Divine Chicken Biscuits At Jacobs Pickles

Moving to Harlem makes you visit neighborhoods you never would ordinarily.

Like the Upper West Side.  (I saw you cringe.  I know how you feel.)

Historically, the UWS had to be the furthest place in the whole world from Brooklyn.  I never wanted to go there.  So I never went there.  But now I must admit it is my greatest neighbor, because I found a new fried chicken friend in the area !

Outdoor seating can be a bit brutal on a bright day (no umbrellas or awnings for relief), but that's what the glorious root beer floats are for.  Jacob's Pickles has three root beers on tap.  I can attest that New York's own Saranac is a creamy, smooth choice.

I love that it comes with a small jar of root beer on the side that you can keep refilling the tall, bubbly glass jam-packed with vanilla ice cream.

Jacob's namesake pickles appears all over the menu, but notably as a fried appetizer.  Thickly cut spears are dredged in cornmeal batter, reminiscent of a delectable corn dog from the State Fair.  They were crunchy and good, but we wished the pickles were cut smaller to increase the batter to pickle ratio (a critical formula in the enjoyment of life).

The honey chicken and pickles biscuit sandwich is piled high with hot sour pickle slices.  The buttermilk fried chicken is sweetened by clover honey, culminating in that ultimate sweet, sour, and savory combination.

The chicken, bacon, egg and cheese is truly the pinnacle of perfect biscuit sandwiches though.

The fried chicken is crunchy and addictively spicy with a layer of generous scarlet seasoning below the crust, the bacon thick, chewy and crisp, and bits of Vermont white cheddar adds tang to the whole beautiful shibang. 

 The biscuit is crumbly and tender - impossible to hold as a sandwich, but thankfully not too rich as the chicken is a flavor fiend all in itself!

Note: the plate also comes with a bowl of decent, but fairly unremarkable grits, but who really cares, because you'll most likely be more focused on this.

I cleaned up my plate. I ate the chicken off the boy's plate also.  I love this chicken. It's one of my new favorites. I can't believe it's on the UWS.  Life is so good!

Han's Nonsensical Rating: The chicken is spectacularly spicy, the service friendly, and the root beer floats perfection.  

Jacob's Pickles
509 Amsterdam
New York, NY