Inaugural LA Fried Chicken Fest this Sunday

Fried chicken is on the rise.  It may be the pork belly of 2012.  In the continuing wave of upscale comfort food, whether fancy burgers or macaroni and cheese, fried chicken is enjoying its day in the sun.  A well deserved high profile after soaking in deep fryers for many long years paying its dues.  This Sunday will be the premiere of the L.A. Fried Chicken Fest, at the Coop (aka Gonpachi) on La Cienega in Beverly Hills.

Nine of LA's most popular and talented chefs will each be making their own take on Fried Chicken (that is eight versions as Marcel Vigneron and Haru Kishi are collaborating on their dish).  There will be Asian, Latin and European takes on the American classic.  The list of participating chefs is a whose who of recent award winners, such as Ricardo Zarate from Mo Chica and Pica  and Bryant Ng of the Spice Table, who won Food & Wine Magazine's Best New Chef in 2011 and 2012, respectively.  

Tickets are $55 and are in limited supply.  No tickets will be sold at the door.  So get on the waitlist or do what you gotta do, as this fest is not to be missed.  Sunday, August 26th from 4 - 8 pm.  Where else will you get to see Beverly Hills housewives chowing down on golden bird?  Plus there is a charity component as 10% of proceeds will benefit Share Our Strength.  This is going to be one finger lickin' good afternoon.

134 N. La Cienega Blvd, Beverly Hills.  www.lafriedchickenfest.com

First Impression: Public School 612

I was invited to try the newly opened Public School 612 gastropub in Downtown Los Angeles.  The restaurant, at the corner of 6th and Flower Streets, gets its name from its address at 612 S. Flower St.  As noted previously, there is a focus on beer and the beer list was curated by Hallie Beaune of the Beer Chicks.

The setting is within the Daily Grill downtown, but is comfortable and feels distinct.  There is a dartboard and there are twenty beers on tap.  The theme is a school house, so the menu comes in the form of a classic black and white composition book, a fun touch.  The food menu is short with just fourteen items plus a couple of desserts.

The Fried Chicken ($12) with hand cut fries and mustard and bbq sauces caught my eye.  It was served in newsprint but I was disappointed because the chicken was boneless, which I hadn't expected.  If a restaurant is serving boneless fried chicken, it should call it out.  My dinner partner and I were of two minds about the french fries.  The frites were thin matchstick fries, which were very crunchy.  I did not enjoy them nearly as much as she did.

The big winner of the night was the Dragoons Irish Stout Short Rib ($12) served with Yukon mashed potatoes and caramelized onion au jus.  The meat was tender; we hardly needed to use knives.  The meat had been imbued with tons of flavor and the potatoes soaked up the beef juices to make this a hearty and rich dish.  There was ample sauce so the short rib was nice and moist.

The Colorado Lamb Burger ($13) with tomato cranberry jam, arugula and brie was just OK.  As a fan of all things lamb, I had high hopes for this burger, but it was not anything special. It was cooked a tad more than I had asked for and just did not have the quintessential lamb flavor I was looking for.

When in the neighborhood, I'd certainly return for the Short Rib, which is a deal at only $12, and a glass of beer or two.  The beer selection is good.  You won't find the rarest of the rare, but that is not what Public School 612 is about; it is for people who appreciate good craft beer, not a temple to hops.  The staff was knowledgeable about the list, which reflects well on the Beer Chicks.  The Eagle Rock Solidarity went well with our food and I look forward to sampling more of the craft beers on the list as well as trying some of their signature cocktails on my next visit.

Public School 612: 612 S. Flower Street, DTLA. Phone: (213) 623-1172. Website: http://www.publicschool612.com/

Le Saint Amour: Walter Manzke does Fried Chicken

Le Saint Amour, the French brasserie in Culver City, recently hired former Bastide and Church & State chef Walter Manzke as a consulting chef to help them with their menu.  As part of the changes, a new Sunday night fried chicken served family style special has been added to the menu.

The chicken with sides and a dessert is $29 per person and included slaw and french fries on the evening I visited.  The meal is described as "A Volonte", which means as much as you would like, which is a more polite way of saying that the family style meal includes second helpings.  The waitress told me that "if my stomach told me it wanted more then I could tell her I wanted more and she would bring it."  Very cute.

