Chicken Mission 2019 | Cross Street Chicken and Beer in Kearney Mesa | Chicken Pie Shop in North Park | Luigi’s in Golden Hill | Crack Shack in Little Italy. 6/25/2019
Chicken Mission 2019
We’re on a Fried Chicken Mission.
Today, we will find the best Fried Chicken in San Diego. Or at least the best Fried Chicken of the day. Nadine and myself will review the Fried Chicken and/or the hot wings.
First stop is Luigi’s in Golden Hill.
We both got the wings here.
I ordered the Louisiana Hot Sauce on mine. Nadine had the Jerk Mango sauce.
I found mine to be just a little dry. And they had Buffalo Sauce. Since I ordered Louisiana Hot Sauce, points lost.
Nadine’s were really good. Kinda thick sauce and a sweet mangoey flavor, with a little kick, right where you need it. Neither flavor was too hot to handle. I know what’s hot. I’m a white guy. Picante Sauce gives me heartburn.
Luigi’s has a full menu now. Pizza, Chicken, Italian foods. I had no idea, but it’s been a while since I’ve been here. They take cards for payment now, too. Modern Technology.
I ordered the Louisiana Hot Sauce on mine. Nadine had the Jerk Mango sauce.
I found mine to be just a little dry. And they had Buffalo Sauce. Since I ordered Louisiana Hot Sauce, points lost.
Nadine’s were really good. Kinda thick sauce and a sweet mangoey flavor, with a little kick, right where you need it. Neither flavor was too hot to handle. I know what’s hot. I’m a white guy. Picante Sauce gives me heartburn.
Luigi’s has a full menu now. Pizza, Chicken, Italian foods. I had no idea, but it’s been a while since I’ve been here. They take cards for payment now, too. Modern Technology.
Next up is the Crack Shack in Little Italy.
The parking Gods are on our side today. So far.
We got two Fried Breasts. They have no wings.
They arrived and they were delicious. Not dry at all. Breasts are ALWAYS dry. Not here. WTH. The batter they use is light and crispy. Seasoned just right. This chicken is in the hole-shot coming out of the gate.
THEY. COULD. GO. ALL. THE. WAY.
We got two Fried Breasts. They have no wings.
They arrived and they were delicious. Not dry at all. Breasts are ALWAYS dry. Not here. WTH. The batter they use is light and crispy. Seasoned just right. This chicken is in the hole-shot coming out of the gate.
THEY. COULD. GO. ALL. THE. WAY.
Next on the list:
Chicken Pie Shop in North Park...
Chicken Pie Shop in North Park...
Nadine, up til now, hates this restaurant.
“That’s old people food.”
“Don’t you need Dentures to eat there?”
“You don’t even need to chew. It’s already puréed.” etc. Women. Amirite?
Suddenly, she learns there’s Fried Chicken, and then she HAS to get there! Like Jesus will eat there after the second coming or something. Whatever.
We ordered one Chicken Breast Dinner, because for an ala Carte Chicken Breast, it’s only $1.00 off from the dinner price, and we’d have to wait 35 minutes, as opposed to right away with the dinner. (?) we don’t get it and we’re honestly suspicious. The server acted like she really didn’t wanna do it. We get the impression that special orders are ... frowned upon.
She has a water. I got an Iced Tea.
The Iced Tea is On Point.
Delicious, actually.
Nadine is the Cole Slaw Expert. She tried the Cole Slaw and had 2 words: “No Mayo.” This is a harsh rebuke of the Chicken Pie Shop’s Cole Slaw game. I tried it, and I wasn’t disappointed, but I’m not the Cole Slaw Expert, am I?
The Split Pea Soup came with the Cole Slaw, and it should’ve been called ... Puréed Pea Soup.
Literally no split peas in the bowl at all. If I didn’t know better ... Baby food. But the base clientele here may appreciate that feature.
The meal arrived.
A lot of Corn. Literally, a can of corn on my plate. If you’re into Corn, this is the place!
The Chicken Breast was really nice. Giant size. The Chicken this Breast came from must’ve been the size of a large Chihuahua. Delicious, crispy breading, seasoned well and HOT!
The Mashed Potatoes arrived in a box, not on a Produce truck.
Unexpected Bonus: there was a single slice of Onion in my Mashed Potatoes. (?) I didn’t ask.
It turns out that there’s a dessert included.
I ordered the Blueberry Pie.
It was a worthy slice of pie. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t baked on site.
These ladies that work here ... No Nonsense.
When you finish ordering, she’s walking. No wasted words or hanging out chatting. Not a bad thing.
This place has been here for 80+ years. Some of the ladies that serve here, bless their hearts, must’ve opened this place. Joking. A tip of the hat to the management for keeping these nice ladies employed. Seriously. I’ve been coming here Off and on for decades. The Chicken Pies have always tasted the same. I say they’re delicious. Nadine hates them, and she’s right. She’s not the target demographic. The people that eat here regularly enjoy good, easy to process comfort food. They’ve been here 80+ years. They’re doing something right.
“That’s old people food.”
“Don’t you need Dentures to eat there?”
“You don’t even need to chew. It’s already puréed.” etc. Women. Amirite?
Suddenly, she learns there’s Fried Chicken, and then she HAS to get there! Like Jesus will eat there after the second coming or something. Whatever.
We ordered one Chicken Breast Dinner, because for an ala Carte Chicken Breast, it’s only $1.00 off from the dinner price, and we’d have to wait 35 minutes, as opposed to right away with the dinner. (?) we don’t get it and we’re honestly suspicious. The server acted like she really didn’t wanna do it. We get the impression that special orders are ... frowned upon.
