Royals Hot Chicken

[Robin Garr]

I can't confirm as accurate but was told by a manager of Joela's that they use a locally sourced chicken. Maybe someone else can confirm where it comes from.

Tony told me that it's Kentucky Proud, and I believe him. Based on our experience there, it was good, but the particular one we had didn't appear to be a free-range bird. Soft textured, and thigh and wing were both the same pale color under the crust.

I already gave Royals props for this on Twitter, but want to do it again here.....THANK YOU for including vegetarian options at BOTH of your fine establishments. Thank you for making this vegetarian feel like more than an annoying afterthought. While I haven't made it to Royals yet, looking at the menu and seeing organic, deep fried tofu as well as a menagerie of interesting sides makes me very excited to come try it out. I love Feast and I have no doubt that I will love Royals as well. Seeing this from a BBQ and a chicken joint makes me think of all of the "fancier" new restaurants in town who relegate their veggie options to yet another pasta dish, the ever-popular mushroom that folks rarely know how to prepare properly, or the "privilege" of paying $18 for a spring mix salad and a side of macaroni. Vegetables are good and versatile - even when they don't involve pork.

I already gave Royals props for this on Twitter, but want to do it again here.....THANK YOU for including vegetarian options at BOTH of your fine establishments. Thank you for making this vegetarian feel like more than an annoying afterthought. While I haven't made it to Royals yet, looking at the menu and seeing organic, deep fried tofu as well as a menagerie of interesting sides makes me very excited to come try it out. I love Feast and I have no doubt that I will love Royals as well. Seeing this from a BBQ and a chicken joint makes me think of all of the "fancier" new restaurants in town who relegate their veggie options to yet another pasta dish, the ever-popular mushroom that folks rarely know how to prepare properly, or the "privilege" of paying $18 for a spring mix salad and a side of macaroni. Vegetables are good and versatile - even when they don't involve pork.

Well stated!
I will add that there is also a multiplier effect. When I go out with my wife or with multiple guests I normally veto any suggestion that has sub-par vegetarian options. I feel the same way about an ill-thought pasta, ratatouille, veggie burger,stuffed portobello mushroom, or veggie sandwich. Feast really raised the bar at places previously thought non-vegetarian friendly with their tofu bbq! The stuff is seriously good, not to mention their nice sides.

If it's grown, raised or processed in Kentucky, chances are it qualifies to be Kentucky Proud.

http://www.kyproud.com/why-buy-ky-proud.html

After reading this, KY Proud doesn't mean much to me.

As a native Nashvillian, The first time I ever had hot chicken was back in the 90s at a place that no longer exists called Mr. Boo's that grew their own secret hybrid pepper. I remember my dad taking us to Lorrie Morgan's place, too. Prince's was and is the gold standard, but these days I really like 400 degrees, partly because it seems more open and accessible than Prince's, which is often either closed or a madhouse with a 45-minute wait. I am glad Hattie B's is successful (the line was huge last time I was in Nashville) but I don't like their chicken quite as much as at the first two. (NB: I've eaten at Bolton's a bunch but have only ever gotten he fish.) Overall it's nice to see people enjoying a uniquely Nashville thing. It is also interesting to see how they scale up a food that typically takes like thirty minutes to make.

We went to Royals last week, and I liked it a lot. Solid crunch, and it had obviously not been long out of the fryer, since the breast was too hot to fully pick apart with my fingers -- all as it should be. I got a hot plus some great cheese grits, which were sharp and creamy. The spice paste was pretty thick and had some interesting sweet flavors which I wasn't expecting but I liked.

The heat level was a bit less intense than a Prince's medium, which is my standard order there. I found this slightly bothersome, but the crunch and flavor made up for it. My wife got a medium, which wasn't particularly spicy (which was good bc she didn't want it spicy) but still had a substantial layer of spice paste for flavor. I am pretty sure that when you get the mild at Nashville chicken places you just get normal fried chicken, so this is an interesting innovation (I have never gotten mild, so I'm not sure on that point.) I guess my only quibble would be that the spice paste on my hot was pretty thick and can be a little distracting, and that it wasn't quite hot enough. I will have to go back and try the extra hot. Oh, and the place looks nice. I imagine keeping tables neat has got be rough at a hot chicken place that's has a mostly white color scheme. They might consider a public sink the way crawdad places often do...

Incidentally, I went to Joella's a few weeks ago and was disappointed by soggy breading and low heat for the hot level, but am willing to go back to try the extra hot if they're doing a better job cooking it crispy. If not, I think it's a pale imitation.

Overall, neither of the new hot chicken places are quite at the level of Prince's or 400 degrees IMO, but Royals is hitting closer to the standard while also being more successfully innovative to this aficionado. I will withhold final judgment until I try the extra hot at both places. It is certainly nice to have a solid option for hot chicken without having to drive 3 hours and then wait 45 minutes on top of that -- no doubt Wendell Berry would approve.

As a native Nashvillian, The first time I ever had hot chicken ...

Born and raised in Louisville most of my life, I moved to Nashville a few years ago and fell in love with hot chicken. I must say that the hot chicken craze that is spreading to other states is slightly annoying - mostly because I know it can't hold up to the real thing. Like you, I am a huge fan of both Princes and 400 Degrees, and not so much Hattie B's. My boyfriend and I visited Louisville for the holidays and were very weary about trying Joella's. Maybe next time we are in, we may try Royals, but won't be banking on that hot flavor we are so used to down here. Louisville has Nashville beat hands down when it comes to food, that's why I miss living there, but Hot Chicken is the one thing that is...well, it's a Nashville thing!

