It seems that from Momofuku Noodle Bar to Locanda Verde and beyond, fried chicken is the new rediscovered dish of the moment. I must admit that I haven't yet had the pleasure of their versions, but the best I have had in quite some time was in a little corner stand at The Trenton Farmers Market in Trenton, N.J. belonging to King Foods, the business of an Amish family from Manheim, PA. I had a thigh, which was absolutely perfect - hot, crisp, grease-less and most of all delicious. I ate every morsel from that piece of chicken that I possibly could. The fried boneless chicken breast strips were good too, but lacked the decadent succulence of the thigh. Aside from the fried chicken, which had been recommended to us, by Aki and Alex, the stand does a brisk business in rotisserie barbecued chickens, pot roast, turkeys and other hearty fare.
In addition to the savories, they also sell freshly made soft pretzels and ice cream. The soft pretzel, hot from the oven and freshly dipped in butter and coated with just enough salt, was as good a one as I have ever had, superior in my memory even to those in Philadelphia's Reading Terminal Market.
The other standout taste we had was a blueberry malted milk shake. The young woman who made it for us, confessed that she had never tried that combination nor even made one before. Perhaps it was beginner's luck, but the combination was superb. She had added fresh blueberries, malt and soft vanilla ice cream to a blender and whipped away - marvelous!
I don't see us hitting the Trenton Farmer's market too frequently just because of where it is. While they do sell some excellent produce, the main reason I would go out of my way to return is the King Foods stand. I don't think that I will have just one piece of fried chicken either.
Recent Comments