Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(
Memphis International (65 miles/
105km).
L
$$
Oliver-Britt House Inn,
512 Van
Buren Ave., Oxford (
&
662/234-8043;
www.
oliverbritthouse.com). $
Comfort Inn,
1808 Jackson Ave. S., Oxford (
&
662/234-
6000;
www.comfortinns.com).
cups of various anonymous beverages.
Draw your own conclusions.
4 County Rd., 338 # A (
&
662/236-
1716;
www.taylorgrocery.com).
Hometown Dish
206
Nashville Hot Chicken
Feel the Burn
Nashville, Tennessee
Fried chicken? Strictly for wimps if you're a
Nashville hot chicken addict. And addict-
ing it can be—that all-hell-breaks-loose
kick and I'm-still-here afterburn of such
supremely spicy bird. It's not a question of
slathering on hot sauce, as with hot wings,
or even of throwing pepper into the bat-
ter, but of seasoning the bird deeply
before it's fried, so the spiciness goes all
the way to the bone. (Of course, the
orange-tinted dark crust is fiery as well—
why stop now?) Done right—which includes
being fried in a cast-iron skillet—the
chicken meat is still juicy and tender. The
whole experience is a sensory roller
coaster ride, and for certain culinary thrill
seekers, it's irresistible.
The premier place to get it, without a
doubt, is
Prince's Hot Chicken,
a funky
spot on the north end of town, with a
hand-painted glass front, a few wooden
booths, garish turquoise walls, worn
checkered linoleum on the floor, and a
rickety-looking wooden counter. You can
order your chicken—ask for either a breast
quarter, a leg quarter, or a half—in four
levels of hotness: Even the so-called mild
can clear your sinuses, medium will make
you break out in a sweat, and hot evokes
visions of Vesuvius. You really need weeks
of conditioning before trying the extra-
hot—even hot-sauce junkies will admit
that their mouths aren't asbestos-coated
enough for the extra-hot.
Be forewarned:
Service can be rude, the place is dirty, it's
in a sketchy part of town, and you'll have
to wait up to 45 minutes at busy times for
your food. Oh, and they don't serve drinks
(though there is a vending machine). For
hot-chicken addicts, of course, all of that
only whets the appetite.
Despite the many other hot chicken
joints in town, aficionados claim that only
Bolton's Spicy Chicken & Fish
can com-
pete with Prince's. Closer to the center of
town, in a gray cinder block shack in East
Nashville, Bolton's is mostly a takeout
place—there are just a couple of tables in
the tiny pink-walled “dining room”—but
the service is friendlier than at Prince's
and you won't have to wait so long for
your food. Bolton's doesn't go quite as far
up the heat index as Prince's does, but
crunch through the spicy-enough crust
and you'll find the interior chicken meat
richly flavored. What's more, you can also
try a filet of catfish spiced up the same
way. Bolton's has a bigger choice of side
dishes, including some excellent greens,
mac-and-cheese, and cornbread.
Prince's is closed Sunday and Monday;
Bolton's is closed Mondays.
Prince's Hot Chicken Shack,
123
Ewing Dr. (
&
615/226-9442
).
Bolton's
Spicy Chicken & Fish,
624 Main St.
(
&
615/254-8015
).
