BIRMINGHAM, MI - A Metro Detroit chef used her time off due to the coronavirus pandemic wisely, coming up with what she calls the “perfect” fried chicken. So we went to this restaurant to see if it truly is as good as she says it is.
Hazel, Ravines and Downtown is located at 1 Peabody St. in downtown Birmingham in Metro Detroit. Prior to COVID-19, fried chicken was not even on the menu. This place is known for its fresh seafood. Now, staff hopes the time spent developing its new fried chicken recipe will keep bringing in new and repeat patrons.
“This is a neighborhood restaurant,” said owner Beth Hussey. “We do the casual side of seafood really well and it seems like people really enjoy it. We get oysters from both coasts right from the farmers, skipping the middle man. It keeps them fresh. Our lobsters are shipped every day from Maine and Canada. We are also known for our burgers and now our fried chicken.”
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One thing Executive Chef Emmele Herrold says her fried chicken needed was a dedicated fryer in order to maintain the cooking oil at a specific temperature.
“We’ve always wanted to do fried chicken and it’s hard to do right, especially if you don’t have the right equipment,” Herrold told MLive. “I came up with the recipe just kind of playing around. It came out so good and I was so proud of it. It has been selling like crazy so we got a second dedicated fryer.”
The fried chicken has about 10 different seasonings in the flour, including both black and white pepper. The chicken is also all-natural.
“The quality of the chicken, paired with the simple, not-too-elaborate recipe, makes our fried chicken so good,” added Herrold. “There are a lot of spices in the flour. I am not shy with the spices.”
HOW WAS THE CHICKEN?
We tried the dine-in fried chicken dinner. It comes with four pieces of chicken, corn on the cob, butter-boiled potatoes and a buttery roll. For $18, the portion size was more than enough for one hungry person. To my palate’s surprise, this was one of the best chicken breasts I’ve ever had. It was crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside with a lot of flavor. There really isn’t a spice or kick to the chicken. The white and black pepper are prominent, but not overwhelming. I also did not find it tasting salty. It was simply flavorful. Overall, while nothing is truly “perfect,” this is one of the better fried chickens I’ve had.
The homemade Whoopie Pie from Hazel, Ravines and Downtown in Downtown Birmingham. (Photo by Edward Pevos | MLive)
For dessert, we tried this homemade whoopie pie. It’s enough for two people to share. If you aren’t familiar with this type of dessert, the best way to describe it is that it’s a soft cookie/pie/cake sandwich.
Like all Michigan restaurants due to COVID, dine-in is limited capacity, although this restaurant has plenty of space to accommodate people with plenty of social distancing. You can also get various chicken bucket sizes for curbside carry-out or delivery.
RESTAURANT HOURS
Tuesday-Friday from Noon - 10 p.m.
Saturday from 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. (Brunch until 2 p.m.)
Sunday 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. (Brunch until 2 p.m.)
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The Link LonkSeptember 01, 2020 at 07:17PM
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’Perfect’ fried chicken has people flocking to this Metro Detroit restaurant just to try it - MLive.com
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