The Pouch is a pumpin' and a squirtin' uncontrollably with the news that FITR is now reopened ... Am I dreaming? One of my favorite fwied cheekan in this dusty one horse town is located right next to my other favorite go to fwied cheekan joint... Popeyes! Now, this is my goddamn wet dweam come twue! This is very emotional for the Pouch... Two great fwied cheekan joints side by side. The competition for my money will be fierce... Or will this be an opportunity to kill two chickens with one Pouch? Because I'm no stranger to eating two dinners back to back.
Let's just get right to it... I can't wait to get my sausage fingaz on them fwied thighs and breasts.
FITR has relocated in a former Wendy's spot right next to Popeyes. The shell of the building is unmistakable but the new signage is bright and visible from the street at night. Walked in and it's counter service. You order and find a table and wait for them to call your order number. If they get a rush or a big crowd this will be very inefficient. The interior is refreshed so you don't notice it as a Wendy's on the inside than the outside. Getting rid of the table service may be a bad move because their menu is still pretty extensive with this smaller footprint. Downsizing usually also involves shrinking down the menu... The paper menus stapled together is not properly laid out, you're constantly flipping over the two pages searching to see if they still have something you liked at their old spot. I was baffled that I couldn't find the fried chicken... Am I taking crazy pills? Where The Fuck Is The Fried Chicken?! I have never had such a big hard-on go baby turtle limp as fast as this moment when I found out that they took off the bone in fried chicken. They said it was too time consuming for their new smaller kitchen. Who the fuck gets rid of their number one item that made them who they are? It's like Chick-Fil-A 86ing the chicken sandwich or McDonalds getting rid of the McRib. I wasn't the only person who was fucking livid about the demise of their fried chicken. I hope to fucking god that more and more people complain about it and they bring that shit back ASAP. Motherfuckers, I will wait 30 minzies for that dericious fwied cheekan... It's like crack.
Since, I can't get what I came here for, they do have a few other items that I do adore... Let's see if they still got it. If they don't, then praise the gods for Popeyes next door.
Sweet Cream Cornbread. One of the best sides on their menu and this specimen is still as good as it ever was.
Southern Fried Whole Wings, O Sauce (Hot sauce seasoned with grinded popular Mexican peppers, jalapeno, habanero, japones, morita & arbol chili peppers, caution Very Spicy). I was gonna get the Bombay Bomb sauce again but they said the O sauce was spicier. Since, they 86'd their fried chicken program, I had to get the next closest thing. The whole wings were normal sized wings with a very crispy crust that was not too thick or too thin, just right. The O sauce was a let down. I shoulda stuck with the Bombay Bomb sauce made with ghost chili peppers. They were pretty good wings but they were no substitute for the great fried chicken they used to serve.
Chicken Tenders, Fried Onion Strings, Burning Valley Ranch, Coleslaw. It ain't no bone-in chicken but their tenders were always pretty tasty because they were never frozen and made to order. The tender had a nice flaky crunchy crust and juicy inside. The fried onion strings are good but after a few they were nothing more than filler. The Burning Valley Ranch is a spicy version of regular old Ranch but it wasn't spicy at all. The tenders are good but I don't know if I would get them again.
Clam Strip Platter, Tots. Now, this looked glorious... A clam strip dinner that rivals the great HoJo's clam strip dinner from my days of yore. When I was just a little sack, we were so poor that I would whip up a low rent version of fried clams with a can of drained minced clams and crushed up some C-Town brand chips on top of the clams to give it that deep fried crunch factor. But every once in a blue moon, I would get lucky and find some money in the gutter that someone dropped like Charlie Bucket and I would splurge on the early bird specials at Howard Johnson's... Their clam platter was one of my favorites and FITR brings me right back to HoJo's. The medium order is a generous portion and when paired with some tots, you got yerself a feast for fatness.
Windy City Gyro, Tzatziki. Why would anyone order a gyro from a southern vittles joint? Everything else on the menu has always be a pleasant surprise in the past... So, why the fuck not? Ok, I admit, I was going to get the Philly Cheesesteak first. But I had it a couple of times before and it was good but I wanted to see if they could execute a passable version of this Greek street staple. Let me just say... Halal Guys ain't got shit on this. For a southern fry joint, the gyro was totally acceptable and the tzatziki sauce was flavorful and thick unlike many other places that dilute it to maximize volume. The gyro meat was factory made but it worked with the freshness of the other components. I would get it again but the cheesesteak would be my first choice, though.
Even though, there's no fried chicken available on their relaunch in their new smaller location, their menu is still pretty extensive and the food execution has been consistent and totally acceptable. Are they back on their game? Close but with some more time working with a smaller kitchen they will get their groove back sooner rather than later. I'm just happy they have re-opened and their menu still has most of their fan favorites. I just pray that the 86 of the fried chicken is just a hiatus for the time being... Hopefully, with enough complaints from their loyal patrons they will bring back their dericious fried chicken. They are not complete without it. But not all is lost, Popeyes excellent fwied cheekan can easily replace that void just a few steps away.
Not that I would get Popeyes right after eating all of this grub...
3892 Lavista Rd
Tucker, GA 30084
https://www.forkintheroadga.com/
Ok, sue me and call me a fat fuck... But I couldn't resist walking over next door for the $10 "2 can dine" meal deal and their shrimp tackle box for a little midnight snack at home. What?! FITR's infamous fried chicken was not available... Their loss is Popeyes' gain. That will teach FITR not to get rid of their fwied cheekan... How can you say no to this? It's glorious.
You. Complete. Me... Now, I can die of a heart attack in my sleep...
2 comments:
Back int the day, the HoJos in Times Square was the go to place for pitchers of martinis, clam strips, sassy waitresses and peppermint stick ice cream. If they had hung in a little longer, would have made a comeback.
I think FITR also got rid of their reuben!! The cornbread used to be really wide like a hockey puck, but I guess the new shape can work. We hope to get over there in next week or two. Definitely the most exciting thing to come to that stretch of Lavista since CFA demolished and re-built over the old Taco Bell.
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