Crispy Fried Chicken
4919 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115
(619) 582-3938
As previously mentioned, a friend of mine had mentioned this place to me. What's the point of Crispy Fried Chicken for a vegetarian? The sides of course! I grew up in Richmond, Virginia which isn't geographically very southern, but culturally it's entrenched. My family often went down to North Carolina to visit friends and I have distinct memories of the BBQ there. I should mention that I'm a vegetarian for ethical and land usage reasons, not because I think "meat is icky." On the contrary, I think meat can be really tasty, but I choose to abstain for the same reason we humans abstain from going around shooting people in the face. No matter how much fun it is, it's just wrong.
Okay, enough soapboxing, time for the food. Kyla (the wife) and I definitely miss fried chicken and we lamented a bit about that while taking in the scents of the shop.
My friend had described this place as uber sketchy, but I want to tell you that it's not so bad. It's deep in the City Heights area and for some people that gives them the heebie jeebies, but I actually used to live in the area and it doesn't scare me much. The area of El Cajon Blvd. is dominated by Asian cuisine (predominantly Vietnamese, I think) and neon. Crispy Fried Chicken sticks out culturally and building-wise. It's a very well-lit (important for the area), non-descript place with lots of glass on the front. No bars or otherwise "paranoid" looking security measures. My friend mentioned that he saw someone sleeping in there once, and I was expecting it to be grubby and busy, but it was quite clean and very NOT busy. There were about 4 people that came in and out while we were waiting for our food. Upon entering, we were a bit surprised to find that the proprietors were actually Asian. Their English isn't amazing, but communication wasn't too hard. But honestly...this is Black food and 95% of the clientèle is Black... so where are the Black cooks? We have a strong Ethiopian contingent in San Diego, but beyond that, it's as if Black culture is wholly absent here and that makes me sad.
If you know of any other Black cuisine (Cajun or otherwise) actually MADE by African Americans please loop me in.
For the record, I will generally use the term "Black" rather than "African American." I'm sorry if that offends anyone but "African American" just feels too stuffy and artificially politically correct. I'm a "White" guy (I've never referred to myself as an "Anglo-American"). For some reason it's impossible to say there is a White culture...but there certainly is a "Black" culture. We White people are dry, boring and only have culture when broken down into historical, ethnic fragments (French, German, etc.) which many of us have completely lost touch with. So...my reasoning for using "Black" is because I associate it with a culture (and thus food) more than I associate "African American" with a culture. Sorry for the tangent...
On to the food: We got hush puppies, cole slaw, fried okra and mashed potatoes.
The mashed potatoes were the low point of the meal. They just didn't offer anything beyond what you might find at any diner (like Chicken Pie Shop, another story for another time). The okra was a bit small and dry but not bad. Battered and deep fried...just a bit skimpy. I'm betting that the okra was frozen...but then again it's not easy to find great okra in San Diego, so maybe I'm being a bit harsh. The cole slaw was top-notch. The ratio of mayo to vinegar was right on with a nice zing to it. Many places mess up cole slaw by leaving in big chunks of cabbage and making it way too mayo heavy. My only complaint is that the slaw was a bit too liquidy. You could drain off the extra "sauce" and be just fine. The hush puppies were the highlight for me. I really should have ordered a large side of them. They were extremely crispy on the outside. Think donut hole made of corn meal, and you pretty much have a hush puppy. I've had a bunch of types of hush puppies over the years and some are super sweet and others are very mealy and have a strong cornmeal taste which can be a bit bitter. These had a slightly bitter aftertaste, but weren't too sweet. They were a bit on the small side (hush puppies in Richmond are about golf ball size and these were more quarter-sized).
I have a lead on a couple other places for hush puppies so I'll provide more info as I hunt them down.
We spent $7 and it was enough to fill us up. The food is greasy (duh) so just expect it. This is an indulgence we won't often partake in, but now and then a little grease is a good thing...even for vegetarians.