The chicken itself had good flavor and was more moist than the version I had tried the week before at Vertical.  However, it was largely served off of the bone, which is a big drawback to making excellent fried chicken.  Despite this drawback I felt the chicken was better at Saint Amour than Vertical, though Vertical's side dishes were superior and overall offering felt more bountiful.  All in all, it was a draw, and I'd recommend either, if you are in the area, though neither is worthy of a long detour.

The slaw was light and I enjoyed it so much I had seconds of it.  The french fries were nice and crisp.  If the chicken had been on the bone, I would have been thrilled.  Although the menu emailed to me and on the chalkboard advertised dessert inclusive with the meal at $29, perhaps because I was alone it was not offered to me on this basis.

The brasserie itself has the genuine feel of a casual and lively brasserie in Paris.  If you have seen the film Avenue Montaigne, Le Saint Amour is reminiscent of the cafe at the center of the movie.  I would happily return but cannot place the fried chicken there in the top echelon in the city, as it does not compare to what Josef Centeno is making at The Lazy Ox Canteen or to Flossie's in the South Bay.  The hunt for the best fried chicken continues.

Le Saint Amour: 9725 Culver Blvd, Culver City.  Phone: (310) 842-8155.  Website: http://www.lesaintamour.com/

Vertical Bistro: Sunday Night Fried Chicken

Lately fried chicken seems to be everywhere in foodie circles and restaurant menus, along with gourmet hamburgers and desserts with either salt or pork or both.  Vertical Bistro launches its entry into the All You Can Eat fried chicken sweepstakes with a $29 Sunday dinner, a concept that Eva Restaurant had success with last year and which Le Saint Amour also launched in this month.

On a recent Sunday the meal began with a first course of poached hen egg, bacon grits and frisee (above).  I ate the hen egg and skipped the rest of the dish with the pork in it.  The egg was cooked just right with a warm runny center.  The second course was the star attraction, the fried chicken, which came with a variety of sides including collared greens, slaw, loaded smashed potatoes and jalapeno corn bread.

The side dishes were great.  The slaw was refreshing and didn't include mayonnaise, which earned bonus points with me. The potatoes were rich, light and fluffy.  The sides were generously portioned and like the chicken were all you can eat.  The fried chicken (below) arrived alongside the sides and was good but not amazing.  The chicken was nicely crispy and the crispy outer layer stayed on when taking a bite.  (Nothing is sadder than seeing all the breading/crust fall off of a piece of chicken once it has been bitten or cut into.)  I just wish the chicken had been moister; it was too dry.  That did not stop me from having a second portion.

The jalapeno corn bread was a nice balance between the sweetness of the corn and the kick from the japapeno peppers.  This was not a dessert, as some corn breads often taste like.

Dessert was a choice of apple tart with vanilla gelato or blood orange & pear sorbet.  I chose the tart and was pleased.  The caramel and apple are a classic combination and this version did not disappoint.

At $29, for all the meal includes, the Sunday night Fried Chicken dinner is a good value and a fun way to eat. The chicken and the side dishes are served family style, and everyone can have as much as they want of anything.  For only $9 more you can have a generous carafe of wine with your meal, which I gladly did.  My dinner companion and I ate in the lounge and it was quite comfortable; I think I prefer it to the main dining room.

Vertical Wine Bistro: Upstairs at 70 North Raymond Avenue, Pasadena.  Phone: (626) 795-3999.  Website: http://verticalwinebistro.com

Fried Chicken Tuesdays @ The Lazy Ox

Little Tokyo favorite the Lazy Ox Canteen, Josef Centeno's small plates restaurant, serves a different family style meal each night.  Tuesday night is fried chicken night and it is among the top fried chicken dishes in town behind only Bastide and Flossie's.  The fried chicken is available only on Tuesdays and is $27 but serves several people.

The fried chicken feast begins with a salad for the table (above), which had a nice light dressing.  Then the main event begins: fried chicken! (below)  The bowl of fried chicken arrives with six or so pieces of chicken in a large bowl.  It is a lot of food and the skin is nice and crispy.  The skin stays on after you take a bite, unlike so many inferior fried chickens.

The chicken is served with biscuits, an egg and a bacon gravy.  My dining companions who know from good cooking, loved the biscuits.

The fried chicken menu is best ordered with 2-4 people as it is a lot of food and the larger your party the more of Centeno's menu you can round out the meal with.  The atmosphere is gastropubish at Lazy Ox, comfortable but no table cloths; downtown industrial.

