Proposition Chicken

If you’ve been missing fried chicken in your life, please come here ASAP to get your fix. For the GF crowd, this is as shockingly close to real unadulterated fried chicken as it gets. In fact, the owner told me personally that they almost decided to use this GF breading for all of their chicken when they opened the place years ago. Something to do with how it held up on the second fry was the reason they didn’t, but trust me when I tell you that you won’t know the difference. With a batter made from tapioca flour, it’s super crunchy and perfectly salted, and fried in its very own fryer, so that even the most strict of us can enjoy it. No cross contamination here …
The chicken “goes three ways,” meaning your first task is to choose between fried, flipped, or fake. Fried is the classic good stuff, flipped is rotisserie style, and fake is made of crispy tofu. Next you choose your style: sandwich, salad, or entree. For the GF peeps, the sandwich comes on a bun from Mariposa Baking Company with some spicy slaw, and a side of some hella-crispy sage potato chips. The entree is the chicken (or tofu) standing alone in all it’s glory, a ½ of a bun on the side brushed with honey butter, and a side of spicy slaw. The salad is made up of kale and romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, and some unexpected yet very welcome fine ribbons of mint. The dressing is black pepper parmesan, and is as finger-licking good as the chicken that lies atop the salad. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the salad was actually my favorite of all of these glorious options (coming from a sandwich fanatic, this means a lot). Packing in a hefty portion of dark leafy greens, and topped with a few strips of the crispy chicken, it’s an opportunity to be healthy and indulgent all at once. Wings and chicken strips are available as smaller plates as well. The only thing off limits was the BBQ sauce, which contains gluten. Many of the sides here are NOBREAD friendly too, including brown sugar Brussels sprouts, hand-cut fries, and garlic-thyme potato wedges (fried items done in the strictly NOBREAD-reserved fryer).

You’ll recognize this place instantly when you spot the floor-to-ceiling neon red chicken on the back wall, which is visible from Market Street. When you do, do yourself a favor and wander in for some of the very best fried chicken in town.