I already gave Royals props for this on Twitter, but want to do it again here.....THANK YOU for including vegetarian options at BOTH of your fine establishments. Thank you for making this vegetarian feel like more than an annoying afterthought. While I haven't made it to Royals yet, looking at the menu and seeing organic, deep fried tofu as well as a menagerie of interesting sides makes me very excited to come try it out. I love Feast and I have no doubt that I will love Royals as well. Seeing this from a BBQ and a chicken joint makes me think of all of the "fancier" new restaurants in town who relegate their veggie options to yet another pasta dish, the ever-popular mushroom that folks rarely know how to prepare properly, or the "privilege" of paying $18 for a spring mix salad and a side of macaroni. Vegetables are good and versatile - even when they don't involve pork.

+1

Justine, interesting to hear a native Louisvillian's perspective on the Nashville food scene. The only thing I really miss from Nashville is the meat and three places like Arnold's and Wendell Smith's. Franco's is good, but the vegetables are definitely a step down. There's a Laotian place called King Market I miss pretty bad, too -- nothing quite like it here. Granted I haven't tried many of the hip new places besides Husk (which I loved), so not sure how that compares overall.

I tried to go back to Royals to try the extra hot, but the line was 20 people deep on a Thursday at 11:30, so I left. I have a feeling the extra hot is going to be closer to what I want from a hot chicken experience.

[Robin Garr]

I have a feeling the extra hot is going to be closer to what I want from a hot chicken experience.

Yeah, the hot was good but not really all that hot. The guy at the checkout tried to warn me that hot means hot, but it certainly wasn't over the top.

I don't think I'm going to go for the Gonzo, though. Anybody here up to try that?

I don't think I'm going to go for the Gonzo, though. Anybody here up to try that?

I had it at the fried chicken throwdown thing they did on the river. They were there, Joella's, Milkwood, blah blah blah. I got the Gonzo. Let's just say get water beforehand. Just don't wipe your brow or nose with your hand while you're eating, because it's like being pepper-sprayed.

I loved it.

[Robin Garr]

... it's like being pepper-sprayed.

I loved it.

The hot at Prince's goes beyond the point where I taste the flavor. At that point it is more like an endurance gimmick as opposed to a delicious food experience. I can see why a person might do it, but not why they would pay $10 for it when you can torment yourself at home with ghost peppers for way cheaper. Obviously everyone is calibrated differently. Anyway, for me, Prince's medium is right at that sweet spot, so I'm hoping the Royals extra hot is in that zone as well. Looking forward to getting back there!

Went there early last night ahead of the (sort of) storm. Only a few others were there, got my chicken rather quickly and the clear difference from Joella's is a great crunchy texture. I ordered the hot and it was, not overly, and extremely tasty. The wedges on the side just okay -- a standard "spicy" seasoning and pretty filling. I'd recommend a cooler side, perhaps the slaw, which I'll try next time. The portion was generous and I'll surely go back. Both places have quality food and value, need to order more to adequately compare the two.

Both places have what is, ultimately, a soggy-ish piece of bread beneath the chicken. Is there a point to it? Is it a part of the "Nashville" style? Either way, I sidestepped it in both places. If they insist on offering bread, I'd prefer a KFC-style biscuit on the side.

Went there early last night ahead of the (sort of) storm. Only a few others were there, got my chicken rather quickly and the clear difference from Joella's is a great crunchy texture. I ordered the hot and it was, not overly, and extremely tasty. The wedges on the side just okay -- a standard "spicy" seasoning and pretty filling. I'd recommend a cooler side, perhaps the slaw, which I'll try next time. The portion was generous and I'll surely go back. Both places have quality food and value, need to order more to adequately compare the two.

Both places have what is, ultimately, a soggy-ish piece of bread beneath the chicken. Is there a point to it? Is it a part of the "Nashville" style? Either way, I sidestepped it in both places. If they insist on offering bread, I'd prefer a KFC-style biscuit on the side.

Hi Silvio, thank you for making it in and for the positive words. Ultimately lots of people have different opinions on what they perceive as hot. With hot chicken in the name of the restaurant we were worried that a lot of people would order the chicken hot and it would be too hot for many of the consumers that think they enjoy spicy foods (read: eat the Spicy McChicken Sandwich and think there's even a discernible amount of heat) so we tested the varying levels of heat with the clientele at Feast BBQ over the summer (and at a few tasting events) and altered the levels based on the feedback we received. I find the hot heat level a little below my preference for hot as well.
The sliced white bread served underneath the chicken (and the pickles on top) is the way that it is served at every hot chicken restaurant in Nashville and on a personal note it is potentially my favorite part of the meal. The almost faintly sweet sliced white bread soaks up all of the excess spicy chile paste/oil, chicken fat that has melted off, and crunchy bits that have fallen off the fried chicken. I find it to be an extremely decadent treat.

Very cool -- thanks for the informative response! I will not neglect the bread next time, and will add a milkshake too.

FYI, the positive reviews keep pouring in, this one from Kevin Gibson, posted this morning.
http://insiderlouisville.com/lifestyle_ ... lle-proud/