I did two things last Friday I had never done in my 20-plus years as The Grub Scout: I reviewed restaurants for both lunch and dinner on the same day, and I ate at three different establishments in a single day.
My GrubFest started off in Farragut at CM Chicken, where I dropped in for a solo lunch. I had noticed the place when revisiting 35 North a few weeks earlier. At first glance, I assumed it was a run-of-the-mill fast-food chicken place a la Zaxby’s, Raising Cane’s, Super Chix, Wingstop, etc. However, the first thing I realized was that it was a full-service, sit-down restaurant. And while the menu indeed offers fried-chicken staples like wings, tenders, drumsticks, half-chickens and whole chickens, I was surprised to learn that it’s all served with a Korean twist. Unwittingly, this came right on the heels of my having just written up the fare at Gogi Korean Kitchen.
Here's a sampling of what’s in store: You could keep things straightforward with their basic fried-chicken recipe (see options in the previous paragraph) or have your poultry prepared with sauces like garlic soy, red-hot pepper or curry. I went with one of the options from the menu’s Snow category, which refers to how they top their chicken with sliced onions, in addition to your choice of sauce. I ordered the Snow tenders platter ($15.99 for six to eight pieces) with the aforementioned onions and CM’s curry sauce.
Specialties and miscellaneous side items include fried gizzards (served in several different flavors), fried pickle, fried calamari, mozzarella sticks, popcorn shrimp, rice and French fries. I decided to add an order of onion rings ($5.99) to my meal, and I got a soft drink as well. Both Asian and domestic beers are available for those who wish to imbibe of such. And for what it’s worth, I was intrigued to find out that CM Chicken happens to be a Virginia-based chain of restaurants.
My server delivered the onion rings first, although my assumption was that they would be brought with the main dish. But they were quite good. They were deep-fried in batter instead of breading, and the flavor was on the money. My tenders arrived not long afterward, however, and I enjoyed this dish more than I had expected. The fried tenders alone were hot, juicy and tasty, but the raw onion slices and curry sauce really put everything over the top.
I knew I would be able to manage only half the servings of both the rings and the chicken, so I boxed up the rest for a leftovers meal. Chicken places may be a dime a dozen, but I would absolutely eat at CM Chicken again, and next time, I’ll be sure to bring The Spouse along.
As I stepped out of CM Chicken, I noticed a Whit’s Frozen Custard just a few doors down. A spontaneous lunchtime dessert, you say? Don’t mind if I do! The Spouse and I have been fans of that frozen treat for decades.
Link: Chicken for lunch and frozen custard for dessert, just a few doors apart | Grub Scout
I did two things last Friday I had never done in my 20-plus years as The Grub Scout: I reviewed restaurants for both lunch and dinner on the same day, and I ate at three different establishments in a single day.
My GrubFest started off in Farragut at CM Chicken, where I dropped in for a solo lunch. I had noticed the place when revisiting 35 North a few weeks earlier. At first glance, I assumed it was a run-of-the-mill fast-food chicken place a la Zaxby’s, Raising Cane’s, Super Chix, Wingstop, etc. However, the first thing I realized was that it was a full-service, sit-down restaurant. And while the menu indeed offers fried-chicken staples like wings, tenders, drumsticks, half-chickens and whole chickens, I was surprised to learn that it’s all served with a Korean twist. Unwittingly, this came right on the heels of my having just written up the fare at Gogi Korean Kitchen.
Here's a sampling of what’s in store: You could keep things straightforward with their basic fried-chicken recipe (see options in the previous paragraph) or have your poultry prepared with sauces like garlic soy, red-hot pepper or curry. I went with one of the options from the menu’s Snow category, which refers to how they top their chicken with sliced onions, in addition to your choice of sauce. I ordered the Snow tenders platter ($15.99 for six to eight pieces) with the aforementioned onions and CM’s curry sauce.
Specialties and miscellaneous side items include fried gizzards (served in several different flavors), fried pickle, fried calamari, mozzarella sticks, popcorn shrimp, rice and French fries. I decided to add an order of onion rings ($5.99) to my meal, and I got a soft drink as well. Both Asian and domestic beers are available for those who wish to imbibe of such. And for what it’s worth, I was intrigued to find out that CM Chicken happens to be a Virginia-based chain of restaurants.
My server delivered the onion rings first, although my assumption was that they would be brought with the main dish. But they were quite good. They were deep-fried in batter instead of breading, and the flavor was on the money. My tenders arrived not long afterward, however, and I enjoyed this dish more than I had expected. The fried tenders alone were hot, juicy and tasty, but the raw onion slices and curry sauce really put everything over the top.
I knew I would be able to manage only half the servings of both the rings and the chicken, so I boxed up the rest for a leftovers meal. Chicken places may be a dime a dozen, but I would absolutely eat at CM Chicken again, and next time, I’ll be sure to bring The Spouse along.
As I stepped out of CM Chicken, I noticed a Whit’s Frozen Custard just a few doors down. A spontaneous lunchtime dessert, you say? Don’t mind if I do! The Spouse and I have been fans of that frozen treat for decades.
Link: Chicken for lunch and frozen custard for dessert, just a few doors apart | Grub Scout