For the past couple of months, Jason and I have been speculating about the Popeye's which has been on the verge of opening for some time. Those of you from the south or midwest might be more familiar with this chain, but I've only ever seen a few in California. Last night we weren't going to be able to have dinner until pretty late in the evening, and so when Jason mentioned that they had, finally, opened, we decided to give it a try.
Like most farmer's market loving, slow-food advocating, food-destination vacationing foodies, my fast food intake is pretty minimal. Jason and I both like cooking, and we like supporting small businesses, so it's rare for us to bother. Of course, if we had an In n' Out just a little bit closer to us, things might be different -- but In n' Out isn't a franchise and actually cooks everything from fresh, so I am of the opinion that it "doesn't count" as fast food, especially if I'm in the mood for a double-double with grilled onions. I also harbor a dark secret -- I kind of like Taco Bell. Not as a regular thing, mind you, and most of their menu I wouldn't feed to my dog, but for some reason if I'm on a long road trip I start to get hungry for taco supremes. Also, my friend Ingrid and I both had Taco Bell cravings while pregnant.
Anyhow, back to Popeye's. (Or is it just "Popeyes," no apostrophe?) We decided to try it in part because Jason's rare fast food indulgence tends to be KFC, and we were interested in seeing how it compared. My feeling was that, as far as fast food goes, Popeye's fried chicken is actually pretty decent. Not as good as In n' Out, of course, but certainly better than the stuff at KFC. Jason ordered the spicy fried chicken, and while the spice provided mild to medium heat (I'm a weenie when it comes to spicy food) with little complexity, the crunchiness of the chicken really appealed to me. The chicken at that other place tends to turn soggy with grease the second it starts to cool down, but this chicken was not visibly greasy at all (a sign that whatever crazy machines are frying the chicken are at least doing it correctly -- if fried food is greasy, it means it's been done wrong) and was noisily crisp.
Jason also ordered a side of mashed potatoes with something called "cajun gravy," presumably a reference to the chain's New Orleans beginnings, but it tasted like ass and I don't recommend it. All fast food gravy is way too salty, and this was also just...gross. Unidentifiable chunks of stuff floated in it, and it was spicy-hot without having any actual good spice flavour. Nasty. The biscuits were essentially the same as KFC biscuits as far as I can tell.
Overall, not the worst fast-food experience ever. Maybe we'll try it again in another year or so. What about you -- what's the worst fast-food item you've ever eaten? Is there anything on a fast food menu you're ashamed to say you love?