So for this week's chicken tender blog (I know I'm a little bit late) I decided to break from tradition and do a special edition...because last weekend I was at Myrtle Beach for mine and Madison's 2 year anniversary! Since this was a special occasion, I thought it was only appropriate to do special blog post. So here you go!
This week Madison and I went to this place called Callie Baker's in North Myrtle Beach. Now, one thing that makes Callie Baker's an unique restaurant is that the theme of the restaurant is firefighters, which I thought was very strange from the looks of the outside (well except for the fire truck that is). Anyways, we decided to go here because the menu was quite varied and the chicken tenders were supposed to be very good.
To start off our meal we had an appetizer of fries with bacon and cheese on top, which were very delicious and a welcomed treat because we were both quite hungry. Then we ordered our meals...I of course got chicken tenders and fries (listed as an appetizer) and Madison got an appetizer sampler that included 4 different dishes. Now that you have some background on the day, on to the actual meal.
My huge lunch for the day...this picture does no't do it justice, but trust me, Callie Baker's gave me a lot of food!
Batter and crispiness: A
-The batter used on these chicken tenders was quite good. It had the perfect amount of flavor and crispiness (it reminded both Madison and myself of the batter used on fish and chips). However, it had one flaw which prevented the perfect score...the batter would fall off occasionally when I bit into the tender! That's a big no no in my book. However, I did not really let that take away from my score here because everything else was great about the batter.
Tenderness/juiciness of chicken: A
-The meat used for the chicken tenders at Callie Baker's was excellent, not quite an A+ because those are reserved for special cases...I will never forget when the chicken juices from the tenders at Flip'n Chicken "exploded" in my mouth. You could see the juice from the chicken when you bit into one of the tenders and you could tell that they only used the best cuts of meat for the tenders.
Portion size/presentation: A+
-I think this was the best portion size for the price that I have had yet for chicken tenders! Each of the tenders was the size of 2 chicken tenders you would get at most restaurants and there is definitely enough food to either share with others at your table or to take home for leftovers (like I did!).
Reheating: B
-Here were the positives I found when I reheated my meal. The chicken tenders were just as tasty as they were when I first had them and the actual chicken was still juicier than most chicken tenders (especially after reheating). Now, time for the negatives. The fries, which I did not really care for to begin with, were soggy when reheated and they definitely needed the ranch dipping sauce. Also, the chicken was chewier than when I originally had it and the crispy batter turned flaky, which in turn caused most of my bites to be without any batter. However, I was able to look past most of the negatives because the tenders themselves were still very tasty!
Side Item: C
-Considering how good the chicken tenders were, I was kind of disappointed by the french fries. On the plus side, the portion size of the fries was good and I liked how the fries were obviously handcut and they were just crisp enough. However, the cooks did not use nearly enough seasonings on them, so they came out very bland. Overall I rated the fries at Callie Baker's a C because they were pretty average and the deserved this average rating. The fries did improve greatly when dipped in the ranch, which was very thick and creamy (an excellent choice).
Description on menu:
-There wasn't a description. The menu simply said chicken tenders and fries for $8.99.
See the firetruck on the far right.
Overall I would rate Callie Baker's chicken tenders as an A. They were big, flavorful and reheated fairly well. Also, the wait staff was very friendly (our waitress said she was going to check out my blog because she loves chicken tenders, so hello kind waitress if you're reading this). My only real complaints about the meal were that the fries lacked much flavor and the breading on the tenders would fall off with each bite, but the flavor of the tenders overpowered these negatives. I will definitely go back to Callie Baker's the next time I am in Myrtle Beach and I will have to have the chicken tenders again because they were just that good. Moral of the story...Myrtle Beach knows how to make good food (as evident by the many excellent restaurants I've been to while visiting Madison's parents). So I guess some good things do come out of Myrtle Beach (just kidding).
I hope you enjoyed this special edition of "Love Me Tenders," until next time!
LB
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