Dining Out: Feeding the ‘craze’

DINING OUT | BRUCE NEWBURY

Feeding the ‘craze’

CHEF AND RESTAURATEUR Nick Rabar was considering the moniker “Chicken City” for his new just-announced restaurant concept that he is planning to open late this summer or early fall. But he and his wife, Tracy, settled on “Honeybird” as the name of their fledgling eatery.

It will be located at the site of a former gas station on Massasoit Avenue in East Providence at the foot of the ramp to the Henderson Bridge.

The fried chicken sandwich has become the new “it” dish over the last year, actually predating the COVID-19 pandemic. This sandwich is nothing less than an artisan rustic creation of whole chicken – no shaped or formed pucklike extrusion of tenders or nuggets here. It is enveloped in flavorful breading, flash-fried and served on a bakery bun specially commissioned for the occasion. Next come fresh garnishes from leaf lettuce to house-brined pickles. Before the top bun is carefully placed, the chicken is topped with sauce recipes that rival any chef’s culinary creation.

This is not merely a menu addition or even an ordinary restaurant concept. After all, the abovementioned, late-lamented, bucket-of-chicken spot Chicken City graced the dining landscape in Rhode Island for decades and was a mainstay in both Middletown and East Providence. But that was way before “we asked ourselves a lot of questions [during the pandemic lockdown],” Nick Rabar said.

He and Tracy Rabar, a longtime restaurant personality herself, along with the Avenue N Restaurant Group LLC team, had lengthy discussions on how they were going to navigate this period in their lives and what direction they might take. To remain as a viable restaurant over the long haul, it became apparent that in-house dining would have to be sidelined at least for a while. But taking its place was outdoor or picnic-style dining and takeout. There was also the discovery of Rhode Island’s love for fried chicken. The sandwich was popping up everywhere, at chain restaurants and owner-operated independent eateries alike, up and down the price point. Nick Rabar describes it as “a chicken craze.”

WORK IN PROGRESS: Restaurateurs Tracy and Nick Rabar outside a building in East Providence that is slated to be renovated into Honeybird, an eatery that will feature fried chicken sandwiches.

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That is an accurate observation. The popularity of the fried chicken sandwich – and chicken wings, too – has caused somewhat of a commodity shortage. The demand combined with issues with the supply chain during the pandemic has driven poultry prices sky-high.

That said, the ubiquity of the fried chicken sandwich, or some variation, on the state’s restaurant menus has not resulted in a change in focus among local owner-operators to elevate the creation to a loftier status.

The mission of Honeybird will be, as Nick Rabar puts it, to “make chicken the star.”

The inspiration goes beyond popular culture. In fact, it goes beyond Rhode Island. “We love Southern food,” Nick Rabar said. This affection comes from the Rabars visiting their son when he was attending the College of Charleston in South Carolina. “We love the dining scene there,” Nick Rabar said. The “low-country” branch of Southern cooking in that area is a unique and underreported cuisine. Like our area, the ocean exerts its influence. As in wine and produce, the environment and prevailing weather conditions play a major role in taste. An oyster fresh-shucked from the warm waters along the South Carolina coast has entirely different characteristics and a completely different flavor than its Rhode Island cousin.

Oysters are just one item on a menu that is as diverse as it is appealing. Fried green tomatoes, grits, okra, she-crab, quail and succotash are all examples of low-country cooking. But don’t look for all of them on Rabar’s new menu. There was a lot of distilling during the research and development of the new restaurant and, according to the chef, only about 5% of his ideas will end up on the final menu – most all of them starring fried chicken in one form or another.

Nick Rabar says Honeybird’s menu will be small and dynamic. His concept is to showcase this authentic style of fare with the Rabars’ take on it. The fried chicken sandwich will be the catalyst, Nick Rabar says. Its starting point will be as it is featured from time to time at Avenue N – buttermilk-brined, with some ingredients used sparingly such as hot sauce and hot honey. Then it will be lovingly breaded with a dry rub and a secret blend of Southern spices. After that, it is a quick trip into the hot oil that will be carefully monitored for freshness. The chef will only confide his technique by saying, “You go from the wet to the dry to the fry.” n

Bruce Newbury’s radio show and podcast, “Dining Out with Bruce Newbury,” is broadcast on WADK 1540 AM and several radio stations throughout New England. Email him at Bruce@BruceNewbury.com.

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