Bojangles: 3/15/13

Hello fellow bloggers,

First, let me apologize for taking so long to bring you this post. There has been a lot going on at work this week since we are coming to the end of the broadcast quarter and I have been spending my free time putting together my NCAA tournament bracket. But at long last, here it is.

For this post I decided that it was time to rate the chicken tenders at a fast food restaurant. When thinking of where to go I wanted to go somewhere near my apartment because Madison and I were meeting some of our friends to hang out that night. His first recommendation was Bojangles because they have new "Homestyle Chicken Tenders," which are a mild version of their signature "Chicken Supremes".

 

It's time to review the world famous Bojangles!

Batter and crispiness: A+

-I quite enjoyed the batter of these chicken tenders. It was very flavorful and different from the Chicken Supremes. Also, the batter was very crispy.

Tenderness/juiciness of chicken: B-

-This is definitely an area I feel needs to be improved upon. While the chicken in the tenders was clearly good cuts of meat (not tough at all), the chicken was dry and kind of tough to eat...definitely need some sort of beverage while consuming these tenders. So while the tenders was good, I gave this category a B- since the chicken was not juicy.

Portion size/presentation: C

-I felt as though the portion size was on the small side. You got 4 tenders, a small fry, and a biscuit but I felt like I was cheated out of some of my meal. While 2 of my tenders were good sized tenders, the other 2 were rather small (about half the size of a "regular" chicken tender). Also, I felt like they could have given me more french fries to go along with the meal.

Reheating: B

-Surprisingly, this meal reheated better than I expected. The tenders were still very flavorful and crispy, but the fries turned soggy and seemed to have lost their flavor in the reheating process somehow. Overall I was pleased with this aspect of the meal.

Side item: B

-When it came to the side items I liked having 2 sides (the biscuit and the fries) and while I thoroughly enjoyed the biscuit, I had mixed feelings about the fries. A positive about the fries is that they are handcut, so you know they are real potatoes, but a negative was that the seasoning was only on some of the fries. Therefore, some of my fries (about 1/4 of them) were quite tasty, but the other 3/4s were unseasoned and just lacking.

Description on menu: 

-Four pieces of our mild, juicy, boneless, whole-breast select tenderloin filets, served up hot and fresh with hand-cut fries and a made-from-scratch buttermilk biscuit.

My chicken tender dinner for the night.

Overall I would give the "Homestyle Chicken Tenders" from Bojangles a B. They were very flavorful, but the portion size was very small for the price (especially since some of the chicken tenders were kinda small). However, I really liked the variety of the meal and the crispiness of the tenders. If I were going to improve on this meal I would have gotten an extra order of fries and probably just ketchup because the ranch was just plain bad. But for fast food chicken tenders, these were pretty tasty.

Now, onto the next place! And I promise I will do better with the timing of these posts.

LB

Chilis: 3/9/13

Hello bloggers,

I'm sorry for the delay in the message, but apparently I wrote this blog 2 weeks ago and just forgot to post it. Here it is now...

For those of you who do not know me, one of my favorite restaurants is Chili's. I have been going there since I was a little kid (we used to go here after baseball games) and I was super excited when a location opened up in the Arboretum because that's right near my house! Of course, once I moved into my apartment with Katie I moved far away from that location, but I occasionally go when I am at my house. Anyways, Katie and I went here after my haircut and before our Cardio Jam class with Lem in the Promenade!

It was too busy outside to take a good picture of the building, but here is a picture from the Chili's website.

Batter and crispiness: B+
-When it came to the batter I was mildly disappointed. Positives: very light and crispy (did not overpower chicken) Negative: not enough seasoning! The batter could definitely have used more spices of some kind because it was pretty bland. However, the tenders were very crispy and y'all know how I love my crispy chicken tenders!

Tenderness/juiciness of chicken: A
-These tenders were very juicy and once again, I was surprised by the tenderness and quality of the meat! Not the most juicy chicken tenders I have had, but definitely up there.

Portion size/presentation: A-
-I gave this category an A- because while I did get a lot of food, some of the actual chicken tenders were very thin and small. The meal provides you with five tenders and two of mine (maybe I just got a bad batch?) had the equivalent of one tender from most other dining establishments. It was a good thing that the side dishes were so filling.

Reheating: Cannot rate...did not reheat tenders this time :(
-I am a bad food critic. Katie and I got so caught up in our errands for the day that we actually had to throw our leftovers out. :( It was kinda warm that day (it was a beautiful early spring day in Charlotte) and we did not think it was a good idea to try and save our food after it had been sitting in the car for over eight hours. However, I do know that the chicken tender portion of this meal heats up very well (I have eaten this exact meal probably 100 times from Chili's), but the fries do not reheat well because they become soggy.