She has a water. I got an Iced Tea.
The Iced Tea is On Point.
Delicious, actually.
Nadine is the Cole Slaw Expert. She tried the Cole Slaw and had 2 words: “No Mayo.” This is a harsh rebuke of the Chicken Pie Shop’s Cole Slaw game. I tried it, and I wasn’t disappointed, but I’m not the Cole Slaw Expert, am I?
The Split Pea Soup came with the Cole Slaw, and it should’ve been called ... Puréed Pea Soup.
Literally no split peas in the bowl at all. If I didn’t know better ... Baby food. But the base clientele here may appreciate that feature.
The meal arrived.
A lot of Corn. Literally, a can of corn on my plate. If you’re into Corn, this is the place!
The Chicken Breast was really nice. Giant size. The Chicken this Breast came from must’ve been the size of a large Chihuahua. Delicious, crispy breading, seasoned well and HOT!
The Mashed Potatoes arrived in a box, not on a Produce truck.
Unexpected Bonus: there was a single slice of Onion in my Mashed Potatoes. (?) I didn’t ask.
It turns out that there’s a dessert included.
I ordered the Blueberry Pie.
It was a worthy slice of pie. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t baked on site.
These ladies that work here ... No Nonsense.
When you finish ordering, she’s walking. No wasted words or hanging out chatting. Not a bad thing.
This place has been here for 80+ years. Some of the ladies that serve here, bless their hearts, must’ve opened this place. Joking. A tip of the hat to the management for keeping these nice ladies employed. Seriously. I’ve been coming here Off and on for decades. The Chicken Pies have always tasted the same. I say they’re delicious. Nadine hates them, and she’s right. She’s not the target demographic. The people that eat here regularly enjoy good, easy to process comfort food. They’ve been here 80+ years. They’re doing something right.
On to the next one.
Our friend, Suzi suggested we go to Streetcar Merchants.
Our friend, Suzi suggested we go to Streetcar Merchants.
We’ve been there before and I think we liked it.
It’s been a long time.
The Parking Gods have stopped smiling upon us.
There is Zero parking. We aborted. We will do a review at Streetcar Merchants soon.
Pinky Swear.
It’s been a long time.
The Parking Gods have stopped smiling upon us.
There is Zero parking. We aborted. We will do a review at Streetcar Merchants soon.
Pinky Swear.
Next place: Cross Street Chicken and Beer in Kearney Mesa.
This is a hip, young spot. Music I’ve never heard, lots of people talking, fast moving atmosphere.
A lot of concrete, glass and a view of picturesque Convoy Street and Weinerschnitzel.
No special orders.
Not thrilled by the tablet you have to sign in with before you’re on the waiting list. And the servers have tablets to take the orders with. This place is literally 80’x80’. 15 (maybe) tables. Do we really need this much technology for this damn small place? Whatever. Not impressed.
We ordered the O. G. Wings to split, because we ate chicken all damn day.
Wings are HUGE. The chickens these wings came from must be the size of small horses.
The O. G. Wings have a delicious breading that’s unexpectedly sweet, in an understated way. Try a bite with no sauce for the first one. Trust me. The breading has a crispy texture, surrounding delicious, perfectly seasoned and moist chicken with a lot of Paprika on the outside. Not a bad thing.
Nadine likes the Cole Slaw. She thinks it’s cool that it’s not pre-mixed (Sauce came on top), and there’s enough Mayo.
All the regular sauces. They must have gold as an ingredient, because I was not allowed to get my own. RUDE.
We like this place. Even though it’s noisy and the sauce is treated like a controlled substance, the Chicken is worth it.
A lot of concrete, glass and a view of picturesque Convoy Street and Weinerschnitzel.
No special orders.
Not thrilled by the tablet you have to sign in with before you’re on the waiting list. And the servers have tablets to take the orders with. This place is literally 80’x80’. 15 (maybe) tables. Do we really need this much technology for this damn small place? Whatever. Not impressed.
We ordered the O. G. Wings to split, because we ate chicken all damn day.
Wings are HUGE. The chickens these wings came from must be the size of small horses.
The O. G. Wings have a delicious breading that’s unexpectedly sweet, in an understated way. Try a bite with no sauce for the first one. Trust me. The breading has a crispy texture, surrounding delicious, perfectly seasoned and moist chicken with a lot of Paprika on the outside. Not a bad thing.
Nadine likes the Cole Slaw. She thinks it’s cool that it’s not pre-mixed (Sauce came on top), and there’s enough Mayo.
All the regular sauces. They must have gold as an ingredient, because I was not allowed to get my own. RUDE.
We like this place. Even though it’s noisy and the sauce is treated like a controlled substance, the Chicken is worth it.
In summary, we like Cross Street the best for the spicy sweet breading and delicious HUGE wings.
Coming in second is Crack Shack. Marinated perfectly and more moist than the average Breast.
Third, I’ll go with the Chicken Pie Shop. Delicious food, but slightly out of our age range. Boxed Potatoes.
Luigi’s brings up the rear with somewhat dry wings, sauce you can’t get at all; it’s only on the wings out of the kitchen. And I ordered Louisiana and got Buffalo.
I think they’ll get it right soon.
I think they’ll get it right soon.
Be on the lookout for future Chicken Missions.
This Ain’t Over.
This Ain’t Over.
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