Reservations are recommended as last Tuesday all the tables were occupied, although there is a communal table (of course) and seating at the bar.  Note that reservations by phone only.

Lazy Ox: 241 S. San Pedro Street, Downtown Los Angeles. Phone: (213) 626-5299 Website: lazyoxcanteen.com 

Fried Chicken Sandwich @ BLD

I recently had lunch at BLD restaurant on Beverly Blvd, when I tried to drop in for lunch down the block at Eva, only to find the days they are open for lunch had changed. Luckily BLD, home of the Tweet a Dish, was open for business and was able to squeeze us in.

The restaurant was packed and they were barely able to accommodate us at a table as we did not have a reservation. Its always good to see a restaurant doing great business. Most of the BLD lunch menu are salads, sandwiches and burgers. I opted for the Buttermilk Battered Fried Chicken Sandwich. It came with barbecue sauce, arugula, provolene cheese and either french fries or salad. I opted for the french fries.



I ordered the sandwich because it was a fried chicken sandwich. Unfortunately the only flavor that came through was the barbecue sauce, which totally overwhelmed everything else. It could have been grilled chicken or anything else under the flavor of the barbecue sauce and the consistency of the melted cheese. It was fine but it just had no real essence of fried chicken. The french fries were very plentiful, easily enough for two and were nicely seasoned. If you are looking for a barbecue sandwich for lunch, this is the sandwich for you, but if your eyes light up when you see the words fried chicken, stay away as you will be disappointed.

My dining companion had the lamb burger, which I tried and was not something either of us would order again. Just not enough lamb flavor. The service was good during the course of our meal and its a very pleasant room during the day, with the light streaming in through all of the big plate glass windows. We were thankfully able to ignore Jake Pavelka, seated at the next table over, as he did not speak loudly. All in all, not a place I will rush back to for lunch.



BLD restaurant is located at 7450 Beverly Blvd at the corner of Vista. Phone: (323) 930-9744. Website: www.bldrestaurant.com

Fried chicken @ Tender Greens WeHo

On a recommendation from a friend, I recently ventured to the Tender Greens on Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood to try their fried chicken. The chicken is described as "Southern Fried Chicken" and is offered as the centerpiece of a "big salad" or as a hot plate.

I opted for the hot plate and got sides of corn on the cob and a simple arugula salad. The plate also comes with a crouton like piece of garlic bread. ($10.50). The corn had marks from the grill (a good sign) but wasn't as sweet as I would have liked, perhaps because it is still early in the season. The arugula salad was refreshing.

The chicken is boneless breast meat. It is served warm, not hot. If you get it in the salad, it is cut up. The chicken was fine but lacked a real depth of flavor.

Tender Greens does a lot of things well and is one of the best values in the city in casual dining; fried chicken is just not something that I'd recommend getting there. If you get the flat iron steak or the albacore tuna, you can't go wrong.

Tender Greens West Hollywood: 8759 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood. Phone: (323) 358-1919. Website: www.tendergreensfood.com

Tuesday night fried chicken and beer at Eva

On June 22nd, Mark Gold, the chef/owner of Eva Restaurant, began an inspired weekly Tuesday tradition: all you can eat fried chicken and all you can drink microbrew beer from a keg for $25. A couple of weeks ago when I went, there were four sides offered for $5 each - creamed corn, creamed spinach, potatoes or salad.



On Tuesdays the regular menu is not available and the whole restaurant is given over to fried chicken and beer. The chicken pieces came to the table piping hot and were served family style. Thighs and legs were available. The chicken was crispy and the bird was of high quality. The chicken was moist and the skin had a nice crunch to it.

The beer was served in plastic cups, like you might find at a college party with a keg, to keep up the fun casual festive vibe. Refills were offered frequently; there is no danger of not getting sufficient liquid refreshment at Eva. When there was an issue with the keg, the server offered a choice of two other beers that presumably came from bottles/cans, which was an example of good service by proactively offering a solution. The keg was quickly fixed, so this wasn't an issue for long.

The server mentioned that on previous occasions there had been fried chicken wings as well. If that is important to you, I'd recommend to call ahead the day of to confirm. Gold himself was not there that evening, as he was on a family vacation.



The initial dinner on June 22nd was mobbed with people waiting to get in for their fix of bird and beer. When we went on July 6th, it was much quieter, with no wait (we had a reservation) at any time, likely due to long holiday weekend immediately preceding.

