Ok, I lied. I said I was done with my mission to try the best fried chicken, but after hearing about this new fried chicken joint called The Chicken Ranch, I was sucked back in. I have not been into fried chicken since I was a child. So, it's been awhile and there is no love lost, but still, I don't mind trying some amazing fried chicken, you know, for old-times sake.
There's quite the hype for this small fried chicken joint. I haven't really read any actual reviews, but lately in the last week, I have seen a lot articles, highlights, etc. So, I make it a plan to visit today with my family, but due to work schedules, am only able to take my stepson. He's on board with it, what 13 year old doesn't like fried chicken? It's in the north part of the Heights. Limited parking spots. It looks exactly the way the photos portray it. No frills, no pizzazz. You come here just for some good ol fried chicken, not for the atmosphere or presentation.
We put in our order for the Dolly Special (2 chicken breast), $10, some mac n cheese, mash potatoes, creamed corn and the okra & tomatoes. Observing the kitchen, it's four guys, one handling the orders and check out, one battering the chicken and dipping in a flour and a liquid concoction, one at the fryer, and one helping to put the orders together for customer pick up. The staff is nice enough, and my curiosity is growing more and more. We finally get our order and dig in! Ethan takes the first bite of chicken and I ask him how it is and he says, "it's crispy". I ask, "crispy is good, right?", he says, "it's really crispy". I try it for myself and I think the crispiness is really nice. I'll be honest, it's not as good as I was hoping, but it's better than most of the chicken I have tried in the last few months. He liked the mac n cheese. I thought the mash potatoes tasted like real potatoes, which was nice and the creamed corn was pretty good. The okra & tomatoes weren't bad. Overall, a decent meal. I ask Ethan what his rating was, he said 3.5, which is higher than his rating for Birdhouse. I give it a 3.5 as well. Nice, decent joint for some crispy fried chicken. This time I think I am officially good with my fried chicken mission.