Instead of water, I got a Boro Blonde from Murfreesboro-based Mayday Brewery. However, because of Nashville's growing reputation for craft beers, decided that it was worth looking into. In fact, it was something that I didn't plan on getting. You might find this hard to believe, but the best thing that I had at Hattie B's is something that the restaurant doesn't make. Both side items went well with the spicy "hot chicken."
HATTIE B’S HOT CHICKEN MAC
The pimento mac & cheese was thick and very creamy, which are qualities that most will appreciate. The collard greens (called "Southern Greens" by the restaurant) tasted about the same as most Soul Food and Southern restaurants. The side items were decent by most standards. I can't identify all the ingredients in the chicken, but it is distinctive from the average "hot wing." For me, the particulars didn't matter as long as it was good, which was what I felt about it. The chicken's spiciness had a bitter, harder edge than most wing sauces (maybe it lacks vinegar). By the way, the chicken wasn't a version of hot wings that most are familiar with. Compared to Yazoo's presentation, Hattie B's made a better impression for it was very spicy, tasty and satisfying. With "hot" being the operative word, the chicken lived up to its namesake. Probably the result of a lot of cayenne seasoning, the taste hit my senses like a hammer. In terms of taste, the aroma of the chicken (atop white bread and capped with pickles, which is traditional for this dish) was very strong. Combined with the hot sauce, the breading could have been a meal on its own. I was also surprised by the amount of breading used to cook the chicken. Along with Church's and a few other places, Hattie B's use of breading is far more than I'm accustomed to. If this is custom for "hot chicken," I'll bring wet naps whenever I decide to do this again. Compared to most hot wing joints, Hattie B's is very liberal when it comes to the sauce. It was so excessive that I probably used half of a roll of paper towels just to stay neat. Unlike Yazoo's version, Hattie B's chicken was drenching in hot sauce. The "hot chicken" at Hattie B's was quite different from what I had earlier. So without a wing (or rather "leg") man, I undertook the enormous challenge. Seeing this was intimidating, for it was more than I wanted. After looking it over, I decided to get the "Large Dark" plate that the restaurant's website describes as "2 THIGHS & LEG." However, the plate that I got was two huge quarter pieces of dark meat with sides of collard greens and macaroni & cheese. In planning for my visit, I studied the menu for potential meals that fit my budget. Nearly eighty years later, "hot chicken" is a favorite among Nashvillians that I experienced firsthand as opposed to a bastardized version from a Memphis beer parlor. That's a crazy story with a happy ending of sorts, and far better than poisoning or the girlfriend going "Lorena Bobbitt" on him. Instead of becoming angry, he liked it and made it for others, eventually starting a restaurant that exists today. In short, it was the result of a scorned woman getting back at her man (Thornton Prince, the original owner of Prince's Hot Chicken Shack) by cooking him some extra spicy fried chicken. If my memory of the food/beer pairing session is correct, I believe the host told the story behind the poultry staple. In the meantime, I yearned for a true "hot chicken" experience, something that eventually came to fruition. Despite the lackluster chicken, I enjoyed the overall experience and hope to do it again. I'm sure most would have appreciated the effort as Memphis is known for its spicy foods. My feeling is if you're promoting something representative of your city and/or culture to others, don't do it half-ass. Of course, that makes as much sense as going to a nudie bar to see a person strip to only his/her undies. To be fair, the low spiciness could have been intentional in order to broadly appeal to the guests. In an effort to promote its hometown, the host served a sample of Nashville's famous "hot chicken." It made a fair impression, for the breading was overcooked and not nearly as spicy as West Tennessee's Gus's (it's not just a Memphis thing). A year and a half ago, I attended my first beer and food pairing at Downtown Memphis' Flying Saucer that Yazoo Brewery hosted. I want to stress the word "authentic" because my last experience fell short of that. During my latest visit to Nashville, I got around to eating some of the city's authentic cuisine.
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