Somehow, probably by signing up for it, Chow, Baby got on the e-mailing list for the trade rag Nation’s Restaurant News. It’s mostly business-side snooze about boring chains (“Cracker Barrel Net Jumps 14% in 3Q”), but there’s the occasional soap opera to follow, like the chicken wars in Southern California – “El Pollo Loco, KFC Ready Marketing Cockfight“; “El Pollo Loco Accuses KFC of Making Prank Calls”; “KFC: Grilled Chicken Frenzy Brought Good Publicity.”
All this good publicity made Chow, Baby frantic to try KFC’s new grilled chicken (16-piece bucket with four sides, $32.99) which once again goes to show: Do not believe what you read in the newspapers. Boy, that was some mediocre chicken. The flavor was decent but only skin-deep; the meat below that was desert-dry. The main reason it saves on fat and calories over the full-fried version is probably that people can’t stand to eat more than one piece. Chow, Baby’s going back to Pollo Campero, fast.
Another Nation’s Restaurant News soap opera opened with a European my-bad: “Burger King Corp. said it was revising ads for its Texican Whopper in Europe after Mexico’s ambassador to Spain objected to what he called a ‘stereotyped image.’ ” Of course Chow, Baby rushed to YouTube (search for “Texican Whopper”) to view the heartwarming ad-story of the gangly cowboy and the absurdly pint-size luchador, whose hood and cape are tricolor green, white, and red. This disrespectful use of the Mexican flag colors was the part that annoyed the ambassador, and other people were PO’d by the tagline – “The Taste of Texas with a Little Spicy Mexican.” Get it?
But Chow, Baby found the ad charming, in a “Can’t all of us stereotypes just get along?” kind of way. Not compelling enough to rush to London for a Texican (cheeseburger with chiles and spicy mayo), perhaps, but enough to head to La Poblana (805 W. Park Row Dr., Arlington) for a bistec a la Mexicana (beef tips with chiles and spicy sauce, $9.95). Coincidentally, this dish, with its white (onion), red (tomato), and green (chili), sports the colors of the Mexican flag; and decorating La Poblana’s menu is a spicy little Mexican, of the stereotypical señorita persuasion. Somebody ought to tell the Mexican ambassador.
One good thing about Nation’s Restaurant News is that, unlike, say, local TV news, rarely does Chow, Baby find itself shouting back at it. The big exception is the running but-the-economy news that diners are cutting way back on appetizers. This is backward, people! The biggest bang for your flavor dollar is on the left side of the menu! Stay over there if you’re cheap! At the Covey Restaurant and Brewery (3010 S. Hulen St.), Chow, Baby and the beloved gorged on blackened-lobster tacos (three for $12), gator-stuffed jalapeños with a roasted red pepper dip (five for $10), a pair of Covey sliders with gloriously greasy onion strings ($9), and, for greens-balance, a gorgonzola pear salad with walnuts and dried cranberries ($5). All that for the price of a single entrée (antelope chop, $36)!
According to Nation’s Restaurant News, chains like T.G.I. Fridays and the Cheesecake Factory are now trying to “increase their value perceptions” (hee) with appetizer promotions, like Kickin’ Crispers (?), just $6.95 at Chili’s. But you can eat great for cheap in good places, too. You read it here first.
Contact Chow, Baby at chowbaby@fwweekly.com.
