Nice Pair

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Rick Nichols, our beloved hometown food columnist, called this the  “No. 1” fried chicken in Philly. 

When the plate landed on my table at Adsum Restaurant, I was staring at [what I thought was] a huge asymmetric pair of well endowed breasts sitting on a mount of collard greens, guarded by a piece of corn bread sitting in the corner.

The aroma was intoxicating. The first bite into the chicken was rewarded with an orgasmic reward of a super crunchy thick crust followed by the deliciousness of the white meat. For what I thought was another piece of breast was indeed a piece of tight meat. The extra thick super crunchy coating on the pieces had me mistaken them as the same variety. According to Mr. Nichols, the scientific–centric Chef Levin first cooked the chicken pieces sous vide; 16 hours for the breast, 24 for the thigh; before frying them with his special blend of coating for that extra crispiness. While this Lancaster County chicken was delicious and sweet, I did think that the breast meat could have a bit more moisture. The thigh on the other hand was just perfectly moist, tender, and addicting with each bite of the meat accompanied by the crackle of the crust.

The mound of collard greens hidden underneath the meat was excellent. It was not bitter but instead had a slight honey and spicy trace, with a nice textural integrity. The cornbread sitting on the side had nice touches of sweetness and corn essence. It was not greasy but very nicely crumbly. Like pulling a brick at the bottom of a pile, the bread fell into piles of crumbles when I tried to pull a small piece out. It tasted good but was a mess to eat. The hot sauce drizzled on the plate had clues of Sriracha, mustard and vinegar. It was a perfect condiment to the golden color crust, the deep green collard greens, and a perfect antidote to the sweetness of the cornbread. A simple addition of this extra flavor opened up the dish to a whole different dimension.

The chicken was definitely the star of the dish. However, the supporting cast of the collards, the bread, and the hot sauce also played a big role in making this a successful $18.00 production. While I would not dispute Mr. Nichols’ claim of this chicken’s superiority, I do have to admit there are others in this city also worthy of the same claim.

Side note: The Name ‘Unholy Water” on the drink menu caught my fascination. While this cocktail of blanco tequila, smoked blackberry balsamic syrup, fresh lemon, house made ginger beer, and mescal was delightful and refreshing; I’d stay with a beer for my next fried chicken meal.

www.adsumrestaurant.com

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