By Jay Whipple
Trend Magazine Online™
Best Fried Chicken!
Trend Magazine Online™
Best Fried Chicken!
I
had passed this eatery on many occasions while traveling back and forth from Winston-Salem,
Salisbury, and Kannapolis, NC, while briefly living in
those towns for business and while working the QCT Charlotte NASCAR Shuttlesm races in May and September/October.
The restaurant gave me the vibe that it was an old South Kountry diner comprised
mostly of family members as the staff. I have been dining at these type
eateries from the Coastal plains to the Piedmont, to the Mountain
areas of North Carolina dating back to the late 1970's after
arriving at Ft. Bragg, NC, adjacent to Fayetteville for
military service. Some folks confuse Southern Cuisine/Kountry Cooking
with Soul Food but there is a distinct difference in that the latter
uses more fatty ingredients for seasoning and cooking.
I decided to finally place this diner on my calendar after moving into the Concord area for business this past spring (2022). I arrived around 1:30 PM, just after the typical lunch crowd and found plenty of available parking just outside the building. I was acknowledged almost immediately upon entry by a very friendly host and was seated shortly afterwards. The restaurant was still quite crowded although the lunch hour had passed. The interior design was typical kountry-style with wooden tables and cushioned wooden chairs and booths. They played a variety of older and new-aged kountry music in the background which added to the ambience of my dining experience.
My server arrived a few minutes after I was seated and was also very friendly, and jovial. I ordered water and sweet tea to drink and the Thursday Lunch Special which was Fried Chicken (dark) with a vegetable (I chose broccoli) and starch (I chose black eyed peas). If you really want to test whether any restaurant is a bona fide Kountry/Southern Cuisine type; just order their fried chicken as an acid test. My meal totaled just $9.95, which I consider moderately priced, and I was served in exactly 20 minutes as projected by my friendly server. All servers were uniformly dress with blue jeans and promotional t-shirts bearing the restaurant's name which made them easy to identify. Their sanitation code was 94 (out of 100) and the men's room was relatively clean.
My broccoli
was well prepared, soft but not mushy, firm enough to cut with a knife; very
tasty, and it was nice that they had butter on hand. My black-eyed peas were just right and tender but not mushy, and well-seasoned.
My biscuit was the same; crisp and flaky on the outside, soft, and tender on the
inside, and having butter again came in handy. My main course, the fried
chicken, was excellent and just like I like it; crispy and golden brown on the
outside, and tender and tasty on the inside. In fact, I rate it in the top 1%
that I have had to date and better than any fast-food joint; to include KFC
(Kentucky Fried Chicken; my favorite). My sweet tea was good but not what I
call homemade; it tasted like the kind that you order by the jug in a syrupy
form; and you just add water. Finally, my rainbow cake was oh so delicious! I
rarely order desert/sweets with my meal, but I could not resist the colorful
presentation of this one.
Their location is a bit obscure in that it is only accessible going south on Concord Parkway but is well worth the U-turn if headed north.
The Parkway House Family Restaurant is located at 3770 Concord Parkway South, Concord, NC 28027. Their phone number is (704) 788-3002 and website address is https://www.facebook.com/Parkway-House-Family-Restaurant-on-29-100878923289532/. Tell them that Trend Magazine Onlinetm sent you! I'll be back!
I decided to finally place this diner on my calendar after moving into the Concord area for business this past spring (2022). I arrived around 1:30 PM, just after the typical lunch crowd and found plenty of available parking just outside the building. I was acknowledged almost immediately upon entry by a very friendly host and was seated shortly afterwards. The restaurant was still quite crowded although the lunch hour had passed. The interior design was typical kountry-style with wooden tables and cushioned wooden chairs and booths. They played a variety of older and new-aged kountry music in the background which added to the ambience of my dining experience.
My server arrived a few minutes after I was seated and was also very friendly, and jovial. I ordered water and sweet tea to drink and the Thursday Lunch Special which was Fried Chicken (dark) with a vegetable (I chose broccoli) and starch (I chose black eyed peas). If you really want to test whether any restaurant is a bona fide Kountry/Southern Cuisine type; just order their fried chicken as an acid test. My meal totaled just $9.95, which I consider moderately priced, and I was served in exactly 20 minutes as projected by my friendly server. All servers were uniformly dress with blue jeans and promotional t-shirts bearing the restaurant's name which made them easy to identify. Their sanitation code was 94 (out of 100) and the men's room was relatively clean.
My broccoli
was well prepared, soft but not mushy, firm enough to cut with a knife; very
tasty, and it was nice that they had butter on hand. My black-eyed peas were just right and tender but not mushy, and well-seasoned.
My biscuit was the same; crisp and flaky on the outside, soft, and tender on the
inside, and having butter again came in handy. My main course, the fried
chicken, was excellent and just like I like it; crispy and golden brown on the
outside, and tender and tasty on the inside. In fact, I rate it in the top 1%
that I have had to date and better than any fast-food joint; to include KFC
(Kentucky Fried Chicken; my favorite). My sweet tea was good but not what I
call homemade; it tasted like the kind that you order by the jug in a syrupy
form; and you just add water. Finally, my rainbow cake was oh so delicious! I
rarely order desert/sweets with my meal, but I could not resist the colorful
presentation of this one.Their location is a bit obscure in that it is only accessible going south on Concord Parkway but is well worth the U-turn if headed north.
The Parkway House Family Restaurant is located at 3770 Concord Parkway South, Concord, NC 28027. Their phone number is (704) 788-3002 and website address is https://www.facebook.com/Parkway-House-Family-Restaurant-on-29-100878923289532/. Tell them that Trend Magazine Onlinetm sent you! I'll be back!
