Ottawa Foodies

I've had the chicken and the wedge fries at Wedge's Plus, and I have to say I'm not enthusiastic about either. I did get them to go, but that actually meant carrying them 1 block away. The fries had that hard "old" taste and the chicken was okay but not great.

I am almost positive that the Somerset 'Dixie Lee' has closed.

"Wedge's Plus" (on Dalhousie) always smelled better to me...

ottawa.newcs.sl.ca

"mouth-watering chicken," it claims.

www.restaurantica.com

"Great Fried Chicken and wedge fries!!!
It is soooo much better than the Colonel."

"Cheapeats Ottawa" is enthusiastic about the wedge fries but not the chicken, though.

Thanks for the quick replies everyone - looks like slim pickins' here in Ottawa so I suppose we'll be making it ourselves.
LOL - Fresh Foodie, KFC wasn't exactly what I had in mind! :P

I must preface this by saying that I have never eaten here but have been curious to try it.

They have just opened a second location of Dixie Lee Fried Chicken on St.Laurent (corner of Walkley). They also have another location on Somerset.
I found the below article from the Express written in Sept which was not favourable, but perhaps it was a bad day?

Anyone eaten here that can comment?

www.ottawaxpress.ca

Make your own. I use a recipe from Epicurious. I think it's called Bon Ton Chicken (after the restaurant that serves it.) It's not hard to make. I leave out the MSG and added a couple more seasonings, but the basic recipe is good, as long as you follow it and marinate the chicken for at least 24 hours.

www.epicurious.com

Try it.

There used to be a place years ago called the Parkway Terrace, or something like that... it was a greasy spoon. Your other alternative is to try the fried chicken at Mello's Coffee Shop located in a strip mall on Merivale Road. I've never tried it but I've heard good things, their fried fish is excellent... if that's any indicator...? Anyway, it's probably not southern style (since we're in Canada!), but it's fried chicken.

Eventually I'm going to hook this food up to KFC, but let's leave it out on the "Desperately Seeking" list for a while to see if anyone can suggest a source for authentic and fresh southern fried chicken!

Hi everyone - are there any restaurants in the area that serve real southern fried chicken? I have been craving the stuff since we got back from our trip to the States in 2005!
Thanks

Not really wanting to knock Jean Albert's they are one of the better fried chicken places I have had in Ottawa. But there is always room for improvement. I was recently at Paula Dean's restaurant in Savannah, Lady and Son's and I have never experienced fried chicken like this in my life. Simply amazing! Hopefully Jean's doesn't fall victim to the swollen head syndrome.

When I ordered the 3-piece, I got 2 drumsticks and 1 thigh. The batter was definitely not as thick/appealing as pictured in LOTW. Man, his picture actually looks pretty good.

Taste was alright though.

They gave me a brilliantly large portion: 1 drumstick, 1 full wing, and a giant back/breast piece. This is tasty chicken! The batter is mostly just salty but you actually taste the meat, which is in pleasant contrast with other fried chicken experiences.

My initial reaction was that it tastes a lot like those crispy salty fried chicken wings you see at Chinese buffet restaurants. But the meat here is more moist and flavourful. Very nice!

the portion is smaller than LOTW's description, but that's not to say that i left hungry.

the chicken is indeed light and crispy in its coating and not at all greasy. served with the tequila bbq sauce.

the coleslaw portion is about half of what you see there.

This is the Southern Fried Chicken meal (with sides). Three big pieces of chicken, described like below: light and crispy coating and skin and not greasy at all. In short, delicious.

And I don't see a small portion here at all.

I also added a side of their homemade Hot sauce, which was excellent. It has a kick, but is full of flavour. Next time I would get the chicken tossed in it for sure.

Super excellent. Just like I've had in places that really know fried chicken (Ohio, Kentucky, Northern Florida). Crispy on the outside, moist on the inside. Flavourful coating, but not so much as to hide the delicate flavour of chicken cooked on the bone.

As a previous reviewer states, the fried chicken here has a light coating. Was seasoned well, and with a few dashes of Frank's Red Hot, makes for a very satisfying meal. If you prefer the thick, super crunchy style of fried chicken, this is not for you.

The recipes used at Jean Albert's come from the owner's grandmother. They may be her recipes, but chef Leroy Walden was paying attention while she was preparing them. The Southern Fried Chicken is excellent. The coating is light and neither too salty nor spicy and the meat was tender and juicy.

Yes, it's juicy and not very greasy. On the downside it isn't very crispy. A great alternative to the fries is to get the rice instead. It is seasoned basmati and they were happy to sub it for the fries last time.

5

This chicken is amazing like everyone said: plump, juicy, crispy, incredibly non-greasy, and lightly seasoned. The seasoning is very mild, which allows you to enjoy the chicken flavour but it might be too mild for some. I tried one of them tossed in hot sauce, and it was nice to have variety but I prefer them plain.

Fries were seasoned and boring. I ate a few of them and left the rest. I took one bite of the unnecessary bun to see how it was -- not too bad. Go for the chicken. ;-)

I'd like to get a 4-piece meal with salad instead of fries/bun. That would be awesome.

2

That's right, fried chicken from a shawarma joint! While not broasted like the stuff at Zaki, this is excellent fried chicken.

The natural skin of the chicken provides a large part of the crunchy exterior. It crisps up like a sort of halal chicharrón. ;-) The seasoning is mostly salt. It is awesome but it will make you thirsty. The flesh inside is moist and flavourful. These are good chickens!

The nice, thin fries come with your choice of gravy or garlic sauce.

They suggest calling your order in ahead, but be warned they are running on Lebanese time. When I ordered my food I was told it would be ready in about 15 minutes. It ended up being 45. :D

Can't wait to go back and try their shawarma platter!