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Out of Bounds: Piece of Chicken
Midtown has its boundaries, but every once in awhile I’ll discover a place that just might be worth the extra few blocks, and profile it in a category I call “Out of Bounds”. Since Ressie May’s Soul to Go closed, there has been a soul food hole in the Midtown Lunch’ing landscape. Anything good and cheap would be welcomed. A place that sells fried chicken for a $1 a piece, collards and mac & cheese for $1-2 a scoop- well now you’ve got me excited, and willing to walk those extra couple of avenues for an Out of Bounds lunch.
Piece of Chicken is that place, and their sandwich board doesn’t lie. As unbelievable as it seems to passersby, they do in fact serve fried chicken for $1 a piece, and side dishes for $1-2. Add to that rib tips, fried fish, corn bread and soup, sold out of the back window of a kitchen that once belonged to upscale Caribbean restaurant Jezebel (with nothing costing over $2), and you’ve got a winner.
The menu, piece of chicken porn and a +/- after the jump…
I’ll take variety over quality any day of the week, and Piece of Chicken is all about variety. The price structure is possibly the greatest of all time, allowing you to choose four or five different things, and having it only cost $5-7 for your whole lunch. With so much to choose from, and so many possible combinations for your money- it helps to do a little planning, so here’s the menu in advance:
Piece of Fried Chicken - $1
Piece of Fried Whiting - $2
Piece of Fried Catfish - $2
Crispy Chicken Livers - $1
BBQ Chicken Wings - $1
BBQ Salmon - $5 (the only thing over $2)
Chicken Soup - $1
Fish Soup - $1
BBQ Rib Bit - $1Okra - $2
Mac & Cheese - $2
Collard Greens - $1
Blackeyed Peas - $1
Potato Salad - $1
Home Fries - $1
String Beans - $1
White Rice - $1
Corn Muffins - 2 for $1
Of course, no bit of planning is perfect, as oftentimes they will be out of things, causing you to have to scramble at the last minute. Ordering is easily the hardest part of Piece of Chicken, leaving a lot of room for second guessing, even after you’ve made your decision. The first time I stopped, here’s what I ended up with:
Clockwise from upper left: Piece of Whiting, Collard Greens, Mac & Cheese, BBQ Rib Bit, Piece of Chicken. Total Cost: $7
I didn’t realize you could choose what kind of chicken you ordered, so I ended up with the breast, which not surprisingly, for $1 is actually a half a breast. Everything was really good (but not great), although it’s hard to complain for $7.
The second time I went, I adjusted my strategy a little:
Clockwise from upper left: BBQ Wings (there’s actually two in there), Mac & Cheese (to see if it was the same as the first time), Corn Muffins, Fried Chicken Thigh.
Plus a side order of Okra:
Total Cost: $6. This time I asked specifically for the thigh, which they gladly gave me. I also asked for the wings (2 for $1) thinking I would get fried chicken wings, but apparently they only do BBQ wings, which I’m pretty sure have the same sauce as the rib bits.
All in all everything was once again really good, especially when you consider the price. And that’s pretty much it. Nothing about Piece of Chicken necessarily stands out as outstanding, except for Piece of Chicken itself. Their service has flaws, sometimes they charge you the wrong amount, oftentimes they will run out of things (I have never been able to get the fried chicken livers), and the freshness of the food is always hit or miss.
But in the end, who cares!?! Everything costs $1 (or $2), which means you can get 17 different things for the price of a sandwich at Cafe Metro (slight exaggeration, I’m not so good at math). And it’s served out of the window of a real restaurant kitchen. A great find for those of us looking for variety, and willing to walk the extra few blocks. I know some of you have already discovered this place on your own, and everybody has their favorite choices. Mine would have to be- 2 Thighs, 1 Rib Bit, Okra, Collards & Corn Muffins for $7. Feel free to post your perfect Piece of Chicken combo as a comment below…
The + (What someone who likes this place will say)
- Is there anything better than fried chicken, $1 per piece?
- Wait, there is something better. $1 fried chicken, with $1 collard greens and $1 corn muffins.
- I love soul food, and have been looking for a place ever since Ressie May’s closed
THE - (What someone who doesn’t like this place will say)
- The service sucks sometimes. They try to write your order down, but sometimes end up screwing it up. (Make sure to check your container before leaving).
- The quality and freshness of the food is hit or miss
- There is better fried chicken in Midtown (even though it doesn’t cost $1 a piece)
- The Mac & Cheese is a casserole more than a creamy, goeey mac & cheese. And you should get more for your $2. (Possibly the most complained about Piece of Chicken dish)
Piece of Chicken, 362 W. 45th St. (just East of 9th Ave.), 212-582-5973
Posted: October 4th, 2007 under Fried Chicken, Soul Food.
Comments: 23
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Comments
Comment from Hungry Already
Time: October 4, 2007, 9:23 am
I agree - Piece of Chicken is quite good - however, the flaws are that its a bit out of the way and you cant eat there, so you have to walk back to work and fried food that is not piping hot isnt that great. Plus you have to wait forever.
Chicken is damn good though - so is the whiting.
Comment from Applesauce
Time: October 4, 2007, 9:48 am
How was the Mac and Cheese!?