4919 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115
(619) 582-3938
As previously mentioned, a friend of mine had mentioned this place to me. What's the point of Crispy Fried Chicken for a vegetarian? The sides of course! I grew up in Richmond, Virginia which isn't geographically very southern, but culturally it's entrenched. My family often went down to North Carolina to visit friends and I have distinct memories of the BBQ there. I should mention that I'm a vegetarian for ethical and land usage reasons, not because I think "meat is icky." On the contrary, I think meat can be really tasty, but I choose to abstain for the same reason we humans abstain from going around shooting people in the face. No matter how much fun it is, it's just wrong.
Okay, enough soapboxing, time for the food. Kyla (the wife) and I definitely miss fried chicken and we lamented a bit about that while taking in the scents of the shop.
My friend had described this place as uber sketchy, but I want to tell you that it's not so bad. It's deep in the City Heights area and for some people that gives them the heebie jeebies, but I actually used to live in the area and it doesn't scare me much. The area of El Cajon Blvd. is dominated by Asian cuisine (predominantly Vietnamese, I think) and neon. Crispy Fried Chicken sticks out culturally and building-wise. It's a very well-lit (important for the area), non-descript place with lots of glass on the front. No bars or otherwise "paranoid" looking security measures. My friend mentioned that he saw someone sleeping in there once, and I was expecting it to be grubby and busy, but it was quite clean and very NOT busy. There were about 4 people that came in and out while we were waiting for our food. Upon entering, we were a bit surprised to find that the proprietors were actually Asian. Their English isn't amazing, but communication wasn't too hard. But honestly...this is Black food and 95% of the clientèle is Black... so where are the Black cooks? We have a strong Ethiopian contingent in San Diego, but beyond that, it's as if Black culture is wholly absent here and that makes me sad.
If you know of any other Black cuisine (Cajun or otherwise) actually MADE by African Americans please loop me in.
For the record, I will generally use the term "Black" rather than "African American." I'm sorry if that offends anyone but "African American" just feels too stuffy and artificially politically correct. I'm a "White" guy (I've never referred to myself as an "Anglo-American"). For some reason it's impossible to say there is a White culture...but there certainly is a "Black" culture. We White people are dry, boring and only have culture when broken down into historical, ethnic fragments (French, German, etc.) which many of us have completely lost touch with. So...my reasoning for using "Black" is because I associate it with a culture (and thus food) more than I associate "African American" with a culture. Sorry for the tangent...
On to the food: We got hush puppies, cole slaw, fried okra and mashed potatoes.
The mashed potatoes were the low point of the meal. They just didn't offer anything beyond what you might find at any diner (like Chicken Pie Shop, another story for another time). The okra was a bit small and dry but not bad. Battered and deep fried...just a bit skimpy. I'm betting that the okra was frozen...but then again it's not easy to find great okra in San Diego, so maybe I'm being a bit harsh. The cole slaw was top-notch. The ratio of mayo to vinegar was right on with a nice zing to it. Many places mess up cole slaw by leaving in big chunks of cabbage and making it way too mayo heavy. My only complaint is that the slaw was a bit too liquidy. You could drain off the extra "sauce" and be just fine. The hush puppies were the highlight for me. I really should have ordered a large side of them. They were extremely crispy on the outside. Think donut hole made of corn meal, and you pretty much have a hush puppy. I've had a bunch of types of hush puppies over the years and some are super sweet and others are very mealy and have a strong cornmeal taste which can be a bit bitter. These had a slightly bitter aftertaste, but weren't too sweet. They were a bit on the small side (hush puppies in Richmond are about golf ball size and these were more quarter-sized).
I have a lead on a couple other places for hush puppies so I'll provide more info as I hunt them down.
We spent $7 and it was enough to fill us up. The food is greasy (duh) so just expect it. This is an indulgence we won't often partake in, but now and then a little grease is a good thing...even for vegetarians.
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1 comment:
Hi,
For black owned and operated restaurants in San Diego
There's Batter Up! in Market Creek Plaza and Fix Me a Plate Cafe in La Mesa. There's also Huffman's BBQ on Imperial Ave and Croom's BBQ on the corner of H and Broadway in Chula Vista. Hope this helps.
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