Any nagging doubts I had about Bojangles' cult-like following definitely have fallen by the wayside now.
After last week's mostly positive review hit the worldwide inter-webs, readers quickly started chiming in to share their own Bo' love.
"Bojangles' chicken biscuits are always a favorite of mine," said Angie Smith. "They remind me of my late grandmother, who I visited every summer in North Carolina. She loved their chicken biscuits!"
Leigh Limerick added that she loves their chicken biscuits, too. "But those country ham biscuits? Oh, law! And I didn't try the sweet potato pie until a few years ago and it's now a favorite. Dirty rice and pintos are great sides, and not all that bad for you, either. Chicken Supremes are heaven."
Leigh said she even maps out her meals when heading back home to North Carolina from her new home in Morgantown.
"Until now, Princeton was the first Bojangles' I hit. I was happy to see the new Fayetteville location last week."
And now Charleston, too.
Others are still scratching their heads over Bojangles' appeal ("I just don't get it!" said Ken Santmyer) with many more swearing that Popeye's (another chain that hasn't made it here yet) is even better.
An old high school buddy of mine cut right to the chase.
"Popeye's > Bojangles'," Stephen Adkins posted on Facebook.
That's a sentiment shared by many, but there's not one around here I can try. Argh.
"There's been one in Martinsburg for a while now," said former Daily Mail staffer Jonathan Price. "I hit it every time I'm over there."
Added Karen Hall: "I agree with almost everything you wrote, although I'm not sure what you see in the mac 'n' cheese, which I find to be utterly bland. Yuck. The only thing I would add is just wait until you get a chance to wrap your lips around some Popeye's chicken. Popeye's is to Bojangles' what Bojangles' is to KFC."
If that's true, then I must find one.
"Best fried chicken to ever be served in a box," she said. "And their biscuits are to-die-for. I understand one just opened in Vienna, so I'm planning a road trip soon. Check it out if you get the chance."
Looks like that's pretty much a given now.
nnn
My mention of sous vide cooking a few weeks ago also stirred up some passionate conversation among local readers - and a few national folks, too.
"I saw your column during lunch and I'm a huge fan of sous vide cooking," said Scott Castleman. "I got an Anova unit last year and use it all of the time. If you'd want to borrow it for a week or so to give it a try before buying one, I'm happy to lend it to you."
Wow, Scott, thanks! I just might take you up on that.
The makers of another sous vide unit, Sansaire, also noticed my coverage and wanted to add their two cents on the "foolproof, stress-free" benefits of slow-cooking food in a low-temperature water bath.
Consistent results: Sous vide cooking uses precise temperature control to achieve perfect, repeatable results that can't be replicated through any other method. Foods are cooked evenly from edge to edge, to the exact doneness you want. Simply put: no more dried-out meat!
Save time and please everyone: You can make whole meals in the one pot with no cookware to clean afterward. Individual bags allow for individual flavors, so you can make sweet-and-sour chicken in one bag, teriyaki chicken in the other.
Use less fat: Cooking foods in a sealed environment allows you to coat proteins and vegetables with a fraction of the amount of oil or butter. Plus, vegetables retain all their nutrients in the sealed bag.
Unattended cooking: And because foods won't overcook while they hang out in the water bath, dinner is ready when you are. So you can spend more time with your guests, if you consider that a plus. Wink-wink.
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."