Mouthful - Fried chicken

CARVER’S COUNTRY KITCHEN & GROCERY: The facade of Robert and Sharon Carver’s Southern meat-and-two dive is deceivingly spartan. But the inside is cluttered with an eclectic mix of clippings and knick-knacks. Carver’s fried chicken has plenty of crunch and juicy meat. You can either get an order of leg and thigh or a breast so big the Carvers actually call it the “Dolly Parton.” Any of the sides (you get two vegetables and bread with your order) satisfy, but starchy items are the best on the menu — especially the hush puppies and mac-and-cheese creamy with Velveeta. 1118 W. Marietta St. 404-794-4410. www.carverscountrykitchen.com.??BUSY BEE CAFÉ: The bars on the front window of Busy Bee Café might intimidate first-time visitors. But there’s a reason for that crowd of people hovering near the door waiting for a table. The restaurant is full of life, warmth and loads of freshly made soul food. The “beelicious” fried chicken is marinated for 12 hours to ensure the flesh is moist and flavorful. The bird is then lightly breaded and fried in peanut oil until the skin is covered in crackly golden brown bubbles. Each “dinner” comes with two vegetables — the collard greens, black-eyed peas and cornbread dressing are tops — and your pick of a dinner roll or cornbread served with tiny tubs of honey butter. 810 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. 404-525-9212. www.thebusybeecafe.com.??THE COLONNADE RESTAURANT: The Colonnade is one of Atlanta’s hallowed Southern institutions, where the décor is just as old-fashioned as the fried chicken recipe. The restaurant doesn’t fuss with 16 different ingredients, brining, etc. Instead, they take a fresh chicken, dredge it in seasoned flour and fry it in fresh oil so there’s none of that off-putting old oil aftertaste. You get your choice of two sides, a basket full of bread with butter, and a bottle of Texas Pete on the table. 1879 Cheshire Bridge Road. 404-874-5642. www.colonnadeatl.com.






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