Buck's in Wicker Park

I've been delighted by the emphasis on fried chicken and southern food in this town of late and I've wanted to try out as many new places as I can. With that in mind, we ventured over to Buck's on Friday for our regular find a decent dinner and not cook Friday night excursion (usually we look for burgers because by Friday night -- we want one) but fried chicken sounded great to both of us last Friday.

We were early-ish for a dinner crowd -- i think we hit the joint around 6:15 or so. No wait for a table and I really liked the airy interior. Comfortable -- casual -- seemed like a good place to hang out. My adorable dining companion got himself one of the Lagunitas' rotating draft options and I tried a ginger zinger -- which was zippy, filled with Bourbon and Amaro and made my mouth happy. We both thought we'd try the 2 piece white option and we each got a side of mac and cheese. The chicken comes with a biscuit -- so we figured we'd be happy with that.

The good news is that the chicken was pretty tasty -- good crisp, tasty coating and not dry on the breast (although my BF thought his was dry). However...their version of a two piece white, served in a vintage flowery bowl -- was a half breast and a wing ($9). Not what we were picturing at all -- and there was no explanation on the menu that it was considered more of a snack or app than a main course. We were kind of surprised by how small it was. They did offer a half chicken for 2 at $17 -- but it didn't occur to us that we wouldn't get a full breast. Are we being too picky? Maybe -- but i was kind of surprised when it showed up in front of me. The mac and cheese, in a decently cheesy sauce, had not, to our knowledge, been placed in an oven. There was a crispy topping but it was bread crumbs that had been toasted separately and sprinkled on the top of the decent sized portion of mac and cheese -- which was relatively cool in temp. What was funny was that they served it later than the chicken -- as if it had been under a salamander getting all crispy and delicious. But the dish, which we had been warned about --"it's hot!"-- wasn't.

There was no attempt to warm the biscuit. It was a decent biscuit, and might have been really yummy, but because it was cold and hard -- it wasn't nearly as successful as it might have been with a 5 minute stay in an oven.

We ended up getting ourselves ice cream in our home turf ice cream place (George's!) and had a fine dessert which finally filled us up. But dinner certainly did not.

We might try this place again -- the atmosphere was fun and the chicken was tasty -- but it's a bit of a haul from Andersonville and when you've got Big Jones around the corner -- why travel for really excellent chicken?

Bucks
1700 W Division St, Chicago, IL 60622
Phone:(773) 384-9700

earthlydesire wrote:However...their version of a two piece white, served in a vintage flowery bowl -- was a half breast and a wing ($9). Not what we were picturing at all -- and there was no explanation on the menu that it was considered more of a snack or app than a main course. We were kind of surprised by how small it was. They did offer a half chicken for 2 at $17 -- but it didn't occur to us that we wouldn't get a full breast. Are we being too picky? Maybe -- but i was kind of surprised when it showed up in front of me.

If they're serving Gunthorp Farms chicken (I thought Carriage House did prior to the name/concept change), I'm not surprised by the price . . . not a cheap product, but I really find them to be more flavorful than other birds I've tried. And the price sounds within the range I have experienced elsewhere. Analogue for instance offered 2 pieces on Tuesday (also Gunthorp) for $13 if I recall correctly, also with a biscuit and then dirty rice and mashed potatoes.

Those prices (half breast and a wing for $9, half a chicken for $17) seem outrageous to me, even for high-quality chicken.

Going prices...

Nando's Peri Peri
1/4 Chicken - Leg & Thigh $7.75
1/4 Chicken - Breast & Wing $8.15

http://www.nandosperiperi.com/menu

When a leg and a thigh cost $7.75 or a breast and a wing cost $8.15, it's time to learn how to fry chicken. Just my opinion.

Apples and oranges. If your statement is that Gunthorp Farms chicken isn't worth the price, then fine, that's your opinion. But telling me what Nando's charges is not a valid comparison. Are you saying Nando's is serving something other than your typically mass-produced, factory farmed chicken? Are you suggesting that the prices for Perdue and Gunthorp should be identical? Check out the places offering Gunthorp Farms chicken and you'll find that the prices are pretty standard.

I see why restaurant owners get frustrated though, and I see this all the time with bakeries. People have an expectation how much something should cost, but when a restaurant decides to churn its own butter (or use European-style butter vs. Land O' Lakes), or use better quality ingredients, many consumers complain. You just have to decide if it's worth it for you. I know it's worth it to me and I feel the same way whether I'm dining out or cooking at home.

Folks, please. For the benefit of anyone coming here who'd like to (quickly) learn specifics about Bucks, can we please shelve the digression or at least begin a separate discussion for it?

Thanks,

=R=
for the Moderators

BR wrote:If your statement is that Gunthorp Farms chicken isn't worth the price, then fine, that's your opinion. But telling me what Nando's charges is not a valid comparison. Are you saying Nando's is serving something other than your typically mass-produced, factory farmed chicken? Are you suggesting that the prices for Perdue and Gunthorp should be identical? Check out the places offering Gunthorp Farms chicken and you'll find that the prices are pretty standard.

Obviously, I didn't say any of those things.

Popeye's charges $1 a piece for fried chicken. $1 a piece for factory-farmed chicken that in the store would cost me $1 a pound. That's a markup, and sometimes a markup I'm willing to pay.

Now let's talk about premium chicken. Your post suggests that the places we're talking about serve Gunthorp Farm premium chicken. What does that cost, retail, per pound? $2? $3? $4? $5? What are these restaurants charging? It looks like approximately $2/piece. I do understand and appreciate the added value of the restaurant experience and restaurant preparation of food, but at some point, I feel some restaurants make pretty hefty profits off relatively inexpensive ingredients --- even $3/pound chicken, which is a high price by home cooking standards.

Tell me what the retail prices of Gunthorp Farms chicken pieces are, breast and nonbreast, or the retail prices per piece are, and I'll tell you what I think of those restaurant prices versus what it'd be worth it to me to fry Gunthorp Farm chicken at home.

Why, Ronnie, can't we talk for just a few minutes about whether or not the prices are reasonable?

Katie wrote:Why, Ronnie, can't we talk for just a few minutes about whether or not the prices are reasonable?

It's certainly not off limits but if it goes any further, you'll be doing a disservice to anyone who's come here to seek salient information about this place (and to the establishment). This is especially true because no one who's interested in this sub-conversation will know to look for it here. So, in the name of keeping this thread useful for its intended purpose, please, keep it on track.

Thanks again,

=R=
for the Moderators

Will do. Thank you.

Buck's is reported closed.
https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2017031 ... -rent-sign