I ate at the new Dave’s Hot Chicken in Worcester. Here’s what it’s like

The signal says the hen is “scorching” and there‘s a spiciness degree that requires you to signal a waiver. So when you‘re right here for the warmth, you’re golden.

However even when you’re not, “Dave‘s Scorching Rooster” remains to be an excellent pitstop when you‘re cluckin’ hungry for fried hen. After visiting, I’d say a extra correct title for the restaurant could be, “Dave’s Superior Fried Rooster That Can Be Actually Spicy If You Need It To Be.”

I see why they went with their title. It’s a lot catchier.

Dave’s Scorching Rooster in Worcester | Evaluate

On Thursday, Dave’s Scorching Rooster opened their tenth Massachusetts location at 41 Park Ave. in Worcester.

Having by no means been to a Dave‘s Scorching Rooster earlier than, I jumped on the likelihood to take a sneak peek preview earlier this week.

This shouldn‘t come as a shock, however the hen is the star right here. The crispiness and taste are an improve over what you‘ll discover a Chick-fil-A, Popeyes and the like. (Sure, even you, Shaq’s Huge Rooster.)

The going charges are $4.99 for a single giant hen tender and $7.09 for a slider. The tenders come on an enormous piece of white bread whereas the slider comes on a pleasant bun topped with pickles, “kale slaw” and “Dave’s Sauce.”

The hen has seven spiciness ranges: No Spice, Lite Delicate, Delicate, Medium, Scorching, Additional Scorching and Reaper. That final possibility requires you to signal an precise waiver whenever you order it. (Spoiler: It’s actually, actually scorching.)

Along with the hen, there’s a restricted listing of sides, together with fries and mac & cheese. You may as well get slushie drinks and milkshakes, with toppings that embrace Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal.

Throughout my go to, I attempted to get an excellent pattern of all of the menu highlights. I began with a Slider with the “No Spice” hen. Then I ordered a “Medium” Tender and a ”Reaper” Tender — plus fries and a Vanilla Milkshake topped with Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

What does the meals style like?

“No spice” Rooster Slider – This was the management pattern in my fried hen experiment. I wished to see how the hen was with out the spice as an element.

The outcomes: scrumptious. That is actually good fried hen. The coating is delightfully crispy with out being overly breaded. Each the crispy exterior and the meaty inside shine by means of.

The toppings on the slider had been a pleasant addition. The slaw and pickles added some good zest and zing to the equation. The Dave‘s sauce is a tangy/candy mayo-based condiment just like what you discover at lots of fried hen joints. It’s nice.

I‘m really a bit of shocked they name it a slider. I wouldn‘t have questioned it if they only referred to as it a standard sandwich. On the hen sandwich measurement scale, I’d rank it a 4.5 out of 10, barely under common.

“Medium” tender – OK, we‘re upping the spice degree right here. This time I ordered it as a “Tender,” which comes served on a slice of white bread together with a cup of Dave’s sauce and a small stack of pickles.

I actually didn‘t get a lot warmth in any respect from this. There was a transparent change within the seasoning, with earthy notes of paprika and cayenne pepper coming by means of. Nevertheless, it didn’t have the kick I anticipated.

It was nonetheless actually good hen that had some good seasoning. Wanting again, I most likely ought to have gotten the “Scorching” because the middle-of-the-road possibility.

French Fries – The fries are strong. They carry an analogous seasoning to the hen itself, coming by means of with a pleasant earthy taste that has a touch of sweetness.

“Reaper” Tender – I used to be a bit of involved when the workers had me signal a bit of paper. However I did survive the expertise.

With that mentioned, it wasn‘t straightforward. This was simply one of many hottest issues I‘ve eaten shortly. I’m good with most scorching sauces, however the Reaper actually had me struggling.

The spice comes by means of with a conflagration of cayenne pepper. It doesn’t simply gentle up your mouth with an electrical pulse of capsaicin. It coats each centimeter of it and lingers, leaving your mouth a smoldering cavern.

It burns, however I can see the way it can change into an addictive feeling. The expertise is invigorating in a approach.

Nevertheless, the primary couple of bites ruined my mouth for the remainder of the meal. Each inch of my mouth was cursed by a fiery pepper afterburn. The rest I attempted to eat simply tasted like ache.

Thank goodness I obtained the milkshake.

Vanilla Cinnamon Toast Crunch shake – It’s a vanilla milkshake with some Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal thrown on high.

It’s a strong shake. However extra importantly, it helped me survive the Reaper hen.

So is it value consuming there?

Completely.

That is among the greatest fried hen I‘ve had shortly. It‘s a bit of on the costly facet, however I’d undoubtedly get it once more. That slider was superior.

I wouldn‘t get the Reaper once more. It was simply an excessive amount of. However I knew that getting into. If I had been to return, I’d most likely get the conventional “Scorching” degree.

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“I ate it so that you don’t need to” is an everyday meals column about off-beat eats, each good and dangerous. I picked the title years in the past and now we’re type of caught with it.

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