Cluck N Cleaver. What can I say? I am very happy to give up my hard earned money for some good 'ol fried chicken. However, is the chicken good for the pocket book as well as the stomach? Is this place a case of the "Disneyland" syndrome (visit once and never come back)? My wife was in town so we decided to try a newer place that she had never tried before since she moved out of Calgary.
I picked up two southern-fried 3-piece meals ($12 per meal). One meal with fries and the other meal with coleslaw; I added 3 biscuits ($2.50 per biscuit) to the order as well. It came out to a bit over $33 after tax. After about a 15-20 minute wait I got my order and went home to feast.
Impressions:
1) Fried chicken pieces were larger than most places. The meat also tasted better. I think they are using better quality birds from better farmers; a plus for sure! When I eat at other places like Olive Chicken or COTW (Chicken on the Way) I can eat 4-5 pieces of chicken. With Cluck N Cleaver I could only finish 2. The batter is a bit saltier than my taste. The chicken overall is less greasy as well. I ended up not feeling like crap afterwards. Worth the extra admission? Sure, but not all the time. The good thing is I was able to have the leftover piece of lunch the next day and it kept well.
2) Biscuits I wasn't a huge fan of. They were large and tasted OK but the texture was dry and cold. On the plus side, they keep well because they probably taste the same after a day or two.
3) Coleslaw was nothing to write home about. It actually had a weird taste, almost like they put a dash of curry powder in it. I'm not sure what spice it was but it kept bothering me during every bite.
4) Fries weren't that great, a bit soggy after the 5min car ride home. Nothing special here.
4-star taste, 2-star value = 3 star overall. I'll try it once more and perhaps get the day old stuff from their fridge. It's cheaper, probably tastes the same and you don't need to wait.