This is a special edition of my blog and it is about a restaurant in Richmond, Virginia! This past weekend (8/9-8/12) I went to Richmond to visit Alex, one of my best friends, and we decided that I should do a blog post about chicken tenders in Richmond. The week before I was set to visit Alex raked his brain for restaurants in Richmond that served fantastic chicken tenders, but he could not think of anything. Finally he mentioned this “quest” to his mom and one of his brothers, Christopher, and together they decided on Ukrop’s Café, which is a café located in Martin’s (a local grocery store).
So when I arrived on Friday morning Alex informed me that they plan was to have chicken tenders from Ukrop’s Café for dinner, and I was totally on board with that plan. Since I got in around 9 am that morning, Alex thought it would be best if we had a relaxing day of shopping, relaxing by the pool, and just hanging out. After a stress-free afternoon we then headed to Ukrop’s for dinner. Just so y’all get a feel for the café let me set up how it works. You walk into Martin’s, go to the Ukrop’s Café hot food counter, order your meal that is put into a to-go box, then go to the register to pay, and then you can either take your meal home or sit in the dining area to enjoy it…I thought I would describe so y’all could get a feel for the dining experience at Ukrop’s Café.
Since Ukrop's Cafe is in Martin's (a local grocery store) I put a picture of the chicken here instead of the restaurant so you could see a tender's size.
Batter and crispiness: A
-The batter on the chicken tenders from Ukrop’s Café was delicious. It was light, crunch, and had lots of flavor. It also had just the right amount of seasoning on both the chicken meat and in the batter so that they complimented each other nicely.
Tenderness and juiciness of chicken: B+
-These tenders were quite tender and the chicken used was great quality. The only reason I gave this category a B+ was because the tenders were not as juicy as some of the other ones I have reviewed for this blog. However, if you do not eat chicken tenders on a regular basis (such as Alex who only eats them with me), then they will seem very juicy to you.
Portion size/presentation: A+
-This was easily the best portion size for the money of any chicken tender meal I have had since writing this blog. The café worker (I cannot come up with a better term for her) who gave us our food, was very generous with our portion sizes – Alex said they always give you a lot of food – gave us both some of the largest chicken tenders in the bunch and lots of potato wedges. I was definitely impressed.
As a side note, if you do not want potato wedges as your side Ukrop’s Café offers other side options such as macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, and potato salad.
Reheating: A
-This meal reheated very well. The chicken tenders tasted almost exactly like they did when I originally had them, only slightly soggier (which is to be expected).
Side: B
-First let me start with what I liked about the sides…the roll. I do not know if I have shared this with y’all, but I LOVE bread and I am very picky about breads, but the roll I had with my dinner was amazing! It was light and fluffy and just overall delicious (as I told Alex, I could have eaten 6 of those). I am not sure how best to explain it…you just have to try it for yourself. With that said, I was slightly disappointed with the other side, the potato wedges. For me they were a little hard and undercooked, but they were seasoned well. If I were scoring each of the sides individually I would have given the roll an A+ and the potato wedges a C+, so they balance out into a B in my book since the potato wedges are more substantial than the roll.
Description:
-Chicken tenders, one side and a roll. 3 pieces $3.99, 6-pieces $5.99
My wonderful and very filling meal from Ukrop's Cafe.
Overall I would give the chicken tenders at Ukrop’s Café a B+/A-. The meal was very filling (the 6-piece meal is definitely enough for 2 meals), the batter was great, and the price was phenomenal! The only negatives of the meal were the slightly undercooked potato wedges and I wish the chicken were a little more juicy. I never would have guessed eaten at Ukrop’s Café if Alex had not suggested it and I am glad that I did.
And there you have it, my review of the chicken tenders from Ukrop’s Café in Martin’s! If you are ever in the Richmond area you should definitely stop by Ukrop’s Café for some chicken tenders!
LB
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