Mr. Bojangles:
I'm not a big fan of fried chicken myself, especially that of the fast-food variety.
What's more, I must confess that I laughed heartily (guffawed, even) when news outlets reported that your restaurant opening in Huntington earlier this year caused car accidents, massive traffic jams, hour-long waits to get inside and, well, pretty much mass hysteria.
From people clamoring to get their hands on a drumstick.
Surely this must be a sign of the apocalypse, I complained to no one in particular, but then you opened a new restaurant out at Southridge, and curiosity finally got the best of me this weekend.
I now see why so many people love you - and now I'm a Bo-liever, too.
After waiting for the new Charleston location to be open a few months (see Huntington fiasco above), I finally paid a visit for lunch this past Sunday. I was so intrigued, in fact, that I took the family back out for dinner that same night so we could eat our way through more of the menu.
Here's our assessment, as judged against the chicken chain's own lofty claims. Since Bojangles' is famous for chicken and biscuits, let's start there.
Claim #1: "Seasoned-to-perfection, world-famous chicken"
We do like the fried chicken. A lot. Surrounded by a crispy, crunchy and moderately spiced Cajun coating, the meat itself is tender and juicy, but not the least bit "greasy," which is where fried chicken usually loses me.
You can order meals with light meat (breast and wing) or dark meat (leg and thigh). Spare me the speeches about dark meat having more flavor, I'm still a breast man - and this one was large and good. (In addition to fried chicken platters, there are also fried and grilled chicken sandwiches, boneless chicken tenders and a chicken-and-rice bowl.)
Claim #2: "Famous made-from-scratch buttermilk biscuits."
Good Lord, these biscuits! Warm, moist, fluffy and laced with a salty, buttery essence, these are easily the best items on the menu. You can enjoy a variety of breakfast biscuits all day long as well.
Claim #3: "Delicious Southern-style fixin's."
These are hit or miss. The seasoned thick-cut fries are awesome, and we also loved the spicy dirty rice and macaroni 'n' cheese - extremely rich and creamy, just a little plain otherwise. Sides of Cajun pinto beans and Southern green beans were fine, as was the traditional coleslaw.
I'd definitely pass on the mashed potatoes and gravy, though. It's the exact same whipped, artificial-tasting "fluff" (with a gelatinous brown goo) that you get at KFC or any similar place. I don't know how they make that stuff, but it's nowhere close to resembling true mashed potatoes in my book.
Claim #4: "Freshly steeped legendary iced tea."
Legendary? Maybe not. But the tea is excellent, featuring that wonderful home-steeped taste that takes me back to my grandmother's house some 35 years ago.
Claim #5: "Freshly baked sweets."
Fresh maybe, but nothing remarkable. We did kinda like the fried sweet potato pie (think McDonald's apple pie, but with a warm, creamy sweet potato filling) but the warm, glazed cinnamon and berry biscuits were merely OK.
I will say our service was friendly and efficient both times, the atmosphere in the dining area is pleasant enough and prices are reasonable for the quality and quantity of food received.
No complaints, really, other than those would-be potatoes.
My aversion to fried chicken will probably keep me from being a frequent lunch or dinner guest, but I guarantee I'll be back for more of those biscuits some mornings.
IF YOU GO: Bojangles', 2856 Mountaineer Blvd. in Charleston, is located next to Chuck E. Cheese (across from Quaker Steak & Lube) at Southridge. Hours are 5:30 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5:30 a.m. until 11 p.m. Friday through Saturday. For more information, call 681-265-2309 or visit www.bojangles.com.
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And speaking of new(ish) Southridge restaurants, Red Fire Asian Grill will have its long-awaited grand opening next Thursday, Dec. 10. I say long-awaited, because the place has been open for the better part of this year, in what may very well have been the longest "soft opening" ever.
But maybe all that extra time was needed, because I did make four or five stops during that period and definitely experienced my share of ups and (sadly, many more) downs in the form of mediocre food and sub-par service.
I'm hopeful, though, because the restaurant belongs to the same guy who owns Kimono Kim in Beckley and my beloved Su-Tei in Kanawha City. And like Su-Tei, Red Fire is strikingly gorgeous inside.
What's unique about Red Fire is that in addition to being a sushi bar and Japanese steakhouse, it also claims to be the state's only Korean-style barbecue steakhouse. You can enjoy a different experience in each section of the restaurant - and several shaded cabanas outside offer a unique place for dinner and drinks al fresco.
I sure hope they've worked out the kinks, and will have a full report soon to let you know.
Steven Keith writes a weekly food column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail and an occasional food blog at blogs.wvgazettemail.com/foodguy. He can be reached at 304-380-6096 or by email at wvfoodguy@aol.com. You can also follow him on Facebook as "WV Food Guy" and on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest as "WVFoodGuy."