May 262013
 

Upon our arrival to Nashville, we had a little time to kill and empty stomachs to fill, so I pulled up Yelp to look for a place to grab a bite. In all the traveling I’ve done over the past few years, Yelp has been a reliable way to find good food in sometimes unlikely places, but every once in awhile, it finds a place that really hits it out of the park.

A search for tapas brought up Hattie B’s, a small diner just outside of downtown that serves Hot Chicken, a Nashville staple. I didn’t know, previous to our visit, that Hot Chicken was a thing, nor that Nashville was famous for it, but I understand now. When they say hot, they aren’t kidding! Hattie B’s flavors are, in order, Southern, Mild, Medium, Hot, Damn Hot, and SHUT THE CLUCK UP! We ordered a plate of tenders in Medium to share, with sides of pimento Mac N Cheese and Black Eyed Pea Salad, and sat down with our locally brewed beers (whose name I don’t remember, but they were perfect for a hot summer day) to wait, as each plate is made to order.

I had thought I was being conservative in ordering the third of six heat levels, but soon our runny noses and watering eyes proved me wrong. Our beers quickly proved insufficient to the task of controlling the fire in our mouths, and we refilled our cups with ice water. The breading on the chicken is mixed with a dry spice, producing a roasty, smoky burn that seems to produce its own physical heat. I’m not sure they even had to cook the chicken, now that I think of it. They probably just put the spice on it and let it cook itself. But the flavor was as good as the spice was hot, and the chicken was well-cooked and juicy, so we enjoyed the meal, even through the tears.

I cannot imagine the type of person it would take to tackle a plate of SHUT THE CLUCK UP and live to tell the tale, but I suppose it exists for a reason.

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