Overall I thought the chicken was good but not amazing. I prefer the chicken at Bastide, Flossies and Lazy Ox, in that order; but I would still recommend this chicken and the Tuesday special. There is something very American about all you can eat and serving family style. The food is good, the beer is free flowing and you don't have to worry about what to order. Basically with one side per person, it is $30 + tax & tip, which is fair for food of this quality and quantity.

Your next chance to try it is tomorrow night, so make a reservation.

Eva is located at 7458 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles. Phone: (323) 634-00700. Website: www.evarestaurantla.com

FuRaiBo: Japanese Fried Chicken Wings on Sawtelle

FuRaiBo hit two birds with one stone for me as it specializes in fried chicken and it is located on Sawtelle, two restaurant types that I have been exploring. Furaibo's specialty is Teba, Japanese fried chicken wings, and the restaurant is affiliated with a chain of several hundred outlets in Tokyo.



Once you walk through the noren entrance, there is counter seating around the grill as well as ample tables. The menu is focused on chicken wings and other food you would eat while drinking beer or sake.



At lunch they have set options such as the double teba course (2 orders of chicken wings) or the teba and chita course (1 order of chicken wings with a leg and thigh), each for $7.50. These options come with rice, miso soup and pickles. I recommend the double teba course as it is only $1.50 more than the single teba and when at FuRaiBo, the best thing is their focus, the wings.

The miso soup had significantly more seaweed than the run of the mill miso soup you might find at other spots on Sawtelle, which I consider a plus. The pickles came with pickled cabbage as well.

I ordered the teba and chita and the teba outshone the chita. There was also some shredded chicken that resembled tuna fish and the accompanying salad was below par. The chicken wings are not very meaty, have nice crispy skin and are a little spicy. As each wing has so little meat, the double order makes the most sense. The crunch is nice, the mild spiciness is good without causing a searing fire in your mouth.

I sampled the cold Hakutsuru draft sake which came in a 300 ml bottle. Crisp with a hint of sweetness, it was a fine beverage to accompany the chicken wing meal.

FuRaiBo: 2068 Sawtelle Blvd (@ Mississippi). Telephone: (310) 444-1432. Website (in Japanese): www.furaibou.com

Larkin's Joint in Eagle Rock

Larkin's in Eagle Rock is a self-described "contemporary soul food joint." Its mac and cheese and fried chicken have won raves from Jonathan Gold in particular. It is located in a quiet converted house on a corner; I almost drove by it. Note that there is a small parking lot in the rear.

The night I was there, it was quiet at Larkin's, with only one other table occupied. I had the fried chicken, with red beans and rice and garlic mashed potatoes. ($15). The mac & cheese ($9) remains to be sampled another time.

The chicken was crunchy and had some good flavor but just didn't wow me the way the chicken does at Flossies, the Lazy Ox or Bastide do. Solid neighborhood spot with better service than you would expect in a casual neighborhood restaurant, but the fried chicken is certainly not pilgrimage worthy, let alone worth dealing with east side traffic on a weeknight.

The chef/owner of Larkin's recently opened a macaroni and cheese shop/cafe on West 8th Street in downtown Los Angeles, called Mac & Cheeza. I hope to check it out soon.

Larkin's is located at 1496 Colorado Blvd (@ Loleta Avenue) in Eagle Rock. Phone: (323) 254-0934. Website: www.larkinsjoint.com

Miss Peaches Fried Chicken

Miss Peaches Soul Food Eatery in North Hollywood (the sign now reads MP's Soul Food Eatery) is known in the San Fernando Valley for its fried chicken. It is a small unassuming establishment with half a dozen tables inside and several outside.



Each of the fried chicken meals includes a side and corn bread, although the waffle counts as the side in the chicken and waffle. Sides available include macaroni and cheese, cole slaw, mashed potatoes, string beans,black eyed peas and several others. Note that all the side dishes are vegetarian. I had the leg and thigh plate, which was $7.85. (Breast & wing is $2 more.) I chose the mac and cheese and added the string beans for an additional $2.50.



The cornbread muffins arrived first and they were soft, moist and very hot, straight out of the oven. They had a hint of sweetness, but not too much. It is easy to find dry cornbread or corn muffins so these were appreciated.

The mac & cheese was very gooey and cheesy and congealed quickly. Fine but nothing special. The string beans were soft and boring and not recommended.

