Month: May 2023

Go To Restaurants — Putnam County

Posted on by Pres mult

Finding restaurants in New York is easy-peasy. However, finding the perfect destination for the entire family is a bit trickier. Bobby wants tacos. Susie wants chicken wings. Billy wants a burger. Dad wants a chicken sandwich that bites back. Mom wants fish and chips. Of the many restaurants located in Putnam County, only one has something for every taste — The Chicken Coop.

Finding Your Way Around in Putnam County

If you are a resident of Putnam County, you may already be aware of all the great things to do and see here. We are just so proud of this area; we’re going to share a few of our favorites anyway. Located an hour north of Manhattan, Putnam County is a perfect spot for visitors and residents alike.

The smallest of the counties that are known as the Hudson Valley Region, Putnam County offers something for everyone. Art museums for art lovers. Plenty of outdoor hiking and nature preserves activities for fresh air connoisseurs. Theaters, shopping, plantations, historical homes, State Parks, and anything else imaginable.

This mecca of activity is a great break from the hustle and bustle of tourist destinations. If you are lucky enough to be a resident, you already know that! If you’re just visiting, our best recommendation is to slow down and smell the flowers, see the sights, and eat the food!

Putnam County Offers a Variety of Restaurants

When it comes to finding a variety of food choices, Putnam County has everything on the menu. From fast-food chains to fancy, individualized sit-down restaurants with exotic cuisine, you can find it in Putnam County.

Although when you go on a vacation, you may be tempted to stay with the types of restaurants you are familiar with, we would urge you to step outside the mold. The diversity and choice are available range the gamut and is sure to please everyone in your traveling party.

One of the best options in Putnam County is the Farm-to-Table establishments.

Farm-to-Table Restaurants

Although not new, the Farm-to-Table concept is gaining in popularity in many areas. Putnam County is no different. This simple way of shopping provides locally sourced ingredients as the building blocks of the menu. Items may include “grass-fed” beef and organic vegetables. Restaurants offering wine selections often source those from local wineries also.

While catering to a specific crowd, these Farm-to-Table restaurants also offer a variety of family-friendly menu items and vegetarian-safe food choices. But you won’t just find restaurants — you will also find a variety of farmers’ markets that sell direct to consumers for home-cooked organic goodness.

Among the Farm-to-Table restaurants and attractions in Putnam County are:

Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture — Combining farm and educational opportunities with fine dining, this facility includes walking trails, greenhouses, gardens, a cafe, and fine dining at the Blue Hill Restaurant.

The Culinary Institute of America — Training the chefs of tomorrow with five restaurants staffed by students, in addition to offering open enrollment courses on Saturday taught by their instructors.

Sprout Creek Farm — Grass-fed goats and cows roam the grounds where they offer cheese-making workshops. You can purchase fresh cheeses, participate in educational programs that run year-round, and even rent a cabin to fully immerse yourself in the experience.

Gracie’s Luncheonette — With light fare including doughnuts and cheeseburgers, this modern diner includes American comfort foods. Everything is made in-house, including bread, condiments, desserts, and even fountain drinks!

Troy Waterfront Farmers Market — Operating year-round, this farm-to-table market is open every Saturday. More than 50 local farmers offer their products to consumers.

In addition to the many Farm-to-Table options, you will find international favorites and more!

Finding the Perfect Restaurants for the Entire Family

Whether you are traveling with or just feeding the entire family, everyone has a different idea of the perfect meal. Left to choose their diet, everyone would want food from a different restaurant. That isn’t exactly conducive to a “family” dinner. Fortunately, in Putnam County, there is always something for everyone!

For classic Italian-American fare, Abruzzi Trattoria offers the ambiance of a quaint neighborhood trattoria with a blended menu containing many family favorites.

If you’re more in the mood for Mexican food, Las Mananitas might be a great choice. Their establishment includes a large dining area with views of the nearby waterfront.

If you are truly searching for the most diverse menu in the entire county, you will find that at The Chicken Coop. When it comes to having a diverse menu and something for everyone, their menu has options for every taste! Although they specialize in rotisserie chicken, they have wings, burgers, fish, tacos, and the best Hot Nashville Chicken Sandwich in the northeast.

Don’t Forget the Chef!

In addition to providing the chicken coop restaurant menu, Chef Alex Asadoorian has already made a name for himself in nearby Westchester County at the NY Firehouse Grille in Peekskill. With an on-site BBQ, NY Firehouse Grille is a great option for the BBQ lover.

Rather than concentrating on making a visual showplace in his restaurants, Chef Asadoorian focuses on producing food that makes a lasting impression. Why pay a fortune for small portions in a grand ballroom? You can have large portions, excellent pricing, and the taste of perfection.

The best way to enjoy food from the Chicken Coop Restaurant is to grab it to-go or have it delivered through GrubHub. Enjoy it on the balcony of your hotel room, or on the deck of your rented cabin. Chef Asadoorian offers a great selection at great prices so you can enjoy your dinner without cringing when you get the bill.

Convenience, Location, and a Diverse Menu

Whether you are a resident of Putnam County or just visiting, our Top Choice for go-to restaurants is the Chicken Coop. Located at 80 US 6 in Baldwin Place, it is easy to find. Ordering online or by phone (914-274-8444) is also a breeze. The Chicken Coop proudly solves the “What’s for dinner?” dilemma.

With the diverse menu options, you could eat there every night and never have the same thing twice!

Restaurants with Nashville Chicken Sandwich

Posted on by Pres mult

It should not be surprising that restaurants offering a Nashville Chicken Sandwich are on the rise. Offering unique regional food in restaurants is fairly normal. Restaurants offer Korean dishes, Italian favorites, Mediterranean staples, and even southern home cooking. You name it; there is a restaurant that includes it on a menu. Therefore, with the increasing popularity of this Nashville specialty, more restaurants are adding this item to their menu.

