Lili's Diner

Fried Chicken

My lunch pal was a little ticked off at me for taking her a place that served fried chicken. She was poweless against its allure. When we ordered, the server told us that it would take a little longer because the chicken is fried to order. It was not a problem because a) we were in no huge hurry and b) we had those onion rings coming. When the chicken did arrive, my lunch pal burst out laughing. There was a tremendous amount of food on her plate. In addition to the gigantic three-piece fried chicken show-stopper, her meal came with choice of potato (she chose mashed with a white gravy), green beans and a side salad. She barely made it through.

But that of course, is what takeout boxes are for. She took a perfunctory bite of the side salad just to say she ate a vegetable that wasn't cooked with pork (as the green beans were) and then tucked in to everything else to the best of her ability, post-onion ring binge. She ate the thigh piece and took the wing and breast home, reporting back later that they made incredible leftovers. Her verdict on the chicken was that it tasted homemade -- it was nicely seasoned and was akin to something you'd get at a family picnic and not at a restaurant that churns out a lot of fried chicken in a given day.

Like the chilaquiles, this was an unreal amount of food for $6.99 -- and according to her report the next morning, it may have actually improved as leftovers.