My mind and body are in conflict a lot. Whenever my body does something remotely related to fitness, my mind immediately counteracts with, "Let's EAT SOMETHING FUN!"
And so, after my swim class on Tuesday, I found myself walking with my chlorine-tinged hair to Chelsea Market to check out ?uestlove's fried chicken at Hybird.
The chicken is a bit expensive ($4/drumstick), but it is double-dredged in proprietary herbs and spices and freshly fried.
The chicken was luminously golden and freakishly hot.
Digging in with a fork, I found some of the most succulent chicken (glistening!) under a very thick shell of crunchy crust. The proprietary herbs and spices is faint, at best, but the chicken is still fairly flavorful, and the golden shell a crust-lover's dream. I almost got tired of eating all the crust (almost!), and found the whole meal surprisingly enjoyable.
And...while waiting for my chicken to cook, I moseyed across the way to Los Tacos No. 1, a California / Tijuana-inspired Mexican spot, and nabbed a carne asada quesadilla "con todo."
The operation is interesting here. Place your order at the register, then take your receipt and stand in line at the counter to the left where you hand your ticket to the cook to prepare your dish to order. Don't expect for them to call our your number like I did (oops!).
My quesadilla (made on choice of corn or flour) was actually a tortilla griddled with cheese, then topped taco-style with meat, guacamole, raw onions and salsa.
The result was a sexy, sexy affair - crispy melty cheese, creamy guacamole, and oh ! fresh cilantro ! to brighten the spice and the well-marinated beef. Quesadilla seems like a misnomer because it is so much more than that. It's breathtaking. I love you.
Han's Nonsensical Rating: Hybird has pretty good (but pretty expensive) fried chicken. For the same $4 for a single drumstick, I would much prefer that gorgeous quesadilla from Los Tacos No. 1. Con todo all the way ! (But get both for $8, and it's a fun meal!)
Chelsea Market
75 9th Ave
New York, NY
I could get behind a $2 chicken leg, but $4 is just way overpriced. I didn't go that day, was it really busy?
ReplyDeletequite busy (which is why they were depleted of nearly every menu item). $4 is very steep - i am hoping they have $2 days more often !
Deletei am enamored by the cute hybird to go boxes!
ReplyDelete