Comment from Geeorge
Time: October 4, 2007, 10:59 am
I love this place!!
if its a bit of out the way, you people are either: 1) lazy…2) too caught up in your work 3.) boring!!
we could have so much more to talk about if we open midtown lunch boundaries!
Comment from Sara the Oyster Fan
Time: October 4, 2007, 11:22 am
Auuuuugh your mac and cheese is touching the BBQ rib bit! Yuck! I can’t stand it when two different food flavors touch eachother like that. My eyes! MY EYES!!!
Comment from David S
Time: October 4, 2007, 11:27 am
Ressie May’s is gonna be turned into a Subway I hear…
Comment from Crackhead
Time: October 4, 2007, 11:30 am
>>
Sara, pearl of ML, this may the single most anal gripe I have ever heard.
Comment from Crackhead
Time: October 4, 2007, 11:32 am
Auuuuugh your mac and cheese is touching the BBQ rib bit! Yuck! I can’t stand it when two different food flavors touch eachother like that. My eyes! MY EYES!!!
Sara, pearl of ML, this may the single most anal gripe I have ever heard.
(Weird, didn’t print her comment the first time. Had to do a do-over, as I am very anal and hate it when my posts are imperfect.)
Comment from Matt
Time: October 4, 2007, 12:33 pm
Grilled wings!? Man I havent found good grilled wings anywhere, this is a tad bit outside my normal ML trekking grounds, but I’ll have to hit this some time soon.
Comment from Sara the Oyster Fan
Time: October 4, 2007, 12:45 pm
Crackhead - I’m quite okay with it. I have come to terms with my own food issues. I have two different plates at Thanksgiving so that the cranberry sauce won’t touch anything else. :)
Comment from Inane
Time: October 4, 2007, 1:15 pm
Sara: are you frightened of casseroles then? or that hideous bowl thing at KFC?
Comment from Sara the Oyster Fan
Time: October 4, 2007, 2:11 pm
Actually, yes! Completely terrified. Shepherd’s pie is my nightmare.
Comment from Rudy McBagel
Time: October 4, 2007, 2:37 pm
Boulabaise would send Sara into shock.
My friday breakfast would most prolly kill her.
Comment from A
Time: October 4, 2007, 2:59 pm
Rudy your very late today. I thought you might be a no-show.
Comment from Sara the Oyster Fan
Time: October 4, 2007, 3:16 pm
No, bouillabaisse is actually okay. All fish can be mixed together in my opinion. Crab-stuffed lobster, fritto misto, all those kinds of mixed things are totally cool. Maybe that’s just from growing up in MA where these kinds of things are completely unavoidable.
Comment from Mamacita
Time: October 4, 2007, 3:43 pm
Fried goodness for a buck. It’s a dream come true.
Now pour some country gravy over all that and add a biscuit!
Comment from Jordan
Time: October 4, 2007, 5:58 pm
Matt- If you want the BEST grilled wings in Manhattan (but wayyyyy outside the Midtown Lunch range) - you gotta check out Dinosaur BBQ on 131st st. I would go up there just for wings and pie.
Comment from Matt
Time: October 4, 2007, 10:53 pm
Jordan - Ill definitely check it, thanks for the suggestion, I dont get why grilled wings are such a novelty up here.
Comment from Wayne
Time: October 9, 2007, 1:22 pm
Zach, glad you finally got here. I always go for THREE thighs and mac & cheese. Now we are in $5 territory and it’s a ton of food! Think of it as a way to get payback for your Ess-a-Bagel boning
Pingback from Midtown Lunch » Bits & Pieces: Chx & Waffles is Back, Yum Thai & Jamaican Dutchy Still Closed
Time: November 26, 2007, 11:46 am
[...] Piece of Chicken on 45th btw. 8+9th, is back open after closing for a week to build a permanent wall between them and what used to be Jezebel. They also have added Fried Chicken & Waffles ($2) to their menu (replacing the void left by the long closed Ressie May’s) [...]
Comment from kassi
Time: January 19, 2008, 5:41 pm
your mistake was not trying the catfish. Its the best damn catfish i’ve had here and i’m from texas where catfish is a staple. Also, the black eyed peas are ALWAYS out of this world.
Pingback from Stick It To the Pan « A Cheapskate’s Guide to Sublime Snacking
Time: February 5, 2008, 6:41 am
[...] Every once in a while, I poke my nose into a magazine to see what is going on out there in the crazy world of restaurant food, of which I know next to nothing about because I am either stuffing my cheeks with $3.50 kim bap from Woorijip in Koreatown, or wandering the streets of Hell’s Kitchen in search of that 99-cent fried chicken stand. [...]
Pingback from Midtown Lunch » Bits & Pieces (Midtown West Edition): Free Toppings at Go Go Curry, Piece of Chicken Raises Prices and more
Time: February 15, 2008, 11:16 am
[...] this sad sign hanging in “Out of Bounds”, Midtown Lunch favorite “Piece of Chicken” on 45th btw. [...]
Comment from Tamara
Time: August 21, 2008, 5:11 pm
I visited this place today and found that the food was quite tastey and the services was good. My friend and I got there at a reasonable time and the line was not too long. Overall, I had a good meal and will probably go back, but maybe a month from now. We all know too much fried food will give you a heart attack. Peace!
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