Alabama Fried Chicken & Fish
OPINION —
Last month, Mike and I went on our dream vacation: We spent two weeks in Scotland, the land of our ancestors. Mike is a Wallace (you can’t be more Scottish than that) and my sweet Mama was a McEachern; we were definitely from Scotland.
Scotland was a very beautiful country with lush green and golden fields. In addition, the people were so warm and welcoming. I told the Scots we met, “Even though we’re an ocean apart, and our accents are quite different, it’s wonderful to find out that Scots are as friendly as Southerners.”
Mike and I spent five days in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Then we traveled to Inverness for three days, where we went looking for Nessie on Loch Ness but didn’t see her. We also visited Stirling, the home of William Wallace, the hero of Scotland, Glasgow and Campeltown, where my family, the McEacherns, first made an appearance in the 1200s.
Our trip was amazing, and we felt a connection or kinship in the land of our ancestors. Mike, my trusty photographer, took over 900 pictures.
Also, we loved Chris, our favorite driver. He was so accommodating and stopped wherever we wanted. “This is your vacation,” he said.
I’m proud and happy to report that we turned Chris into an Auburn fan. We told him all about Auburn, and while we were looking around the University of St. Andrews (established in 1413!), Chris watched Auburn’s incredible Kick Six game against Alabama. That did it; we had him.
Chris is looking forward to watching Auburn in the fall on ESPN. We plan to send him an Auburn t-shirt and sweatshirt so that he will be properly attired for the games.
Something odd but wonderful happened on our trip: Mike lost 7.6 pounds, and I lost 1.6. Why?
Because we walked miles and miles, and some of the food we were served was not to our liking.
Don’t get me wrong; the breakfasts, a steak, fish and chips and sticky toffee pudding were terrific.
However, some of the food was a little frightening. For instance, at beautiful Culloden House, where we stayed and had breakfast for three days, Amy, our sweet server (all our servers were terrific in Scotland), gave us a small, complimentary dish: lamb tartar. That means RAW lamb. I took two tiny bites; Mike took one. Also, we braved trying haggis at another hotel. When I described our haggis to my friend Ashley she said, “That sounds more like black pudding than haggis.” Now, haggis, “the national dish of Scotland,” is a type of pudding composed of the liver, heart and lungs of a sheep, minced and mixed with beef or mutton and oatmeal, seasoned with onion, cayenne pepper and other spices. The mixture is packed into a sheep’s stomach and boiled.” And black pudding has blood in it. Boy, those don’t sound like puddings to me. Whichever it was, I’m just proud that Mike and I didn’t throw up at the table.
Our ancestors were really tough.
But I was really craving our mouthwatering Southern fried chicken when we got back to Auburn.
Therefore, Mike and I were very happy to meet our good friend Jack at Alabama Fried Chicken & Fish at 1625 E. University Drive, Suite 116, behind McAlister’s Deli.
The restaurant opened March 13. The owners are Cassandra Denson and DeAndre Jones, who graduated from Opelika High School, and M. D. Shafiullah, who lives locally.
Denson and Jones were working the night we dined at Alabama Fried Chicken & Catfish, and they were very kind and patient.
Mike chose the two-piece fried catfish fillet with French fries and coleslaw. I selected the two-piece fried chicken combo which included a breast and a wing (served on the bone as God intended) and fries. Jack also ordered the two-piece fried chicken with okra as his side.
It was so wonderful to be home eating terrific Southern fried chicken instead of raw sheep, blood or sheep intestines.
Everything was absolutely delicious. Also, our food was very reasonably priced. As I’ve said before in this column, that’s a big deal in inflationary times.
Besides our delectable choices, Alabama Fried Chicken & Fish also serves diners whole catfish, whiting (whole or fillet), shrimp, wings, tilapia, gizzards, tenders, liver and chicken or fish sandwiches. Other sides offered include: Cajun-ranch fries, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, hushpuppies and jalapenos.
Give Alabama Fried Chicken & Fish a try. I started craving their chicken again when I was writing this.
Alabama Fried Chicken & Fish is open on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Alabama Fried Chicken & Fish makes the grade with an A+ from this retired English teacher. Remember, “Pooh-sized” people NEVER lie about food. Enjoy!
Stacey Patton Wallace, who retired from teaching language arts for 30 years, is a professional diner. Her column, “Making the Grade,” will appear every other week in The Observer. Stacey may be reached at retiredlangartsteacher2020@gmail.com.
