The Fast Food Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich Showdown

It sure has been a while since I posted! I've been regularly posting on Instagram but have neglected my blog. But I recently did a fun taste test and got inspired for a blog post - a showdown between six different fast food spicy chicken sandwiches! As a disclaimer, this taste test was sponsored by Boston Market, who just launched their new hot chicken sandwich and asked me to pit it against all the other ones.

With the help of Wandering Chopsticks, we picked up spicy chicken sandwiches from Boston Market, Jack In the Box, Chick-Fil-A, Wendy's, McDonald's, and Popeye's. 

 

 Boston Market

The Boston Market's sandwich is the closest to a Nashville hot chicken than the rest. The sauce to me was a cross between a Nashville hot sauce and a smoky BBQ sauce. The chicken breast was pretty thick. Perhaps because Boston Market is known for the rotisserie chicken, one thing was that we wished the breading was crispier. 

I did drive around town with the sandwiches, so it could've gotten soggy, but some of the other ones maintained the crunch better. Since the product is brand new, I hope they'll improve the breading! The spicy chicken sandwiches from the other chains, aren't Nashville hot chicken sandwiches.

Jack in the Box

When I bit into this sandwich, I barely tasted any heat. The chicken was fairly dry as well - though the lettuce and mayo helped (but they cost extra). I had ordered it with the additional toppings to temper the spiciness, but apparently I needn't have worried about that. 

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The Veranda at The Georgian Hotel (Santa Monica, CA)

There are many restaurants from casual to fine dining in Santa Monica, so The Veranda at The Georgian Hotel may be often overlooked. When it's a beautiful day, though, dining out on the veranda is great since the hotel sits on Ocean Ave. Also, valet parking is complimentary up to 2 hours while dining at The Veranda. Parking in that part of Santa Monica can be a pain, so this is a nice perk! You can also leave it there for 4 hours (if you dine there) for $10 in case you want to wander around afterwards.
Unfortunately it was too cold that night to sit out on the actual veranda, so we sat inside. The dining area inside is pretty small and flanks the lobby walkway.

We started with the cheese and charcuterie board ($29) that's great for sharing.

Crispy Chicken Sandwich (buttermilk marinated Mary's chicken, aged cheddar, cabbage slaw, cilantro-ranch, house pickles, red onion, beefsteak tomatoes, potato bun - $14).

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New Chef Heralds Summer at Cafe Pinot (Downtown LA)

Downtown's Cafe Pinot has announced Joe Vasiloff as their new head chef. Chef Vasiloff has worked with the Patina Group since 2011, most recently opening the Wine Bar at the Hollywood Bowl. Before that, he's also worked at Bouchon and Animal.

I recently went to a lunch tasting, sampling some of his menu offerings.
Soup du Jour: Chilled heirloom tomato soup, bluefin crab salad, old bay and cheddar crackers

Burrata salad, mixed stone fruits, honeycomb, mint, smoked sea salt, mache, marcona almonds, candied lime

There are quite a lot going on in this burrata salad! I particularly loved the addition of the honeycomb, and the almonds provided a nice texture contrast. I think I might start putting honeycomb on my salads ...

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