Famous Pan-Fried Chicken and featured on the Food Network
Strouds, Kansas City MO
4200 Shawnee Mission Pkwy, Fairway, KS 66205
(913) 262-8500 www.stroudsrestaurant.com

This place was featured on the show Man vs. Food and I knew I had to try it. They are known in Kansas City for the pan fried chicken. The original location is called Oak Ridge Manor and is North of Kansas City; the place was a cabin and had expanded into a farm house. Their second location is more of a restaurant constructed building in Fairway Kansas and this was the one I went to. This place was super PACKED! We requested to wait at the bar but ended up ordering our food there before our names were called ;) Their fried chicken was crispy and juicy, NOT GREASY like I thought it would be. However, it needed a little more seasoning. The fried liver and gizzards plate had a lot more seasoning than the actual fried chicken; now that plate was delicious! I never had fried chicken livers and gizzards that way in my life but they came out very tasty. Their famous gravy was awesomely good with the mash potatoes. Their green beans and potato fries were too much for us to finish. Then topped off with hot cinnamon buns??? We were about to fall off our chairs by the end of the night ;p I think that's what our waiter/bartender wanted to happen ;) We didn't! We just split all the leftovers and ate them the next day. This place is super fun and friendly. No wonder a lot of families came here for dinner ;)
Chicken and Waffle combination done right at
Big Mama's Chicken & Waffles, Dallas TX
9810 Forest Lane, Dallas, TX 75243
(214) 340-3035 http://bigmamaschickenandwaffles.com/

It may sound weird...but it tastes AWESOME ;) My family and I went here when I was in Dallas working. As you can tell from the pictures below, this place is not a grand restaurant; it's more of a drive-thru for fried chicken and waffles. Don't let the look of the place drive you away! This place is not a chain but it is locally family runned and all their food is made to order. You pull up to the window, order, wait until your food is finish frying, and then drive off or bring your car around the corner to a little patio area to eat. The chicken comes right out of the frying pan so it has more oil than normal places but with the freshness of the chicken and the seasoning that they have on it, you won't mind the extra bit of grease. You are eating fried chicken so how healthy can that be anyways? The waffles are hot and crispy and goes perfect with it. I personally enjoy eating the waffles over biscuits that you find at other fried chicken chains. My brother tried a similar place afterwards called Roscoe's Chicken in Los Angeles CA and my brother said it was disappointing compare to Big Mama's. I suggest asking for extra seasonings on your chicken...it's DELICIOUS! Oh and they are one of the few places that has GG's Sweet Tea and that was the BEST sweet tea I've had in my life. I almost had my co-workers bring some back for me but that's a whole different story. So get the chicken with extra seasonings and the yummy sweet tea ;p
Cajun food is what this place is all about
Abe's Cajun Market, Houston TX
1080 Clear Lake City Blvd, Ste D, Houston, TX 77062
(281) 480-2237 www.abescajunmarket.com

Fried ravioli? Crawfish etouffee? Oysters Esplanade? Fried corn nuggets? These are the items that I found odd yet enjoyed eating. I've been to Houston twice and had Abe's both times. This place is very cute and quaint. The staff is very friendly. I had my first crawfish etouffee and here and it was creamy and good. I've had it elsewhere since but it doesn't match up. I've had their fried ravioli and that was good as well. My brother had ordered pretty much everything on their menu and what he found addicting was the their fried corn nuggets. My sister and I found it addicting as well and we all shared that little box; it was like eating sweet corn fried. The oysters esplanade was good but it came out a little too greasy for me; it has oysters wrapped in bacon and then deep fried. I recommend getting the crawfish etouffee and the corn nuggets ;)