The fried chicken arrived with nice crispy skin, although it came off the meat too easily. A plus was that it was not greasy at all, which can be a cardinal sin for fried chicken. Overall this fried chicken was fine/good but not worth going out of your way for.

The beverage options include Southern style sweet tea or pink lemonade. One side is enough per person.

Their desserts are very popular but I was too full to sample the pies. The couple next to me got a slice of pie to go but it looked so good they ate the whole piece right there in the restaurant.

Service is casual and unpretentious. There is no liquor license but BYO is permitted with no corkage. Note that Miss Peaches is closed Sundays and Mondays.

Miss Peaches is located at 5643 Lankershim, just north of Burbank Blvd, in North Hollywood. Phone: (818) 760-4924. Website: www.misspeachesrest.com

In Search of Fried Chicken: Murph's Gaslight

When I was in Palm Desert looking for good food options, a friend of a friend recommended Murph's Gaslight for their fried chicken. Murph's is located at the entrance to the Bermuda Dunes Airport in Bermuda Dunes, which is in between Palm Desert and Indio, in the Coachella Valley. Murph's shares its facilities with the Bermuda Dunes Racquet Club, a facility with both a pool and courts, and has been in business since 1976.

According to its website, founder Ralph Murphy grew up in the South and then in the 1930s worked on luxury ocean liners where he learned the "French way with food." When he opened Murph's Gaslight, he "introduced his unique method of preparing pan-fried chicken by combining the best of Southern Cooking and of French food preparation methods."



In the summer off season, we were the only people in the restaurant less than 65 years old. The menu proudly states that Murph's is the "Home of the Original Pan Fried Chicken", so that is what we ordered. At lunch the fried chicken is served with french fries, cole slaw and the soup of the day for $9.95. We passed on the soup and went straight for the chicken, which arrived in a basket on top of the french fries. The chicken was just ok, it did not have that straight out of the pan taste to it. In fact my dining companion noted that he felt it tasted like the chicken had been sitting out.

So unfortunately after the detour to try it, based on this one visit I can't recommend Murph's fried chicken. It just was ordinary at best. Perhaps during peak season or on Sunday when they are continuously serving order after order of the chicken, there would be a better chance of getting it hot out of the frying pan.

Note that at dinner the fried chicken is served family style, for parties of two or more, for $17.95 per person. That includes all the traditional sides such as potatoes, gravy, biscuits, gravy, peas, vegetables etc. On Sundays the only dish served is the fried chicken meal, which is available from 3 pm until closing.



Through September 30, you can print this coupon to get two meals for the price of one.

Murph's Gaslight is located at 79-860 Avenue 42 in Bermuda Dunes. Phone: (760) 345-6242. Website: www.murphsgaslight.com

The Best Fried Chicken in Los Angeles is at Bastide

Bastide is known for many things: its beautiful patio, its succession of great chefs, a mercurial owner, a deep wine cellar. But who knew that this luxe and casual oasis is also serving the best fried chicken in Los Angeles? Put all those thoughts of what you think you know in the past because Chef Joseph Mahon is firing on all cylinders and his fried chicken is out of this world.

The menu listing is deceptive. I believe it is called tomato. It is a composed salad of red and yellow tomatoes, with some watermelon, crumbed cheese, greens and two pieces of dark meat chicken fried to perfection.

The chicken is flavorful and the skin stayed on. This is not pick up and eat it with your hands fried chicken but when you taste it you are going to want to. It is not greasy nor has the bread crumbs (I'm not a fan of the breadcrumb style at Huckleberry) that some do. Until now my benchmark for fried chicken in the Los Angeles area was Flossie's in the South Bay, but the chicken at Bastide is even better. Having just had the chicken at Larkin's last week, this was at another level of deliciousness.

I highly recommend you go, and go soon. Reservations recommended as it is a small restaurant.

Disclosure: I am a regular at the restaurant and known to the staff.

Bastide is located at 8475 Melrose Place. Phone: (323) 651-5950

Fried Chicken Sundays @ The Hungry Cat

When the Hungry Cat restaurant in Hollywood tweeted "Fried Chicken & Waffles @ thehungrycat Hollywood: Sunday Nights until the end of summer. Starting today 5/2/10" I knew I had to get there as soon as possible. Announcing your special fried chicken is my version of putting up the Bat Signal for Batman - the Savory Hunter must respond. So I rushed over that night to try the fried chicken and waffles and continue the Derby weekend with another Mint Julep.

