Fried chicken. One of my favorite flavors of feelings. I'm always on the hunt for crispy skin and juicy meat (quote pulled from Jeffrey Dahmer's Tinder profile) as well as delicious, non-vegan, full fat, clog-my-arteries-style delicious Southern flavors. Honey Butter Fried Chicken is where I go to quench my Meat Thirst™.
Photo Credit: Internetz
SPOT: HBFC is in Avondale which is between Roscoe Village and the northern-most part of the Logan area. Translation: near absolutely nothing. There is however a shopping center with a Target and a Mariano's right across the street in case you'd like to take your chicken to go and ugly cry in your SUV while a teenager corrals carts (Sorry, kid. Sometimes mama gets sad about nothing and everything all at once and needs to shove her face full of fried food in the parking lot. You'll understand when you're older.).
Photo Credit: A Goog search with 4 typos
If you're feeling a little more optimistic than that and you aren't actively sobbing, they'll let you stay in the restaurant! The room is rather small and has enough seating for ~30 people if I had to guess. The layout isn't great: it’s super angular and cramped. You order at the counter and then sit, so the line can easily spill into the seating area. It's ‘cozy’ during peak hours.**
**UPDATE: They recently rearranged the front room so it’s slightly more streamlined and comfortable. I’d like to think they read this review and changed EVERYTHING. You’re welcome, guys.
It's sparsely decorated, which I always love in a restaurant. I love a place that doesn't need to drown the walls in flair to distract from how bland the food is. I don't need vanity license plates or framed black and white photos of sports teams to make me enjoy this chicken.
There's also a fenced-in back patio that's about the same size as the indoor dining area that would be perfect on a cool summer night.
VIBES: After having written a few of these posts, it's become clear to me that I like places in which the staff feel completely neutral about the customers' existence. It's a transaction: I tell you what items I would like to acquire with my American dollars, you tell me how many dollars are required, and then I'll eat said items. I don't need you to compliment my shirt or ask about my day, I'm here to eat with my hands, and I'd love to have as little human interaction as possible. I can see how this wouldn't be everyone's cup of gin, but it's mine for sure.
GRUB: Listen. This chicken is delicious. It's easy. It's agreeable. It's that person who shows up to the party after you were sure they weren't gonna show, and they brought pizza. The exterior is crispy and flavorful, and the meat is juicy and delicious. You can go the traditional legs and thighs way, but if you're looking to eat those feelings without a choking hazard, might I recommend the tenders. The chicken comes with your choice of sauce, of which I've tried the signature honey butter and BBQ sauce. The honey butter is sweet and rich. The BBQ sauce tastes like a mix of Bullseye and Sweet Baby Ray's, and I’m not at all mad at that.
Photo Credit: My shitty iPhone
While the chicken is delicious, what I really find myself craving is the sides. The schmaltz smashed potatoes are just lumpy enough with just enough skin and the chicken gravy is just... it's so good. A quality potato dish (as stated on my dating profile). The biscuits are like a hybrid of cornbread and biscuit, both dense AND fluffy with a sweet, earthy flavor. Wow, I hate myself for writing that. They're just biscuits, ok? Don't be weird about it.
Then there's the mac & cheese. First of all, let me start by saying that pimento cheese freaks me out. I've avoided it for most of my adult life because that's what I do with things that scare me. But this pimento mac & cheese... I have dreams about it. I miss it when it's gone. It's as orange as Snooki from season 1 of Jersey Shore. The fusilli noodle is the perfect vehicle for the creamy, sharp mix of pimento and Wisconsin cheddar, ensuring that each bite is packed full of flavor. And every mac & cheese should be topped with breadcrumbs. The touch of crunch makes me forget about the time I fell down the stairs the Clark and Lake redline stop and two homeless guys had to help me up because my ankle got caught under a stair. But only for a moment.
FUN SHIT: They have only fancy sodas at the fountain station. Artisanal sodas for the fancy boy you are. Also, Honey Butter sources as many ingredients as possible locally. Their chicken is antibiotic-free and organic sourced from an Amish farm in Indiana. I can't help but imagine the chickens in wide-brimmed hats and long beards. Also, they have brunch!
FEELINGS INGESTED: Again, I'd like to apologize to who I'll call Luke who was just trying to pull carts from the lot before he got off of his 6-hour shift at the shittiest Mariano's in the city. I didn't mean to frighten you, but sometimes a lady needs to blast Adele and eat macaroni in her SUV.
Jk, I'd never eat a salad.
OVERALL: If you're looking for quality fried chicken, classic Southern sides with a twist and indifferent waitstaff, I highly recommend Honey Butter Fried Chicken. #MeatThirstQuenched
Please note that I am in no way a qualified food critic. I'm picky and boring and really like cheeseburgers. Take my opinions with several grains of sea salt.