This article is excerpted from the Utah Eats newsletter, compiled by Kolbie Peterson, The Salt Lake Tribune’s food and drink reporter. To get the full newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday, become a subscriber by going to sltrib.com/newsletters.
Hello, Eaters!
It seems like there are chicken places hatching all over Salt Lake City, with the latest one being Dave’s Hot Chicken, which opened Friday in Sugar House.
I thought it might be fun to compare a few of these chicken places — a couple of new ones and one established — so I decided to try a chicken sandwich at Dave’s Hot Chicken, Houston TX Hot Chicken and Pretty Bird, to see which came out on top.
(BTW, if you’re interested in a wide-ranging look at chicken finger options in Utah, check out this roundup that Palak Jayswal and Stefene Russell did in 2022.)
My first stop was Dave’s Hot Chicken, at 777 E. 2100 South, across the street from Deseret Industries. Dave’s Hot Chicken started as a pop-up in a parking lot in East Hollywood and grew from there, according to the eatery’s website. Its spice levels go all the way up to “reaper,” but since I’m not big on spice, I went for a “lite mild” slider (pictured above), my reasoning being that a good chicken sandwich shouldn’t be allowed to use spice as a flavor crutch.
I thought the sandwich was pretty average. I believe the chicken was dusted in seasoning and fried rather than breaded and fried, so it didn’t have a lot going on in the texture department, but the flavor was OK. The “Dave’s sauce” and the slaw both were good, and the bun felt a little flimsy and flattened. None of the components blew my hair back.
My next stop was Houston TX Hot Chicken, which opened in May at 912 E. 900 South in the 9th and 9th neighborhood. The website for the national chain, based in Las Vegas, says it specializes in Nashville-style hot chicken and other Southern-inspired favorites.
I ordered an Original Hot Chicken sandwich with a mild spice level, and it was served on a brioche bun with slaw, pickles and house sauce.
Now, when they say that these sandwiches are “smothered” in sauce, they aren’t kidding. As soon as I picked up the sandwich and held it vertically, sauce started pouring out of the back. Don’t get me wrong, I liked having a puddle of yummy sauce to dip my fries into, but it made for a messy eating experience for the sandwich. I wasn’t crazy about that.
And the breading on the chicken was just off somehow. The texture was strange, almost chalky, when I bit into it. I ate the entire sandwich only because I was really hungry.
My final stop was Pretty Bird’s Sugar House location, and you can read more about that experience in the “Dish of the Week” section of this newsletter.
Live deliciously,
Kolbie
P.S. If you have any chicken sandwich recommendations, tell me about it by emailing me at kpeterson@sltrib.com.
Food News
Openings:
• A Dunkin’ location is opening soon in West Jordan, in the same parking lot as H Mart, in what used to be an Arby’s restaurant. The new orange, brown and pink store, at 1410 W. 9000 South, has signs out front that read “Coming soon,” but an opening date hasn’t been confirmed yet. With the store on the Hill Air Force Base, this new location in West Jordan will be Utah’s second Dunkin’ location.
• A new Smith’s Marketplace opened at 744 N. Main St. in Heber last weekend, reported KPCW. The store was recently granted a liquor license by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services in a special meeting of the liquor commission last week, making the store able to sell beer. According to KPCW, the 123,000-square-foot store will offer groceries, household goods, clothing, a garden center and sporting equipment, plus a pharmacy, a Starbucks and a gas station.
• Friday at 9 a.m. there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony and community celebration for the opening of the remodeled Walmart Supercenter in Hurricane, according to a news release. As far as food goes, the store will feature an expanded online grocery pickup and delivery area, an enhanced grab-and-go section, and more deli and grocery options, the release said.
Closings:
Utah bakery The Sweet Tooth Fairy — known for its owner’s win on Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars” in 2012 — is closing down its location in Salt Lake City. A sign on the Foothill Village store said that times had been “tough” for the bakery, and that operations would be consolidated to The Sweet Tooth Fairy’s Layton location. Its Orem location is also still open.
Dish of the Week
Compared to the sandwiches from Dave’s Hot Chicken and Houston TX Hot Chicken, the Fried Chicken Sando from Pretty Bird is miles ahead.
There’s so much flavor, texture and visual appeal packed into this sandwich. The seasoning on the chicken is flavorful and complex, even at a mild spice level, and it contrasts in such a great way against the sourness of the pickles and the acidity of the cider slaw. The sauce level is just right, and the bun is the right balance of pillowy yet sturdy, strong enough to hold up to all the different elements that are happening.
And I love that breading, so crunchy and crispy and freshly fried. My only quibble, and it’s a small one, is that there could be a little less slaw. But otherwise, this is an unstoppable sandwich.
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