Fried Chicken | Crockpottuesday

Poogan’s Porch I tell ya was the second restaurant I went to when I moved back down to Charleston in early April of 2012. Being my first time walking onto that porch though only followed over a 100 years worth of footsteps before me. The original building of Poogan’s has been standing since the late 1800s. Poogan’s is snuggled up in a grand Victorian home on Queen Street that was converted into a restaurant in 1976. The original family sold the house and what ended up coming with it, a dog named “Poogan.” The story goes that Poogan hung around the porch looking for scraps of food which the restaurant owners happily allowed. Three years later, Poogan passed away and he was buried under the restaurant’s porch. People sometimes say that the restaurant is ‘haunted’ with his ghost, but he’s a sweet pup so he’s always welcome!

Photo Cred: Poogan’s Porch

My first experience at Poogan’s 3 years ago was with Catherine and we sat in the main dining room area of the house and I had the fried chicken. To this day, I have been back multiple times and have ONLY had the fried chicken. I guess when ya know…ya know. Last week Katie, Jay, and I all went and sat at the bar for Poogan’s ‘Roll-back-Menu.’ This is when for a week or so out of ever year, the restaurant rolls their prices back to when they first opened in 1976. That means my fried chicken is under $10 and appetizers are around $4. Baller on a buuuuuudget!

We were greeted by bartender Eric and then a familiar face, Mr. Kyle DeGolyer! Kyle and I met through our dear mutual friend Julia and have bonded over food, crockpots (gonna need to borrow), and shall we say Zero George?

So roll-back, the three of us began our journey with BBQ shrimp and sausage over grits with tasso ham gravy, gouda mac and cheese, a spinach salad, and the most amazing slap-yo-grandma-good buttermilk biscuits with honey butter.

Photo Cred: Poogan’s Porch

Photo Cred: http://www.chasfoodiebucketlist.wordpress.com Thanks Rachel!

Photo Cred: http://www.foodspotting.com

As y’all can see these are not my pictures because it did not even occur to me to take a single minute to snap a photo until the spotless white plates were glaring back at me. Poogan’s has really nailed down the authentic downright Southern comfort food. This is what the South is all about. This is the food I want to eat when I’m sitting next to my good friends and enjoying good talks and laughing because life feels good with a warm biscuit in your hand. Moving on.

You’ve heard me say it, coming to you now, my go to, the best fried chicken.

The chicken has the exact crispy crunch to soft juicy inside ratio that any chicken eater is looking for. The chicken strategically is placed on a bed of dreamy whipped potatoes that creates the perfect combination bite. I’m a huge fan of combination bites. It’s all about the flavors matching and how they dance together in your mouth. (Stares out window wondering if that’s a weird sentence, decides to keep it.) The chicken is also served with collard greens which I am all about these days since my recent experiment. I noticed these collards had some of the stems still attached and I enjoyed eating them all the same. This somewhat infuriates me though, as I spent what seems like hours, detaching all of the stems from the collards I made. Will know next time it’s okay to keep some in there, thanks Poogan’s.

Jay indulged in the fried chicken as well and Katie went with her go to, the roasted catfish.As for dessert, Katie made an executive decision and ordered the bourbon chocolate cheese cake. And again, sorry for the picture delay, but this dessert was ambushed upon hitting the table.Just as the thee of us were leaning back in our stools and crossing our hands behind our heads, Kyle asked if we had time for his speciality cocktail. Absolutely. Kyle is a master mixologist and has made the finals in Art in a Glass for the Wine and Food Festival and Next Top Cocktail for Charleston Fashion Week. His concoction goes by the name “Shall Not Covet” and consists of Monkey Shoulder Scotch, Lillet Blanc, homemade Coffee Bitters, Strawberry Angostura Syrup, and powered egg whites. I don’t know what I just said, but watching the assemble I was hypnotized. Making cocktails is such a foreign world to me and I would never know that coffee bitters and egg whites would create such a sophisticated drink. And for his final signature touch, Kyle uses the strawberry Angostura syrup to spray through a plastic top with a cut out of a “X.”I’m officially a scotch drinker….but only in “Shall Not Covet” style. Kyle thanks for another amazing Poogan’s experience!

Happy Hump Day Crocks!

So following my last post, I figured nows a good a time as any to tell you about Leon’s. Leon’s is a new restaurant that opened up last Saturday on upper King Street. I’ve been anxiously awaiting the restaurant’s opening as I drive by it often. Also, my buddy Tom, Louise’s boyfriend, is the main bartender up there and he has been getting me pumped and telling me great reviews on the place. The menu is simple:

Three main components: Oysters, Fried Chicken, and Vanilla Soft Serve Ice Cream.

How genius? The simplicity is what I’m attracted to. It targets a direct audience…those craving oysters and fried chicken. I didn’t even realize this is something I would crave at the same time, but now I can’t stop! I already want to go back. Also, the atmosphere is beautiful. You walk into an open-air bus shed type of building with dark wooden rafters as the ceiling, hanging lights, funky vintage chairs and tables, music playing that Danielle says takes you back to the 20s, and then a connecting outdoor patio where we started off our night.

My dinner accompaniments consisted of my front desk team at Charleston Place with a hint of accounting (Danielle). I made clear that there were 3 rules: 1) We must try everything 2) please allow for a picture before diving in and 3) we have to get a group picture before the night is over. These are pretty much the standard guidelines for a Crockpottuesday outing as you already know. So to start…you guessed it…OYSTERS.

The waitress explained two different raw oysters they were serving for the night. Virginia oysters that are big and have a medium salt flavor and Massachusetts oysters that are smaller with more salty flavor. The table decided on Virginia. Great choice.

Next we had the grilled oysters. I had never had grilled oysters before and was pleasantly surprised by the smokey flavor. The charcoal spice is also a different experience when mixed with the soft texture of an oyster instead of a typical firmer texture of meat.Now for the Traditional Rockefeller oysters- my favorite. These were covered in a spinach puree that was similar to a pesto flavor. Not to be confused with pluff mud.

Next we ordered two sides before our entrees. The first were fried brussel sprouts. These were okay- didn’t really do it for me. I was expecting them to be completely fried, more like fried okra.I think brussels should stick with being roasted.The second side was smashed avocado on sourdough bread. This was amazing. The bright lime green avocado was mixed with lots of lime so the tangy flavor really stuck out and was a perfect match with the shaved radish on top. I will have to try this at home.Now Crockheads- for the best fried Chicken in town and for the best price possible just look at the picture below. This 2-piece light meat fried chicken was so juicy and so crispy I had to take a second. For all you country folk- better than gas station fried chicken. For all you city folk-better than ritzy high-end fried chicken you eat with a knife and fork. I’m talking straight classic dictionary fried chicken y’all. Can’t beat it.Even comes in sandwich form!

My only complaint about Leon’s was that a very vital component of the menu was not available. The soft serve ice cream machine was down! What better way to finish off a meal like that than with some soft serve!! Hopefully it will be back and working though soon because I will definitely be back! Now everyone go to Leon’s and see Tom!