Side item: A-
-Chili's does there chicken tender meal differently than most places because you get two very filling side items instead of just one. The first item (standard for all chicken tender meals) is french fries. The fries were very crispy (a plus) and seasoned well, but they were nothing outstanding. When it came to the corn, it was very tender and had a lot of salt and pepper. When it comes to the sides the reason they did not get an A is because the sides were good, but the corn could have had different seasoning that would have pushed it over the top.

Description on menu:
-The interesting thing about chicken tenders at Chili's is that they actually serve two versions! The original version is the "Original Chicken Crispers Served with corn on the cob, homestyle fries and honey-mustard dressing. 10.29" and I got these up until about 5 years ago I would say when I tried the "Crispy Chicken Crispers Extra crispy chicken with corn on the cob, homestyle fries and your choice of black pepper gravy, BBQ sauce, honey-mustard or ranch dressing. 10.29". Both options are delicious, it just depends on the mood your in as to whether you want crispy, traditional chicken tenders, or Chili's original version with more of a fish n' chips type of batter. You cannot go wrong either way.

My lunch for the day...btw, I love the tables at Chili's! So festive!

Overall I would rate the chicken tenders at Chili's an A-. I did not really have any major complaints about my meal and these are definitely great tenders considering they come from a major chain. Our server was very friendly and one of the best waitresses I have had in a very long time. The wait time for the food was about 10 minutes (typical in my opinion) and the food was very tasty. Also the ranch dressing on the side was good, I couldn't tell if it was made in house or not, but regardless, I enjoyed it very much. My only complaints were that I wish the batter had more seasoning in it and some of the tenders were rather small. But overall this was a very positive dining experience and I am 100% sure that I will be back for the chicken crispers at Chili's...and who knows, maybe I will have the Original Chicken Crispers when I return!

Until next time,

LB

Taco Mac: 3/2/13

Hello fellow bloggers!

For this week's post I went with Katie to Taco Mac near Southpark Mall. We were kind of in a time crunch because Katie had a wedding shower to go to after lunch, so we picked Taco Mac because I had been there once before, the restaurant had chicken tenders, and it was close by so we thought we could get there and back within the hour like we needed to so she could make the party. Now I was not expecting much from Taco Mac because I consider it a typical sports bar (it has TVs EVERYWHERE and is known for having an exorbitant amount of beers...at least in my opinion) and I was pleasantly surprised by the fantastic chicken tender meal I had. 

The outside of Taco Mac located in Piedmont Row near Southpark Mall.

Batter and crispiness: A
-The combination of the batter and crispiness of the chicken tenders at Taco Mac was probably the best I have had in a very long time. The batter had the perfect amount of seasonings so it was very flavorful, a little spicy, and complemented the chicken very well. Also, the crispiness of the tenders was perfect and did not overpower the actual chicken.

Tenderness/juiciness of chicken: A
-This category got an A because the chicken in the tenders was very tender and juicy. Also, the chicken was of very good quality, which you do not always see at a bar...but then again, I guess Taco Mac is more of an upscale bar.

Portion size/presentation: B+
-I gave this category a B+ because I felt like Taco Mac could have given more chicken tenders with the meal. While the tenders were a good size, you still only got 4 tenders and it was very hard for me to stop eating them so I could have some to save for reheating. Typically 4 tenders would have warranted a B or below, but the amount of chicken in each tender (disregarding the breading) and the amount of fries helped push this category up a notch.

Reheating: A
-The meal as a whole reheated surprisingly well. I was afraid that the chicken tenders would lose their crispiness (one of the reasons why they were so good), but the tenders were still very crispy and they did not lose any of the flavoring or tenderness either. Also, the fries heated up very well as well.

Side item: A+
-These fries were incredible! They had the perfect amount of seasoning so they were very flavorful and they were very crispy. I think these were the best fries I have had in a long time and you can tell that whoever created the fries put a lot of time into creating the perfect seasoning for them. The fries are definitely not your typical bar food fries and I would come back to Taco Mac just for the fries. Next time I would love to try fries with cheese and bacon on them...I bet they would be outstanding!

Description on menu:
-Chicken Tenders served with Honey Mustard and fries. $7.29

My phenomenal chicken tender meal at Taco Mac.

Overall I think this was the best chicken tender meal I have had since I started this blog and I give the chicken tenders an A. Sure, I loved the chicken tenders at Callie Baker's in Myrtle Beach, but this meal was better because not only were the tenders superb, but the fries were amazing as well. I was very pleased with my meal and I will definitely be back for these chicken tenders again. If you want a reasonably priced chicken tender meal with excellent fries and a quick serve time, then I would recommend Taco Mac.