As a countdown to the Best Of Broward Palm Beach 2010, coming in May, Clean Plate Charlie is serving up a hundred of our favorite dishes in South Florida. Send your own nominations to [email protected].
No. 69: Fried Chicken from Fran's Chicken Haven
Trying to tell the difference between one fried chicken or another is as tough as trying to tell one live
chicken from another. Can you really discern if your leg came from
Publix or KFC? At Fran's, the difference is noticeable and tasteable.
Fran's opened in 1964 in a depressing Boca Raton strip mall as a
takeout joint. When Stacey Fuentes bought Fran's in 2003, she inherited
the cooking style, which involves scalding the birds to rid them of the
yellowish fat, then frying them in vegetable oil. What emerges is
golden and crisp on the outside and meaty and sweet on the inside. The
pieces are huge, and Fuentes is credited with bringing in homemade
collard greens, mashed potatoes, candied yams, rice, and black-eyed
peas. As it says on the wall: "The rooster may crow, but the hen
delivers the goods."
Previous 100 Favorite Dishes:
No. 70: Salsa from Zona Fresca
No. 71: Falafel from Sunrise Pita
No. 72: Golden crab curry from Bamboo Fire
No. 73: Grilled squid from Sushi Bon
No. 74: Beef pho from Basilic Vietnamese Grill
No. 75: Stuffed poblano from Canyon
No. 76: Raja tamales from Chini's Burritos
No. 77: Udon soup from Sushi 1
No. 78: Steak fries from Maguires Hill 16
No. 79: Cheese steak from Sonny's Famous Steak Hogies
No. 80: Sliders from Zed451
Favorite Dishes No. 81 through No. 100
