IF the restaurant you have been directed to lies between the 7-Eleven and the dry cleaners in a dusty strip mall,' wrote Jonathan Gold, the late, great Los Angeles based seer of serious eating, 'you're probably at the right place.' Prince's Hot Chicken, little more than a glass-fronted, nondescript shopfront on the northern edge of Nashville, Tennessee, is just that place.
It's a few minutes after noon, on a sultry Southern afternoon, and the queue snakes gently round the block. Inside, five ageing booths and a large serving hatch, manned by Andre Prince, the great-niece of founder Thornton Prince. The story goes that Thornton had quite an eye for the ladies and, one night, after stumbling home late with lipstick on his collar, his girlfriend had had enough. She cooked up fried chicken spiked with enough cayenne pepper to knock out a black bear. The problem was, Thornton loved it so much he asked for seconds. A Nashville institution was born.
Back to the present day and the Prince's kitchen, where three ladies dunk joints of chicken into seasoned flour, dosed with varying amounts of cayenne pepper, ranging from a respectable 'plain' to a frankly suicidal XXX Hot. More about which later. The meat is then slipped into vast iron skillets, fried until the crust is crisp and golden, then served atop a couple of slices of Mighty White bread, topped with a pile of pickles. So far, so civilised.
Esta historia es de la edición September 25, 2024 de Country Life UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición September 25, 2024 de Country Life UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Love in a dry climate
Garden design in the Arizona desert is a matter of adapting to the weather and the terrain and being clever with cacti. The spectacular results fill Kendra Wilson with awe
The spread of Johnny Appleseed
DRIVE along a country lane at this time of the year and you may see an apple tree growing out of the hedgerow.
All that meat and no potatoes
More than merely super-sized burgers and fries, American food is a mouthwatering reflection of the nation's cultural diversity
A Newport state of mind
Once proclaimed to be the original American art form, jazz continues to thrive at the eponymous jazz festival of Rhode Island
Route to the past
Does the world's most famous road still capture the romance of the open road? We brave 1,300 miles of Route 66 to find out
Steady as she goes
Fairy-tale palaces that float upon the sea first appeared in the Edwardian era. A century later, the majestic ocean liners of the 'golden age of travel' continue to captivate
The new Colossus
Standing proud at the 'sea-washed, sunset gates', Lady Liberty became a beacon of hope for immigrants and a symbol of freedom under just and democratic law
The time is now
Agents at Strutt & Parker's Country House Department share their tips to selling your property as they look forward to a busy autumn
The West awakes
All is abuzz in the West Country following a recent surge of activity in the market for large farms and country houses in some of the region's most picturesque locations
Bags of class
Combining classical elegance with distinctive detailing, Lalage Beaumont is passionate about creating bags of exceptional style and quality.