I Recommend: Palmer’s Hot Chicken
I think in the era of everything getting a score, numbers and stars have become arbitrary. If we’re being honest, most people scroll straight past any restaurant that scores less than 4, when oftentimes it’s a handful of Karens or clowns dragging the total down by giving 1/5 for some insane reason. I object to this new standard, so will simply recommend or not recommend a visit. At the end, I’ll give different categories a win (W), loss (L), or neutral (N).
I recommend Palmer’s Hot Chicken. A locally owned shop, and the ‘Official Hot Chicken’ of the State Fair of Texas You can see from the mural, paying homage to some Hot Chicken icons, to the straight forward-ish menu, to the simple plating, that Palmer’s believes in their product.
The menu shows the rotating daily specials, then the full combo/ala cart list. Palmers takes the options further than I typically care to see: several sandwich and salad options, Shrimp and Catfish options, over 10 sides, all capped with two desserts. You’re given four spice options, from plain to ‘Napalm’.
Since I visited on a Sunday, I opted for that day’s special: A chicken quarter of my choice, two sides and a drink. For a base price of $11, I think the special is pretty excellent value. I opted for a white quarter Napalm (so what, I’ll get dark next time) mostly to see how we’re treating the white meat, fries and coleslaw.
I think the presentation is pretty flawless. It’s simple, but you can tell that there is some standardization here. You have your chicken atop a white bread slice, a pickle, and your sides. Nothing slap-dashed together. Before the chicken: The fries were excellent, and the slaw was well balanced. Couldn’t ask for more.
The chicken was especially crispy, which is the first stop for me. If it’s soggy, or poorly fried, I’m almost immediately out. I saw an angry red/orange color all over, since the chicken is properly dipped and then adorned with a house spice mix. The heat is there, maybe a 7.5/10. Since Napalm is the top of the Palmer’s scale I really would expect closer to a 9. Ricky’s a-bomb is a 9, and I don’t order it every time for that reason. Napalm will be my standard order. I felt the heat mostly on the lips, since I’m wrestling with bone-in chicken as opposed to tenders. My biggest takeaway was the chicken flavor was just a bit flat. It was hot enough, but there wasn’t much complexity. The chicken was dry and under seasoned, but I knew what to expect with a white quarter; I was just hoping to be surprised.
I think Palmer’s is a great local spot and I’m happy they exist. If you live close, you should count yourself lucky. I hope they consider evolving the dip, seasoning, and technique to bring some more flavor to the party regarding the chicken, but otherwise I’ll be back.
Heat: W
Value: W
Appearance: W
Taste: W
Homage to the Prince: W
