The Tuesday Taste - Revisiting Dave's Hot Chicken

 

 

She said "you dream too much

You're dreaming now

while I'm talking to you

You dream too much

it's gonna end bad" 

 

Another Tuesday... another Taste! On this occasion, I went back to Dave's Hot Chicken (they've added a few more locations in Toronto since my initial review in 2021) with the precise intention to try one of their spicier offerings. See, on my first visit I'd elected for "mild/medium" just to get a better sense of the fried chicken and sandwich itself (and not have it potentially clouded by my tongue being on fire).

Well, no safety gloves this time. I ordered the fried chicken slider (with the crinkle-cut fries you see) at "Extra Hot" (the second spiciest below "Reaper", but on an empty stomach I was not feeling a visit from the Angel Pepper of Death). 

This was also my first time having these fries just 'as fries' (on the first review I'd gotten the cheese fries). To be honest, crinkle-cut fries have never filled me with a whole lot of enthusiasm... perhaps the result of as a child enduring them many times in the "McCain's undercooked, unseasoned from a freezer bag" version. As such I've always had a hiccup perception in my mind of crinkle fries either being limp and soft in the middle, or so baked on the outside that they occupy a spot on the Periodic Table. 

Here, this is how you do them right. Lightly crispy on the outside, fluffy potato in the middle, and well seasoned to liven up the flavour a bit (with the ridges adding their usual astethic charm). Even the thinner and larger fries didn't veer off too far into "too stiff" or "too floppy and soft respectably. 

 

 

Now, for the sandwich. I've reviewed this exact same slider before so instead of repeating what I already wrote, I'll focus on the spice specifically. Mainly: it's definitely there and not open to negotiations. Like any good intensely spicy item, its full power is not immediate. With this, it took a couple of bites before the first real kick on the mouth. Like with their "medium", there is an earthy, roasted pepper taste to this and chicken doesn't drip with any liquid hot spice... rather it has been more soaked or marinated in (meaning there is truly no escape).

I'd say if you are a big fan of spice and spicy chicken in particular, this is probably right at the level in your wheelhouse. It brings more flavour than just pure heat, which is nice, and there will be enough of the latter to bring some sweat. This is certainly not for novices. Conversely, my dear friend I was with during this took a taste of it and was quite impressed, her tolerance for spice notably exceeding mine I have to say (she was visibly unfazed, unlike myself). Most importantly, it's just a tasty sandwich that while called a "slider", is large enough to feel more than just a snack (like that weird zone inbetween snack and meal).

 

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Overall... Dave's Hot Chicken... still good! Again, not extremely crunchy and it isn't your typical type of spice... something which gives it both uniqueness among the considerable number of fried chicken options in Toronto, and a hint of the unexpected. Pretty tasty! And definitely a spiciness that isn't for the faint of mouth. 

Tuesday Tune

An artist I've loved and appreciated for a longtime, perhaps one of the most unhearalded/unknown brilliant songwriters and guitarists of the past sixty years. He's performing in Toronto sometime this fall and I'd love to see the old fella one more time (I did see him with my dad back when I was in high school).

That's all for this week. Bit of a shorter review this week (the past few days have been quite an adventure) but we'll have some more stuff that's more exciting in the near future. We are about half a dozen weeks until the 100th episode, just saying... so there will definitely be something special for that. Until all that! Stay cool, stay safe, and most of all don't spill that mustard.