Lucy's Fried Chicken

All photographs courtesy of my talented sister, Helen.  Stop by her blog to see more! http://helenthenanny.blogspot.com/  Thanks, Helen!!

Lucy's Fried Chicken is the new joint from the spectacular folks at Olivia, nestled on a quiet side street just off South Congress.  The fried chicken munching, négligée-clad pin up girl is just the first indication that these people know what they're doing- this restaurant is an unadulterated delight.

Gratuitous Henry shot. See? He's delighted already! It was a perfectly balmy spring night, so we opted to sit on the folksy patio.  There are old wood floors and powerful fans, and just-this-side-of-rickety benches,  which gives the whole place a Grandma's front porch vibe.  In short, it feels like the perfect place to eat a bucket of fried chicken.

The money shot! A basket of that famous fried chicken, surrounded by 6 of the 8 sides on offer: smashed grilled potatoes, collard greens, cornbread dressing, grilled red cabbage slaw, grilled corn on the cob, and Mexican Coke sweet potatoes.  We like to sample!

The fried chicken is pitch perfect.  Shatteringly-crisp crust hugs tender, perfectly-seasoned chicken.  There are other tempting things on the menu, and loads of fun specials every night, but you have to, have to, order a basket of the chicken.  It's the best I've ever had, and I'd be shocked if you didn't feel the same way.

The sides play a very quiet second fiddle to the headlining chicken. Our very favorites were easily the collard greens (perfect chicken accompaniment!) and the cornbread dressing.  The smashed potatoes, which don't look it but are laced with something spicy (tabasco?), corn on the cob, and sweet potatoes were all ok, but nothing special.  The red cabbage slaw was not good.  It was almost as if someone had forgotten to dress it.  Or salt it.  It basically tasted like raw shredded cabbage to us, so I'll avoid that one next time. Conclusion: If you love sides, stick with the collard greens and dressing- you won't be disappointed.

Lucy's also has an exceptionally delightful cocktail menu. So delightful, in fact, that the drinks were profiled in a slideshow on Serious Eats.  My sister classed things up and went for the Red-Headed Step Child, which is a careful blending of rum, fresh lime juice, and Big Red.  She loved it.  Though really, what's not to love?

Henry held onto that drumstick for almost 30 minutes, slowly and steadily gumming off all the fried chicken-goodness with his seven tiny teeth.

Pickles! A Henry favorite.

Interior shot of that gorgeous bird.

Happy baby!

Chicken lips.

The PIE! My god, the pie.  The pastry chef at Lucy's is a super genius.  I had heard great things about the pies here, and we decided to try a slice of the S'mores (tough decision- they all sound amazing). This was beyond wonderful.  That chocolate layer was rich, smooth, and fudge-y. That's topped with a layer of house-made marshmallow, and that's topped with a cinnamon-flecked whipped cream.  Outrageous! Come hungry and eat lots of chicken and pie. Leave happy.

Naturally, Henry loved it too.  We shall eat kale for the next eight meals.