Two things: Fried Chicken + Champagne. Yeah, that’s right why not pair these two bad boys together and call it dinner? Champagne isn’t too good for anyone and Chef Sarah Simmons, owner of City Grit, makes this clear with her southern menu and about 15 bottles of champagne to choose from. The restaurant descends down into the ground and separates into two different rooms that are quite small and narrow. There is an outdoor patio that will be nice for fall and summer weather as well. The cozy blue booths allow you to get all cozy with your fried chicken dinner and the music is really great. Remix to Ignition by R Kelly was a real crowd pleaser an nostalgic – just like our Southern meal. We started off with the Fried Pimento Cheese Balls, and let me tell you that these little nuggets are balls of joy. Smooth, cheesy, crunchy and delicious. The Tomato Pie is great if you are just looking to throw bread in your mouth. There aren’t many tomatoes, so I’d hold off and wait for the biscuits. One thing I love about Birds & Bubbles is the portion sizes. When you are eating heavy soul food like fried chicken, grits, mac ‘n cheese, it’s nice to not have an overwhelming portion starting back at you. They provide just enough food for you here so that you don’t make yourself sick, and it isn’t dripping with butter or cream – at least that you can see – ha. The Shrimp & Grits is a small plate, easily shareable, and has close to 10 shrimp placed atop a pillow of addicting grits. Let this be your pre-game before the chicken.
Fried Pimento Cheese
While they do offer a cute “Splitty-Split” which is 1/2 chicken and split of champagne for $55, it’s a much better deal to go all the way for the “Winner Winner Chicken Dinner.” Seriously, thank goodness they have this on the menu. It’s a Whole Chicken with your choice of 3 sides and a bread basket for $60. That’s only $15 a pop for 4 people. Man I love this option. The Fried Chicken is perfect. The skin is just the right amount of crisp and like Root & Bone’s, it is not greasy, drippy or wet. The white meat is perfectly tender with just the right amount of juice and the skin easily peels off. Is it better than Root & Bone? I can’t say yes or no because they lemon seasoning at Root & Bone is unbeatable but the chicken here at Birds & Bubbles is exactly my kind of fried chicken.
Skip the Green Bean Casserole which did nothing fancy for me. Do go for the Summer Slaw to get some citrusy flavor up in there. Thank goodness their mac ‘n cheese is legit or that would really make for a sad story ending. It compliments the meal especially with the crackling bread crumbs on top. I really couldn’t have asked for anything more out of this mac. I loved that it wasn’t too rich and mixed with a million different cheeses. It was just downright home cooking. The biscuits killed me with their buttery, fluffy gluten-ness. Loved these little guys that fit perfectly in your hand. Also there for the party was jalapeño cornbread and rolls.
I was very pleased with everything at Birds & Bubbles. Felt great eating there, felt terrific in the booths and felt more like a champion consuming this Winner Winner Chicken Dinner. Good luck fitting through the tight dinning room space on your way out…
Fried Chicken