When I see a giant banner that says "Chicken & Tap"... I don't care if it's in the shittest hood, I'm so there. Any cheekan connoisseur will tell you that it's worth the risk in search of the ultimate fried chicken.. Thank Lord, I was packing my 1911 .45 ACP that day... Now, it's time to pack the pouch with some golden fwied chippies.
The joint is located at Northlake Mall but not inside it (entrance is outside)... Northlake Mall? Yeah, WTF, that's what I said too. This mall is not that ghetto but it ain't that pretty, either. The entire place seemed like it's been inside a time capsule since the mid '80's.. They're still playing White Lion over the PA system for fuck's sake. The Fork is basically a wannabe diner/sports bar with a menu that would make a Greek diner blush. The shit is extensive and covers everything except Sichuan cuisine and sushi. But the hopeful star of the show has got to be the made to order fried cheekan... I'm fat, so I need to order other dishes so I don't look like a lonely hobo waiting for my fwied ghetto pigeon. They got no booze which gave me sad panda face but the not so great beer list is cheap and I would take the Yeungling Black & Tan for $2.50 all day.
Wings. Honey Garlic Pepper and Bombay Bomb with ghost chili sauce (caution: extremely spicy)... Yeah, I can't believe they would even attempt something like that but I'll be the judge of that. They are small wings but they are juicy and not dried out. The honey garlic pepper sauce is sweet as expected but nothing that special. The Bombay Bomb didn't look that spicy. First bite, the heat was a mild to medium at best and it peaked after the first wing. I'll give them a little something for the effort but you won't receive total consciousness after eating these wangz.
Fried Chicken. Pressure cooked and 20 minzies wait they say. I'm excited and the wait is kinda making me moist downstairs already. Then it appears suddenly... 4 pieces of still crackling golden fried legs and thighs. I take a bite without even letting it rest a bit and that shit is lava hot... Fuck it, I don't care, I have kitchen mouth. The crispy skin is thin and has a wonderful crunch factor to it. It could be seasoned a little more but shit, that crust is too good to even think about that. This fwied cheekan even surprised me. This was a very nice yard bird and I would come back for it. The slaw was tasty as well, reminded me a little like KFC's addictive HFCS slaw. I know I know, KFC's cheekan ain't good but somehow I like their slaw. The cajun rice was as expected from a caliber of this place, just ok, it needed a lot more seasoning and spices to give it that extra kick. But for the price of the 4 piece meal, it is definitely in my top 5. I might even go back this week just to see if it was a fluke or not.
Philly Cheesesteak. Yeah, ordering a philthy at a diner/sports bar is a big gamble (fuck, it's usually a big mistake) but one can't only live on cheekan so much alone. It came out wrapped up like a Christmas present... Once unwrapped, I was pleasantly surprised by this philthy, did I just say that out loud? The America white cheese Swiss blend (wtf?) with the sliced sirloin with onions, peppers and shrooms were nestled comfortably inside a soft yet durable French loaf. It's no Amoroso roll but fuck, this roll was pliable enough to hold everything inside bite after bite with extreme prejudice. I slayed this meat vag roll like a skank on Boulevard... And she took it hard and held up nicely. Look, there isn't any great philthies in these here parts except maybe for Roy's but when you find one that smells, tastes and chews like one, it's hard to beat this bitch down, even for me. It is authentic? Fuck no. But I'll take this any day over any half-assed philly found everywhere else.
Seriously, what the fuck is going on with this dump putting out secretly decent grub... It must be the location that keeps only the locals in the know. And the locals? They're a special kind of breed... Come to think of it, I don't know what kinda breed they are, maybe a mixed inbred... I'll fit right in. The menu also claims to have a NY Deli Reuben (notice the word "style" is not in there), so you know what the pouch will be reporting on next. And if their Clam Strip platter is anything like HoJo's clam strip when I was kid, I will suck their dick, even the waitresses'.
4800 Briarcliff Rd
Atlanta, GA 30345
678-381-0828
http://forkintheroadatl.com/
2 comments:
just saw a link to your site, which I forget to check, but do adore.
I live near FITR. We eat there every so often. Like you said: locals know that it's actually pretty solid.
It's never full, but I've been there before and it was maybe 2/3 full, very diverse: mix of blacks, whites, old white churchgoing types, old white Jews (my parents and some folks they recognized). Isn't diversity really cool? Oh yeah: not unless it's intown and extremely overpriced!
My chicken fingers here were really good. The cornbread is excellent, I've had the reuben a couple of times and it's surprisingly good.
One time I got the shrimp po boy, and it was pretty huge. They've since raised the price on it a tad, but it still beats a lot of place for bang for the buck.
I don't know how they do it. Maybe some of it is right off the sysco truck, but it's hot, tasty, great prices, we like it more than the typical 'Greek+Italian+mediterranean diner' places that serve everything, but it's all really mediocre.
also you should try Brockett Pub House for pub grub. Only ate there once, my sandwich was pretty good. Ambiance wasn't nice enough for wifey.
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