I got here as quick as I could. That bird was cooking no less than half an hour ago. This is a need-to-know to know kind of deal, and you all need to know.
For a little background: Chef Kenny Mills cut his teeth in the mean steakhouses of Dallas before going completely solo and opening an obscure (for about one week) burger joint, Chop House Burgers, in a (still sort of) obscure strip mall in Arlington. Soon, Guy Fieri with Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives came knocking, and even without that endorsement, the gourmet burgers served sans pretentiousness were a stroke of burger genius in an area that was suffering for any type of outstanding fare.
Then, earlier this year, Mills got a sweet deal on a piece of real estate in Pantego, just a bit west of his burger shop on Park Row, and opened Chop House Steak and Seafood. It's a throwback country spot serving fire-kissed steaks that melt in your mouth, along with upscale seafood plates and a huge salad bar that would delight any vegetarian. Plus, there's a great full bar with classic cocktails.
Well, last night on Facebook Mills posted this note:
Rumor has it that if you pull up to the back door of Chop House Steak and Seafood, ring the bell and hand the man $20 in a couple of minutes you'll get eight pieces of BACON fried chicken with mashed potatoes, roasted corn and jalapeño cheddar biscuits. Is it real? Try it and see.
"Every night?" I inquired because my husband was ready to pick a fight if it was just last night.
"Yes, every night." From noon to 9 p.m., as a matter of a fact (except Sundays -- they're closed).
So, to pick a fight myself, we just got the bacon fried chicken meal while this husband is at work today. And it was so totally worth it.
The roasted corn is cooked within an inch of its life, but then pulled back so those kernels bursting with sweetness are wrapped in smoke. The creamy (skin on) mashed potatoes are loaded with garlic. The thick crispy crust around the chicken clings to the meat through every bite. And, oh ... those biscuits. The in-house baker is fabulous. Her work is honest and generous. The huge hand-formed biscuits with pieces of jalapeños could make a meal alone.
So, you peel away a piece of chicken with the crust still intact, put a dollop (or two) of mashed potatoes on top, the stack a small piece of biscuit on top. Bam! Your chicken-fried mind is blown.
Mills says he starts the chicken in the oven covered with bacon fat and lets it simmer low and slow for an hour. Then, they bread it and fry it in a mixture of 50/50 bacon and canola oil.
Chef won't let you sit at a table inside the steak house and order the chicken dinner though. It's strictly a shady back door deal. You hand them $20 cash and wait less than five minutes for your meal.
You'll be hard pressed to find a better deal on eight pieces of chicken, with four pieces of roasted corn, four huge made-from-scratch biscuits and those creamy mashed potatoes for a flat $20.
