I have been waiting to try
The Kroft in the Anaheim Packing House for a few months since my friend Patricia raved about their fried chicken sandwich. During my pregnancy (see note below), I wasn't up for fried food, and if you don't like heavy food or fried food (or if you have gall bladder issues), The Kroft probably isn't for you, but if you want to indulge in a delicious trillion calorie meal, I highly recommend it.
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Fried Chicken Sandwich w/ Jalapeno Slaw, Garlic Truffle Fries &
Cucumber-Mint Lemonade |
So, anyways, back to this fried chicken sandwich. The fried chicken sandwich ($8.50) had a lot of hype to live up to, particularly since it reminded me in composition of the amazing fried chicken sandwiches I used to get in Oakland at
Bakesale Betty (which also used to be around the corner from my home--what can I say? I like living near delicious food). The concept of the two sandwiches is the same: a fried chicken breast with jalapeño slaw on a crusty french (or ciabatta) roll (see *below for comparison). The cashier warned us that it was slightly spicy, but I actually didn't find the slaw particularly spicy. The chicken was cooked perfectly, the slaw was tasty and the roll was amazing. A solid sandwich. As you'll see below, I still give the edge on the fried chicken sandwich to Betty's, but this is a very good alternative and I don't have to drive 300 miles for it.
As a side, my friend and I split an order of garlic truffle fries ($5.50) which were amazing. Sometimes truffle fries are just too truffle laden for me (I know some people think there's no such thing) or too overwhelmingly garlicky. These were perfectly cooked fries with a savory hint of both truffle & garlic. Super yum if you're into subtle flavor and perfect fries. I also had a cucumber-mint lemonade ($3.50) which they make fresh daily in house. It was refreshing and delicious with a clear cucumber taste, but not a particularly minty flavor. The lemonade is more sweet than tart (which I prefer, but others don't). A delicious overall meal.
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| Prime Rib Dip Sandwich Au Jus (Add Cheese +$1), Brussels & Bacon |
The day after my friend, Patricia, introduced me to The Kroft, my sister-in-law, Kim, was over and I was telling her all about it. So, we decided to take another trip down. This time, I tried the Prime Rib Dip Sandwich Au Jus ($12) with cheese (add $1). This sandwich is HUGE, like so huge it didn't fit in the Au Jus cup. It was piled with delicious thinly sliced prime rib and caramelized onions with a layer of cheese (I think it was Monterey Jack) and served on that same roll which I could eat every day for every meal. It was amazing. Normally, I wouldn't be able to finish the whole thing, but hey, I'm eating for two right now. Yum.
I also ordered the Brussels and Bacon ($5.50). This, I thought was a little bit overpriced for what it was and slightly overcooked. The brussel sprouts themselves were tender, served with a balsamic glaze, crispy/chewy bacon and a bit of truffle cheese. The subtle truffle that worked so well on the previous day's fries seemed unnecessary and a bit much on the brussel sprouts. I liked the slight char to the outside, but the outside of the sprouts were a little too crispy.
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| Fried Chicken Poutine (Add Fried Egg + $1) |
Finally, my sister-in-law had the fried chicken poutine (I don't remember the price), which is fries, fried chicken, gravy, cheese curds, bacon and green onions. (If you aren't familiar with
poutine, here's the wikipedia introduction) My sister saw a picture of a poutine from The Kroft with a fried egg and she decided she needed to add the fried egg (add $1). She said it was fantastic although she couldn't eat more than half of it. It's super rich, but if you like poutine, it's one of several you can try (original, short rib, fried chicken, cheeseburger, loco moco--they're a poutine kinda place). I'm hoping to split one with someone eventually.
Note: People that follow my food adventures may have noticed that I stopped blogging for 9 months. Long story short, I was pregnant which changed around a lot of food cravings/ tastes and made me too tired to blog about what I was eating. But now, with a newborn baby that needs me to eat so I can feed her, let the food blogging begin again in earnest!
*For Bay Area folks or anyone who has been to Betty's, here's the breakdown of the comparison between the two sandwiches:
Bread: The Kroft wins. Their bread is amazing. Shocking since Bakesale Betty is a bakery, but I don't ever remember saying, "Wow, this bread is amazing" when I ate a BB fried chicken sandwich.
Chicken: Draw -- The Kroft is more pure fried chicken, but I personally like the bit of spice in BB's fried chicken batter.
Slaw: BB wins, if you can handle the spice. I really like the slightly more acidic vinegar taste of BB's slaw and the macerated onions--it adds a lot more flavor than The Kroft's slaw. If you don't really like spicy slaw though, you'd probably prefer The Kroft.
