Fried Chicken and Doughnuts For Dinner? At Fat Chicken, It's a Must

Lately, it seems you can't throw a stone without hitting a fried chicken joint. The latest: Fat Chicken in Trinity Groves. The down-home chicken spot is the next concept from DJ Quintanilla and Linda Mazzei, who started Resto Gastro Bistro, and they didn't stray from their stomping grounds.

Fat Chicken took over Resto's space, but you'd never know it thanks to their attempt to make it seem as "down home" as possible. With custom rustic wood sconces, mismatched china and the quintessential red and white checked napkins, they expertly negotiated the fine line between kitsch and class.

The Southern feel doesn't stop with juicy fried chicken and decor. It's hard to read the cocktail menu without affecting a Southern drawl — Papaw's Pocket Flask, the Bee Sting, Grandma's Lemonade. Yes, they all sound homey, and all pack a punch. Let's just say that a combination of a drink and some fried chicken may slow down the rest of your day, but, you know, in a good way.

Quintanilla really hit the nail on the head with the menu; it's simple and has some stand-out items like the chicken and doughnuts (yes, for real), Chickarrones, a chicken pot pie that looks like a pot of heaven and the Rancher sandwich (fried chicken breast, bacon, tomato and smoked jalapeño buttermilk cream). The chicken and doughnuts are Fat Chicken's answer to the ever-present brunch favorite, chicken and waffles, but revolutionizes the fried-chicken-and-something-sweet with a doughnut that tastes like a fat Krispy Kreme hot off the line.

The appetizers alone stressed us out with the selection. The deviled eggs are a surprisingly light take on a usually heavy dish and are artfully dotted with a cherry popper pepper. While we've seen others with fried chicken skins, these are some of the most flavorful and perfectly textured that Dallas has to offer.

Not to be overshadowed by the savories, Fat Chicken offers daily pie specials on a cart. Step aside, cheese and waxy imitation dessert carts, these pies have a spot at our table. Check the chalkboard above the kitchen door for the daily pie specials, but make sure you have a napkin before reading so you can sop up the drool.

You'll be happier than a pig in mud after a meal here. Happy, certainly, but you really will feel like a pig. While they're open for lunch (and dinner, too), make time for a little afternoon walk if you plan to go on a work day. We're not saying the food is unrealistically heavy, but don't kid yourself — it's still fried chicken.

Fat Chicken, 3011 Gulden Lane