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| - So, I'm probably gonna get some hate mail for this review seeing as how everyone seems to be loving all over the fried chicken here. I'll take my chances. In a nutshell, Chow Chow was a somewhat disappointing experience with a few highlights and a menu with other options that just might have us returning.
Gripes of Note:
No bathroom. None. Drain that bladder before you arrive if you're planning to dine in.
They only offer sweetened teas and damn, the one we had (the smokey peach, which had a wonderful flavor) was super sweet. You could taste the beetus in it.
Plastic utensils that couldn't cut their way out of a greasy paper bag. How about an upgrade for folks dining in?
Styrofoam containers? Really? In 2016/nearly 2017?
Now that I've gotten that out of the way, shall we get on with it?
The Grub: A Cleveland-area take on soul food, i.e. Southern comfort food. Not sure what soul food is? It's basically the reason the south leads the nation in obesity and diabetes and it tastes damn good.
Setting the scene - 5:30ish, Thursday, a rather unseasonably warm late December in Lakewood. We opted to dine in. We were unaware that everything was made to order. It took about 15-20 minutes for our food to be ready. Bring something to do or someone to talk to if you plan to wait.
We parked across the street, that was free and convenient, and ambled out way over to Chow Chow. No other customers in site. The place smells amazing, smoky, meaty, a hint of fryer grease. It's really a take-out joint first, as evidenced by the rather sparse accommodations, but there are a couple tables for seated noshing. We were immediately greeted by one of the two guys working that night. Friendly, attentive. So far so good.
We took a few minutes to look over the wall-hangings before making our selections - Winner Dinner for me, mac and cheese as the side of choice. Fried catfish dinner for the wife. We shared an order of hush puppies.
The biggest disappointment for me was the fried chicken. I'm no fried chicken snob, really. But with everyone else raving about the stuff, I had my expectations heightened. The breading on this chicken was very thick and tough to bite through. It also came off of the pieces of chicken in large, solid chunks that still retained the shape of the chicken they once enrobed. Seriously, I think it was about a quarter inch thick. It also didn't really stick to the skin, so it separated and left behind the rather unappetizing, rubbery dermis (that visual is free). The seasoning on the breading was tasty and had a nice level of salt (I prefer more cayenne), it just didn't work execution wise. The meat was good, so that's positive. It was tender, juicy, greasy (I got a thigh and drumstick in my dinner) and everything it should be. As for the side, the mac and cheese side was yummy and cheesy but also very salty. It was also pretty mushy. Could have used some crunch is all I'm sayin'. The pickles served on top of the chicken were tasty, mildly acidic, and a bit sweet.
Probably the highlight of the meal, my wife loved her fish and chips. Two large, crispy, golden, fried fillets of catfish served atop a bed of thin and crispy house-made tater chips and a side of creamy slaw. Damn was this some good fish. Flaky, tender, juicy, perfectly seasoned. The slaw wasn't really all that creamy, kind of dry actually, and, be warned, it packs some heat. The scorched dill tartar was also delicious.
The hushpuppies, well, not much to say about them really. Three golf-ball sized cornbread pups fried a perfect golden brown and served with a side of the charred lemon tartar sauce. They were crunchy outside with moist and flavorful innards. Just get 'em.
So there you have it. We were looking forward to some soul food and because other Yelpers were so hot on this place, we were expecting a great deal. Just didn't quite hit all those high notes that everyone else heard. There are some other things on the menu that I really wanna try, like the smoked pork po boy, gumbo and chicken fried sausage, so we'll probably be back at some point. Probably won't go for the chicken again, though.
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