The fried chicken (pictured above) is generously portioned and served over a Belgian waffle, with maple syrup on the side. The chicken was juicy and tasted good, although does not exceed the Southern California champion, Flossies. I prefer not to have so much sweet in my salty savory food, so had the waffle and syrup for dessert. The little bits of chicken skin and salt made the otherwise sweet waffle better. The chicken skin did not stay on the bird as well as I would have liked. One notable aspect was that this chicken was hot hot hot, straight out of the fryer. Steaming!

I enjoy french fries with fried chicken so ordered a side of fries, not realizing it was enough to feed 6-8 diners. I only ate 10 - 20% of the fries, which was a waste as these were good. Had I known I was ordering a jumbo item I might have skipped them as I hate to throw out food, and as I was headed to the Library Bar at the Hollywood Roosevelt afterwards. The picture below better captures the size comparison between the french fries and the chicken and waffles.

The bartender initially wasn't sure if he had all the supplies to make me a mint julep (it was the day after, not day of the Derby) but managed to rustle up the ingredients including a julep cup. The drink was very good for a restaurant but not up to the standards of the Tar Pit, Library Bar or Seven Grand.

Fried Chicken & Waffles every Sunday at The Hungry Cat in Hollywood, now through Labor Day. My meal, including the chicken & waffles, the fries and the julep was about $35 + tip, inclusive of tax.

Please call ahead (day of) to confirm that they are offering the special each Sunday. The fried chicken & waffles is usually priced about $15 + tax & tip.

The Hungry Cat is located at 1535 North Vine @ Sunset. Telephone: (323) 462-2155. Website: www.thehungrycat.com

Pann's - fried chicken in a classic diner

Pann's Restaurant & Coffee Shop has been in business at the intersection of La Tijera and La Cienega for over 50 years, since 1958 to be precise. It has been used for filming scenes in numerous movies, most memorably Pulp Fiction. It has the classic Googie look of a 50s California diner and made me miss the late lamented Ships on Wilshire Blvd in Westwood of my childhood.

There is a large black and white photograph of the interior of Pann's taken in the 50s up on a wall. The inside looks exactly the same except the customers were wearing hats and there was even a construction worker in a hardhat at the counter. Back then it also appears that the clientèle and staff were all white. The same terrazzo floors, booths and long counter. Amazing to see a classic still in business and still looking the same.


But what brought me to Pann's recently was their fried chicken. I had heard it reported that Pann's serves some of the best fried chicken in town and I have been continually craving fried chicken lately - I blame you for that Ludo! Monday - Friday they offer a 2 piece (light or dark) fried chicken meal with sides for only $6. That is an outstanding deal. We were there on a weekend so got 2 half chicken meals for the 3 of us, at $12 for each order. Each order came with two sides plus a biscuit (there were other bread options but once we heard biscuit we knew what we wanted).

Sides available were: Chef's Vegetables, Real Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Herb Rice, Sautéed Fresh Spinach, Macaroni & Cheese, French Fries, Cole Slaw, Potato Salad or Pickled Beets. We tried the spinach, mac & cheese, french fries and cole slaw.


Our waitress warned us that the chicken could take a while as it was fried to order. Not a problem we told her. I'd rather wait for fresh hot food than have it sitting around waiting for some fool like me to order it. After a shorter wait than I was expecting the fried chicken arrived. Two hot plates full of food, preceded by hot biscuits with butter and honey for each of us. The portion sizes were enormous. Each dish was enough to feed two comfortably, even a glutton like me.

One of my dining companions commented that they had not had food come to the table this hot anywhere in recent memory. The fried chicken was crisp and indeed steaming hot once you cut into it.


It was juicy and tasted like real chicken. Sometimes when you go to casual restaurants the chicken is just bland because they purchased mass produced birds - I am not sure where they source their chickens but these birds have flavor. Exceeded expectations was the unanimous verdict. French fries were good as was the spinach. The mac & cheese was very blah, cole slaw fine.

I ended up with some of the leftovers and the chicken held up for lunch the next day. Not as good as fresh from the fryer but more than respectable.

We were too full to even consider the dessert menu. As we walked out we saw the dessert case which had cakes of such height even Homer Simpson would be impressed. I imagine one piece would be enough for a family of 4 to split.

Pann's is located at 6710 La Tijera Blvd @ La Cienega Blvd. Phone: (332) 776-3770. Website: www.panns.com