Where Did the Nashville Chicken Sandwich Originate?

According to André Prince Jeffries, the current owner of Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, the origin of the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich is an amusing anecdote. BBQ Chicken Shack café was owned by Jefferies’ great uncle, Thornton Prince III. His restaurant began serving the famous sandwich in the mid-1930s.

The way the story is told (although there are no official records to verify the truthfulness), Thornton Prince III was quite the womanizer. His then-girlfriend, angry about a late night out, prepared a fried chicken breakfast for Jeffries’ great-uncle Thornton. As a bit of revenge for him staying out so late the previous night, she added extra pepper. A lot of extra pepper.

She should have paid heed to the old adage, “Revenge is a dish best served cold.” Great-uncle Thornton LOVED the spicy breakfast chicken! In fact, he liked it enough to partner with his brothers, create his own recipe, and open the BBQ Chicken Shack café. The rest, as they say, is history.

The Nashville Hot Chicken is a part of the Nashville nightlife. Restaurants with a Nashville Chicken Sandwich on the menu are frequently packed with customers until the wee hours of the morning. The popularity of this menu item is not limited to Nashville, or even to the south.

In Mahopac, New York, Chicken Coop has created his own version of this southern favorite. His semi-famous version of the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich offers a taste of the south in Putnam County. They even include an “extra spicy” option on the menu!

What Makes a Nashville Chicken Sandwich Unique?

Although Nashville Hot Chicken is most often a sandwich these days, it wasn’t always. The original Nashville Hot Chicken was pretty much any bits and pieces of the bird — thighs, legs, breasts, and wings. It is still served this way in Nashville restaurants. The key to its unique taste derives from the preparation.

The first step is to marinate the chicken in buttermilk. Breading is a key part of the process before frying the chicken. When it comes out of the deep fryer or pan is when the magic happens. There are no secret ingredients or specific measurements for the spices. Every restaurant prepares it slightly differently.

The magic involves applying a cayenne pepper-based paste to the outside of the cooked chicken. Each restaurant has its own blend of spices to make up the paste, or “dry” sauce. In fact, some restaurants offer varying degrees of heat from mild to five alarm (super hot).

Nashville Hot Chicken, when served as a sandwich, is a boneless breast. Although the original recipes rest the chicken on a thick slice of white bread, it is also great on a Brioche bun, a sesame-seed bun, or a sub-type roll. One of the key items on the plate or bun is the addition of pickles. Some establishments rely on the dry sauce, while others add a sprinkling of extra cayenne pepper over the sauce.

Chef Asadoorian at the Chicken Coop serves his sandwich on a toasted brioche bun with pickle chips, coleslaw, and his specialty comeback sauce.

Where Can You Find This Specialty in Nashville?

We couldn’t find a specific number of restaurants in Nashville that offer hot chicken in one form or another. There are at least two dozen restaurants offering this signature dish, though. Among them, Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack holds a place of honor. As the “founding” source of this spicy dish, all is as it should be.

Hattie B’s is probably the next most famous. They serve chicken — just chicken. With options ranging from Southern style with no spice to the fieriest version named “Shut the Cluck Up” which includes “insane spice.” They currently have two locations in Nashville, but are looking at expansion opportunities.

Other Nashville restaurants offering the famous chicken dish:

Bolton’s Spicy Chicken and Fish (two locations)
Arnold’s Country Kitchen (only served on Mondays)
Party Fowl (beware the ghost peppers in their hottest version — Poultrygeist)
Husk (only available at the Nashville location and only at lunchtime)
Sinema (topped with an egg in true breakfast fashion!)
Pinewood Social (a social spot with bowling lanes and family activities)

Although many more restaurants in Nashville offer some form of this awesome dish, our list will get you on the way to a wonderfully tasty vacation.

Finding a Nashville Chicken Sandwich Outside of Nashville

Finding Nashville Hot Chicken outside of Nashville continues to get easier. Since 2012, the dish has gone from popularity within a small area of Nashville to being a nationwide favorite. The popularity increase may be the result of television food shows. It may have happened naturally as tourists travel and share experiences. One thing is certain: Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich is here to stay.

This chicken dish is destined for great things, from budding franchises such as Nashville Hot Chicken to chefs creating their own versions, like Chef Asadoorian in New York.

When it comes to finding the best hot chicken sandwich in Nashville, it can be overwhelming to decide where to start. Luckily, many restaurants in Nashville offer this iconic dish, each with their own unique spin on the classic recipe. The Chicken Coop, a popular restaurant chain in Nashville, is known for their mouthwatering hot chicken sandwiches. Their menu includes a variety of spice levels to suit any taste, and they serve their sandwiches on soft buns with pickles and a variety of toppings. The Chicken Coop is a convenient option for anyone in search of a Nashville hot chicken sandwich near them.

Recipe to Make 

There doesn’t appear a specific recipe for hot chicken. The key takeaway seems to be spice — lots of hot spices. Some restaurants rely on old standards like cayenne peppers, while others have gone to haunting heights by using notoriously hot ghost peppers.

Whatever spices are in use for the hot, the one thing everyone seems to agree on is the texture. Nashville Hot Chicken should have a crunchy coating, aided by the buttermilk bath and choice of breading. Every chef seems to have their own personal secret for arriving at that crunch.

Whether you enjoy mild spices or the super-hot version, the differences mean that you can enjoy Nashville Hot Chicken every day and never have the same experience. As long as the heat doesn’t overwhelm the underlying flavor, there is no limit on the available variations.

Restaurants with Nashville Chicken Sandwich in New York

If you happen to be in Mahopac, New York, stop by the Chicken Coop. Taste the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich creation of Chef Asadoorian and let us know what you think!