After a quick pitstop at Kekou Gelato, we continued out trek out to the County General on Queen Street West... on foot. Yes, we had already walked all-the-way from the HHOF... With the kids complaining, we briefly considered opening up the Uber app, but decided to soldier on. Hey, we had to work the calories somehow! Every block seemed to go on forever, but the sights and sounds kept things interesting. Finally, we made it to the cozy County General where we were treated to some Southern eats with an Asian twist.
We got quite a few of the appies/side dishes beginning with the Crispy Pig Ears served with a spicy mayo. I actually didn't find the pig ears all the crunchy, rather, they were classically chewy. On the other hand, they were extra chewy due to some dried portions from the deep-fry. Best part was the creamy and spicy dip as it added a cooling affect combined with spice. Along with the ears was the Fried Smelt, which were soft and just lightly fried with a thin layer of butter.
Something that surprised me, since it lacked meat, was the Curried Cauliflower Salad with bulgur, citrus segments and herb oil. The well-charred cauliflower was cooked just enough that it was not raw, but still at the same time retained a crunch. There was a mild curry hit that was nicely balanced by the sweet orange segments. Also prepared properly were the vibrant Ontario Green Beans with garlic, ginger, lemon & chili. They exhibited a solid crunch while being dressed in a multitude of flavours. I would've liked to see a tad more salt to kick things up a notch.
For dinner, we shared the Fried Chicken for 2 and the Ribs for 2. Dumped onto the table and slathered with 3 different sauces including Espresso-Hoisin, Avocado and Gochujang, the chicken closely resembled KFC (Korean-Fried Chicken). As for the chicken itself, it was tender and well-brined. The batter was only slightly crispy while the sauces were a bit of an overkill in my opinion. Gochujang seems like the new srirracha these days. We also got the Ribs for 2 and my thoughts were that the meat was too soft and not smoky enough. It was not bad per se, but something seemed to be missing.
For the kiddies, they shared the Fried Chicken Thigh Sandwich. Normally, it is dressed with avocado chutney and pickled onion, but we got that on the side. This was a fairly straightforward sandwich where the chicken was moist and tender with a light crispy exterior. It definitely need the condiments as it would've been plain otherwise. Too bad as my son ignored them, but my daughter was game and the resulting flavours were tart and creamy. It was a difficult call at the end of the meal as we didn't exactly dislike anything. The appies and sides were solid, however, the mains were a bit of a non-event.
The Good:
- A bit different than what you might expect
- Solid service
- Sides and appies were tasty
The Bad:
- Not sure about the ribs and chicken...
- A bit pricey
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