Have I found the best Fried Chicken in Houston?
So a few weeks ago, I had lunch at Mancuso's. I ordered a simple house salad, as I had learned from previous experience that it is a fairly large salad, full of fresh spinach leaves and topped with a terrific house made balsamic dressing. Makes for a nice light lunch.
Anyhoo, the special of the day was Fried Chicken.
Now,
#1, I wasn't going to order fried chicken for lunch as I had work to do, and couldn't spare the resultant nap, and
#2, I wasn't going to order fried chicken in an Italian restaurant in any case.
However, after watching the third or fourth platter of what looked for all the world like 'My Mother's" fried chicken gliding by, I got to thinking that perhaps I had screwed up.
Chatting up our waiter, I learned that the fried chicken was very rarely a lunch special, and in fact, that day was only the second time he knew of that it had appeared noontime in the past five months he had been working there.
HOWEVER,
He also noted that they had recently implemented the Fried Chicken presumably as a clarion call to drive in business on Sunday nights. That's right, from 5 - 8 on Sunday nights, the chicken was the thing.
SO,
Last night we trundled over to see if it was as good as it looked.
Oh hell yes.
It is absolutely fantastic. The breading is salty enough for me and crunchy crispy deliciousness.
It is served with a side of fresh green beans and mashed potatoes. Only a hefty dollop of pan gravy on the taters could have improved this meal. Came with a great scratch biscuit also.
Mom and I split an order of chicken which is basically half a chicken cut into three parts, leg, thigh and breast/wing. She had the dark, and I took the white.
With that house salad that I normally have solo for lunch, it was more than enough for the two of us.
This is pan fried as opposed to deep fried and done perfectly. It ain't cheap however. An order for Sunday dinner is $16. If it were $12, I'd eat dinner there every Sunday. At $16, it will be a treat and my cholesterol level is probably thankful for it. I think the lunch special was $12 or $13, but as noted above, it is rare occasion.
On our way out of the door, the assistant manager asked how everything was. I assured him it was just terrific and he urged me to "Tell [my] friends".
Consider it done, amico mio.
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Mancuso's Italian Table
2231 S Voss Rd, Houston, TX 77057
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You had me going until the Sunday night time. I work at 5 am Sunday and 6 am Monday, so I'm thhinking bedtime about 7 or so. Now, I'd like to discuss my favorite fried chicken places, and hope others will join in. Until I can think of somewhere else, I'm going with Frenchy's on Scott Street and the BBQ Inn. I'd probably give a slight edge to Frenchy's on spice and juicy pieces but BBQ Inn has a crispier crust. Then again at BBQ Inn, you can get extra fried oysters and shrimp, plus on the other hand I'm quite sure they'll do a half chicken fried steak. Yet Frenchy's has those great red beans and rice with spicy andouilee sausage and greens. One place that gets great national love and on the New Orleans board is Popeye's. To me it is ok at best, and the liquid smoke beans and dry rice are terrible, yet again it gets love on both boards. Two of my favorite closed are Henderson's Chicken Shack in the Third Ward near Frenchy's, and my all time favorite, Bill Williams and it's chicken savage style in the Med Center.
http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/6076-bill-williams-restaurant/
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