The first week or two that I lived in Charlotte was also the first week of my new job. My boss had me traveling to customer sites with one of the more experienced techs so that I could meet our customers, make my face known to them and also to get a feel for what we do as a company. One of those mornings I was with a co-worker named Derek, who pointed out this hole-in-the-wall looking restaurant as he drove his Chevy truck down the street:

"See that place?? It's Price's Chicken Coop. They've got damn good chicken. The best in Charlotte. At lunch, the line goes out the door and down the street!"

"Pffffffftt!" I thought to myself. "I'm from Atlanta. I guess poor Derek doesn't know about Mary Mac's or The Colonnade back home. Ain't no damn Charlotte fried chicken gonna top those places!"

I stand before you today a humbled man. I was at a customer site this week who just happened to be in Price's neighborhood. It was sort of rare that I also had some spare cash on me so I decided to see what all the fuss was about.

I got there at around 1:30 and sure enough, there was a line out the door. The waiting crowd - a healthy mix of black, white, rich and poor - was quiet as they shuffled their feet as the line slowly moved inside. Most had their money out and ready - and this was while standing on the sidewalk still. Combine this with all of the handmade "NO CHECKS!" "NO CREDIT CARDS!!" and "DO NOT USE CELLPHONES WHILE ORDERING!!" signs and I started to get a bit creeped out. The place started to remind me of something out of Seinfeld - perhaps Charlotte had its own version: "The Chicken Nazi". As I slowly moved towards the front of the line as had daydreams about getting to the front of the line, my cellphone ringing and having the staff shout "NO CHICKEN FOR YOU!" at me. Given the huge line, I guessed that this place - like The Varsity in Atlanta - is the kind of place where you "have your money in your hand in your order in your mind" when you get to the front.

As mentioned, Price's serves fried chicken. The bulk of the menu is dedicated to fried chicken dinners, which come as either 1/4 or 1/2 of a chicken, with white *or* dark meat (but not both). The dinners include hushpuppies, a roll, cole slaw and potato rounds, which are kind of like tater tots but are more the size of a starlite mint. Price's also has chicken liver and chicken gizzard dinners (ewwww!), fried perch and shrimp dinners and well as chopped pork bar-b-que plates and a range of sandwiches. But the main thing here is the chicken, so I decided on the white meat 1/4 chicken plate. I nervously gave the lady my order while simultaneously handing her a ten-spot - like Jerry did in the Soup Nazi episode. Within 15 seconds, I had both my chicken and my change and was headed towards the door.  

Seeing that Price's is carry-out only, I had nowhere to eat. It was a beautiful day, so I just went back to my car, rolled down my windows and opened up the take-out box. The chicken was beautiful - perfectly golden, far more golden than the brown you see at KFC and other chicken places. The potato rounds were a huge mass taking over most of the plate. The cole slaw - obviously homemade - had a pickle chip for a crown. I almost started drooling right there! So why wait? I dug in with gusto!

Oh my.. Oh man.. Oh God... To call this chicken "delicious" would be a gross understatement. It's everything fried chicken is supposed to be. The skin was light, crunchy and not too greasy. The chicken was tender and juicy - juicy enough to be delicious, but not enough to make you wonder if they cooked it long enough. Sitting here at my desk three days later, my mouth is *still* watering. If I ever find myself on death row, I know what I want my last meal to be!

The hushpuppies were golden as well, not nearly as dark as the brown golf balls you get a Captain Ds. They're slightly moist, which was a turn-off for me at first, but I grew to like it. If you know me at all, you'll know that I'm not a cole slaw fan, but I liked the version Price's makes. It's not too sweet like the stuff The Colonel makes - no Miracle Whip here! In fact it's got a slight hint of vinegar - perhaps run off from the pickle slice? The only disappointments were the potato rounds - which were a bit too cool - and the roll - which is just a bun in the Krystal or White Castle style. Still, the tater rounds were salted just right and made a nice compliment to the yummy goodness that is their friend chicken. If you're ever in Charlotte when Price's is open, you *must* go check it out. Trust me, you won't be disappointed!!