Fiorella's Café: Sublime Southern Fried Chicken

Fiorella's Cafe
French Quarter
1136 Decatur St
New Orleans, LA 70116

As they say in cards, you have to know when to hold’em and when to fold’em. If I were to base my hand on the floor that felt like tarpaper and on the men’s room that was of the caliber of a dive, I would have folded my cards and left Fiorella’s before you could say Big Easy.

My friend Bill Ives, a New Orleans native, has raved about the fried chicken at Fiorella's Café. Bill is a guy who takes food seriously. I’m hopeful there’s no connection between the floor that’s stickier than the one at the Maple Leaf Bar and what's going to come out of the kitchen.

The small place has it’s own charm. Lots of kitschy artwork and a faded photo of the Fiorella matriarch adorn the walls, one of which takes a halfhearted stab at the distressed look. The place is definitely not trying too hard. Ten tables, an assortment of deuces and fours, and a four-stool service bar, it’s spare and pleasantly funky. 

It’s the kind of unpretentious place that wraps itself around you like so many others in this city - the only attitude in here is friendly and laid-back. The door to the street is wide open so the 90° late afternoon heat mixes with the overpowered air conditioning and aromas of fried chicken float around under the two ceiling fans. The chicken smells divine.

After about ten minutes, what appears on my plate is what Bill promised. The golden, crusty-crispy batter is so thick it captures the intense heat of the chicken legs and breast that had just been pulled from the fryer. The first bite into a leg burns the roof of my mouth. 

A prudent diner would wait for it to cool. I keep eating. The texture of the batter feels thick in my hands – is there any other way to eat fried chicken? I saved the breast, a hefty piece loaded with white meat, for last. By the time I'm done, I'm behaving like some lobster lovers of my acquaintance, picking up every piece of leftover, gnawing off the batter the way they look for little shreds of lobster meat in parts strewn about their plate.

So this is what real Southern fried chicken tastes like. Served with red beans and rice, it's about as Southern a meal you can get. I notice I am sucking the morsels of batter off my fingers before I wipe them with my napkin.

Thank you, Bill.

Photos by Paul A. Tamburello, Jr. 



 
 

Comments

[bill Ives]

Fiorella's is great but have you tried Willie Mae's Scotch House for fried chicken.

[Paul Tamburello aka pt at large]

Ahhhh, So much southern fried chicken, so little time...I guess Charles Lewis was right.
I'll put Willa Mae's on my list for next time! Your suggestions are always reliably good, thank you!

[Bill Ives]

Fiorella's is great and a must stop but wait until you try Willie Mae's in the Treme.

http://billives.typepad.com/portals_and_km/2011/07/new-orleans-restaurant-update-may-2011.html

[Paul Tamburello aka pt at large]

Foodies and New Orleans afficionados,
Check out Bill's blog post http://billives.typepad.com/portals_and_km/2011/07/new-orleans-restaurant-update-may-2011.html
for terrific ideas for food and music in the Crescent City. Bill's a native. This advice could not be better. These places are on my itinerary for my next trip!
Thanks, Bill!

[May Louise White]

Oh, yum......wish I had been with you at Fiorella's to enjoy that fried chicken with you. Made me really hungry, had my mouth watering, just reading your description of the old time southern favorite.

[Paul Tamburello aka pt at large]

Apparently it's the thickness and flavoring that make chicken truly "southern". (This can only be said by a guy who is good at stating the obvious.)I'll try Willa Mae's Scotch House and start sampling how the batter's differ. Can't wait!