I've been on a fried chicken kick lately... Shit, who am I kidding, I'm always on a fwied cheekan kick. So, I decided to make a revisit to Curly's. This place seems like it's been changing a few things around since they first opened.
The first thing I wanted to know was if those pressure deep fryers left over from LeRoy's FC were still in use...Those things produced KFC like specimens which were just too similar for my taste. I am not a big fan of KFC's original recipe cheekan, the soggy flappy skin and super greasy meat always seemed low rent to me, it didn't have any finesse. They reminded me of this old hag that just lays out by the pool all day long drenched in tanning oil. So, I was peeking through the windows to see if there were any shred of evidence of them and they were staring at me as if I were some stalker creep looking to nab some of their cheekan (don't flatter yourself, it wasn't that great the first time around). Luckily, they were all off the premises and only regular deep fryers remain. I decided to stay... That's a big win for them already. Now, make me some cheekan, biatch!
Menu board similar to the previous cheekan joint before it.
Shay's Combo, 2 pc cheekan, cole slaw, side and a drink for exactly $7.53. Not too shabby for a light snack or quick lunch. I got the Steve's Cajun Rice for the side. The thigh was average size but the drumstick looked like it came from a pigeon in Alaska. Dinky little leg with about 3 bites to it... Oh, well, not a big deal. What's more important was the taste... Did it stand up to the pouch's standards? I would say it was above average. The skin/crust was light and crispy, it was seasoned ok, the meat was juicy... But it seemed like the oil it was fried in was a little funky. Not that it was bad but for the amount of chicken going through the fryers, they may want to change it out a couple times through out the day. The slaw was run of the mill, c'mon it's friggin slaw... Wait, scratch that, KFC has some kickass slaw but that's because they put so much goddamn HFCS in it. The Cajun Rice was real nice, it was filled with clumps of meat, seasoned nicely and rice was fluffy, liked it a lot, thank you Steve. The surprise was the hot sauce... I couldn't believe they make their own hot sauce now, it was vinegary, oily and not really that spicy but I unconsciously liked it for some reason... Mebbe it was because it coated brightly on anything it touched, except the cheekan. I stuck a plastic white fork in it and it came out bright red, it was very amusing since it didn't come off. This shit would be great in a dye pack at a bank!
It seems like this cheekan shack is doing what LFC's couldn't... And that is staying in business. There is always a steady (but not heavy) crowd every time I drive past it. So, either they know a lot of people in their hood coming in to support them or they're actually doing something right. I think it's a little of both. Plus, it's also rather affordable to eat here a couple times a week vs. on a monthly basis with LFC (not that it was expensive but for cheekan it was)... And the chickie at the window was pretty cute, too. Oh, the things I would do to her with that batter and frying oil. Squoosh squoosh.. Squirt.
PS- their sweet tea tastes weird...like fromunda cheez.
Cuckoo cuckoo.
1.5 Stars.
1021 Howell Mill Rd
Atlanta, GA 30318
(404) 872-7888
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