fried
chicken with mashed potatoes, delicious gravy and
sauteed vegetables.
When: Lunch and dinner
daily
Cost: $16.50
Better than KFC? Yes, but
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the portion is small
Bonus: Vanilla malt for
dessert!
Where:
Disneyland’s
Main Street, U.S.A., Anaheim;
714-781-3463;
disneyland.disney.go.com
small.
Where:
Disneyland’s
Main Street, U.S.A., Anaheim;
714-781-3463;
disneyland.disney.go.com
PLAZA INN
What you get: A single
rubbery breast with part of
the wing attached, plus
mashed potatoes and spinach.
When: Dinner only
Cost: $18
Better than KFC? No
Bonus: Beer and wine
Where: 514 W. Balboa
Blvd., Newport Beach;
949-287-6808;
portholechipshop.com
What you get: Three pieces of bone-in fried chicken
with mashed potatoes and
strangely disgusting gravy. You get a lot of food
here, but it pales in comparison to Carnation Cafe’s
across the street.
When: Lunch and dinner
daily
Cost: $16.50
Better than KFC? Chicken, yes. Gravy, no.
Bonus: Sometimes they
give you four pieces instead of three if the attendant thinks they look
PORTHOLE
PFC
What you get: Incredibly
succulent chicken with a
fine-crumb cereal crust
that reminds me, in a good
MRS. KNOTT’S CHICKEN
DINNER RESTAURANT
What you get: The most
popular option is the threepiece dinner that includes
very simple fried chicken
with mashed potatoes that
are as hard as a brick, plus
soup or salad, sweet rhubarb and boysenberry pie.
When: Lunch and dinner
daily
Cost: $20
Better than KFC? Chicken, too close to call.
Mashed potatoes, no.
Bonus: Boysenberry pie,
plus charming granny waitresses in housemaid outfits with lace collars and
cardigan sweaters.
Where: Knott’s Berry
Farm California Marketplace, 8039 Beach Blvd.,
Buena Park; 714-220-5055;
www.knotts.com
370 COMMON
What you get: Family
style feast of fried chicken,
served in a bucket, with
pork-belly-braised greens
and all the classic fixin’s.
When: Dinner only on the
last Sunday of the month
Cost: Adults $39, children $19.50
Better than KFC? Yes. Easily the best fried chicken
in O.C.
Bonus: Spicy honey dipping sauce, plus coconut
cake
Where: 370 Glenneyre
St., Laguna Beach; 949494-8686; 370common.com
C O N TA C T T H E W R I T E R :
bajohnson@ocregister.com or
on Instagram: @bradajohnson
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