Cold Fried Chicken & Other Good Decisions

Spring shifts, craggly crusts, and a few things worth waiting for

Chicken should be hot. Crisp, fresh out of the fryer, burning your fingertips a little. That’s the rule. That’s what we expect.

But I don’t know… some things are just better the next day. Pizza, obviously. Pasta sometimes. Cold chicken, especially when it’s been sitting in its own crust for a bit, settling into itself.

So we made a cold fried chicken plate.

It’s brined in salted buttermilk, air-dried for two days, then dredged and double fried for that craggly, aggressive crust. Served cold with buttermilk dressing, soft lettuces, pickled green tomato & sour pickle. You can eat it however you want, piece by piece, all together, or wrapped up in lettuce like a little gift to yourself.

It feels right for now. The weather can’t decide what it’s doing, and neither should you.

We also put a vegetable toast on the menu. It’s not really ratatouille in the way you’re picturing it. We fold in braised beets, and the whole thing turns this deep, almost moody magenta. Then we lay briny red anchovies across the top and drag it all through a bed of aioli. It’s rich, a little salty, a little sweet, one of those things that eats bigger than it looks.

A lot of folks have been asking about the weekend only Monte Cristo.

Yes, it’s still here. For now. A ridiculous sandwich, in the best way. Triple-decker, ham, turkey, swiss. Dipped in French toast batter, griddled, then deep fried. Finished with powdered sugar and raspberry sauce. It shouldn’t work, but it really does. It reminds me of trips to Disney World in the summer on Main Street USA (although I’m told they don’t offer it as frequently anymore)

Things are shifting with the season, slowly.

Chilled borscht is on its way back, just waiting for the weather to stop playing games. There’s a new palacsinta coming too, but for now we’ve got baked pears with Tokaji, honey, and vanilla bean, served with crème fraîche.

At night, things get a little more personal.

We’ve started making our own sausages, stuffed with lamb and paprika, served with house-pickled button mushrooms and toast. We’re also making sour cream in-house now, which feels like something we should have always been doing. It comes with salted radishes, lemon and a few glugs of olive oil. Simple, sharp, exactly what it needs to be.

Fondue fritters deserve their own conversation. For now, just come in and get them.

There’s also a roast chicken with hot paprika vinaigrette, aioli, and fries. And we brought back the egg noodle kerchief - two sheets of egg pasta, black pepper and caraway butter, and a raw egg yolk you break yourself and toss until everything turns glossy and a little excessive.

And something I’ve been thinking about…

I might bring back Jell-O.

Maybe we start with grapefruit. A little bitter, a little bright. A soft wobble on the plate with a dollop of that house sour cream and some olive oil. I love a dessert that jiggles. It feels honest.

Anyway, that’s just a preview of what’s going on at the counter right now. I hope to see you there soon!

Lastly, we’re hiring cooks.

If you like finding dill stuck to your fingertips - or somehow in your socks - if you like making pickles, culturing sour cream, and getting a little obsessive about the small stuff, come join our team. You can apply at the link attached HERE!

And a quick event note:

I’ll be in conversation with the Jewish Cookbook Social Club on 4/20. Should be a good one. Come hang, ask questions, talk food. Get your tickets.

brined & signed,
jeremy