Mini-review:LQ Chicken Shack
1856 W. North Ave. 773-772-5500
Rating: !! (out of 4) Give it some time
Though it's tough to resist his sassy mustache, my idea of a good time in a bucket doesn't involve the Colonel. In the interest of serving up a classier option for takeout bird, LQ Chicken Shack-which lives inside Lillie's Q in Bucktown-opened up shop late last month. I stopped by to see if this new option from chef/owner Charlie McKenna is worth crowing about.
Take flight: Unlike fellow fried-chicken sandwich resto Leghorn, which opened earlier this year, LQ Chicken is solely a takeout joint. Diners can call ahead or order from the tiny takeout window on the western side of the building, which the friendly cashier who popped her head out termed her "coop." McKenna said he has no plans to place any seating around the window-there's just no room. But fortunately, as he said, "chicken is great as a takeout window." My date and I placed our order and waited like, well, chickenhawks for our meal to appear, which only took about 15 minutes.
The bird: LQ Chicken's namesake dish comes two ways: as thighs, breasts and legs with a side of tupelo honey ($11-$25) or as the Shack Chicken sandwich ($7). The former option, battered in flour, seasoning and buttermilk, has been on Lillie's Q's menu almost since the dawn of the restaurant, McKenna said. But his team had to get creative."Back when the restaurant first opened, we wanted to put fried chicken on the menu, but we only had one fryer and couldn't drop the temperature down to fry the chicken raw," he said. Thus, his birds are smoked before hitting the fryer.The results are fine, but not outstanding. Moisture trapped against the meat created an unpleasant, tacky layer that made the batter flake off in chunks, and I found myself missing the satisfying crunch that comes with a well-fried bird. The pounded-out breast meat fared much better in sandwich form, though the bottom of the plain burger bun failed to hold up against a layer of pickles.All chicken orders come with your choice of three LQ barbecue sauces. While the Carolina Gold usually is my fave, it didn't pop quite enough against fried fare. Stick with the Smoky or Hot Smoky sauces, depending on how zesty you like things.
The sides: My date claimed not to be a grits fan-excellent, more for me. I scarfed down the creamy, bacon-topped goodness before turning to the roasted potato salad ($5 each). McKenna told me the recipe features bacon, whole-grain mustard and rosemary, but my date swore it was swimming in ginger. The strange flavor was so overpowering that we couldn't get through more than two bites before shoving it away. A real crime, however, would be to mess up the biscuits ($2). No worries about that here. LQ opts for cakey biscuits rather than flaky, and I felt much like a carb-addled Winnie the Pooh after topping mine with both honey and honey butter. This would have been an excellent vehicle for the chicken sandwich.The winner for the most aesthetically strange? The Kool-Aid Pickle (50 cents each), which, if you've never seen one, is bright red. Sweeter than even the sweetest of sweet pickles, the spears were nicely balanced with an underlying tangy spike.
The carton: Instead of a paper bag, my LQ Chicken order came in an adorable carton with a handle. It was so enchanting that I almost didn't notice that utensils and napkins weren't included-until I tried digging into those grits at a nearby bar. Fortunately the bartender kept a box of plastic spoons behind the counter, but I would've been out of luck on an outdoor picnic.
The bottom line: LQ Chicken Shack has some tasty touches, but with so many fried chicken options popping up around town, the concept needs some tweaking to stand a chance at keeping up with the competition.
RedEye reporters visit restaurants unannounced and meals are paid for by RedEye. damoran@tribune.com | @redeyedana
