Chicken, Lights, And Good Cheer

Tom was never a fan of themed things, but I am. This newsletter is holiday-themed because it’s the holidays and they’re not over until King’s Day. I’m holiday eating until then.

Because the Roosevelt Hotel had the Christmas decorations to which everyone aspired, until the modern era, no Christmas-themed publication should omit them. Especially when it can be tied to the fried chicken at the Fountain Lounge.

I remember when Carl’s Fried Chicken arrived on the scene 11 or 12 years ago. It was served in the Fountain Lounge which was fairly new itself. The service was family-style buffet and they just refilled whatever you wanted more of. I don’t remember the price but it was a deal.

I have been once or twice since then, once for a birthday dinner and then it was in the Sazerac Lounge, which I especially loved. I like the Fountain Lounge just fine, but it seems so generic to me. 

And because it was Christmas time and I wanted to revisit the decorations, I decided to have the fried chicken again. There was no way I’d get a table during the holidays and I didn’t want to do that anyway, so I walked in early, all alone, and sat at the bar. I must have looked unworthy because the very affable bartender did not even attempt to sell me cocktails. He was busy with people who were drinking, so I was glad to fly under the radar. In fact, he didn’t even ask about my drinking anything other than the water he kept filling in my glass, even before it emptied. I loved this treatment. I really liked this guy for many reasons, but mostly because he had an innate sense of his surroundings. He dropped in and out of the conversations, seeming to keep all of them simmering on a burner in his brain. He mentioned that he had worked at GW Fins, so I’d imagine you develop extra senses at a bar like that.

I have decided that I actually prefer dining alone, and I have had great luck in the last few outings, meeting people I genuinely enjoyed chatting with. If you are single and timid about this idea, try it. You may find a very interesting evening awaits.

Last night I met a woman waiting for her chicken who was from Reno, and we struck up a lengthy conversation after I mentioned my August trip to Tahoe. When she left a family from New York sat there, but they were missing one chair. We got into a conversation when I offered to move one down. They were so appreciative I had to wonder, doesn't everyone do that? And if not, why not? The conversation this simple gesture ignited lasted until I left, and I didn’t really want to leave.

The chicken was $24, not $32 as I was told on the phone. That was much better. It is no longer served as a family-style buffet, but as a single plate of four pieces with sides of coleslaw and red beans and rice, as well as a crumbly biscuit drizzled with honey. More chicken is $12. This was a fair price for what came to the table.

I love this chicken, and this idea. The place was filled, and most people seemed to be there for the chicken deal. What was most interesting was that most everyone there was staying in the hotel. I couldn’t determine it was the weather or the chicken that had them there.

The chicken was not as crispy as I remembered it, but all other elements I remembered were there. It was spicy but not too spicy. The biscuit was crumbly and the honey component was less pronounced that it had been. That’s a good thing to me, though I did appreciate the sweetness as a foil to the other elements of this meal.

The red beans were smoky and also quite spicy and too creamy for me. They had that Popeye’s characteristic, where bean definition is completely gone. These were not good enough to finish, though I could have. 

But the collection of these elements makes for a pleasing meal. I only wanted more coleslaw, because the portion size compared to the other sides was too small. And it was necessary to impart its sweetness as a foil to these spice levels. I love coleslaw wherever I see it, but I am not usually a fan of really sweet coleslaw. This one was an exception. I loved it.

It was wonderful to see how busy the hotel amd restaurant were. It was a cold evening and no one seemed deterred by that. Good cheer was everywhere, and it put a smile on my face just to be there.

As a native I remember the old decorations in the Roosevelt lobby, which were a holiday tradition in my family. The lobby was engulfed in (I guess?) cotton as fake snow. I remember when they were modernized and glamorized earlier in this century. 

At first it seemed an improvement, but now they seem boring. Fancy without heart. For a one-time visitor I guess this works, but for those of us who remember, it feels empty.