Before everything closed down, Tom and I had a chance to try The Porch: authentic Nashville hot chicken. This may be my last restaurant review for a while, because I don’t think it is fair to judge a place based on its takeout alone. Also, I don’t like to order takeout from a restaurant that I’ve never tried before.
I don’t know whether or not The Porch has authentic Nashville hot chicken. When Tom and I lived in Nashville (1981 through 1984) Nashville hot chicken wasn’t a thing. When we lived in Nashville, there was one Hot Chicken place – the original Prince’s – and we never ate there. So, although Nashville hot chicken has been around for 90 years, and gotten a lot of attention in the last 10, we had never tried it.
Several people recommended The Porch, especially our go-to folks for food recommendations, fellow volunteers Denise and Bob Verba. They also warned us that the chicken tenders were HUGE. So Tom and I ordered one plate of chicken tenders with a side of coleslaw and a side of baked beans. I ordered two of the tenders naked and Tom ordered two of the tenders Nashville hot. John would have ordered the Napalm, but we weren’t that brave.
The tenders arrived and were as big as advertised. They were also delicious. I don’t eat much fried chicken – the two times here on the island this year are it for the last two years. But The Porch tenders were delicious. Tom said the Nashville hot was just right to add flavor without being painful. The coleslaw was good but the baked beans were just average.
One of the things that is unusual about Nashville hot chicken – it is served with pickles. I don’t know why. Take away some of the hot?
We thought about ordering some banana pudding or an ice cream sandwich, but we were too full from the big tenders. I’m glad we shared one order. More than that would have been too much.
The Porch is offering some great family takeout packages during the pandemic. We might have to get together with some of our fellow volunteers and have a Nashville hot chicken night.