Ask any New Yorker who has passed Magnolia Bakery on Bleeker or Grom gelateria on the UWS, and they won't be surprised by the concept of waiting in long lines for food. Of course, in New York, the feeling of waiting anxiously for delicious food is accompanied by the scorn of other New Yorkers silently (and not so silently) judging what they see as useless behavior. Myself included. So I was surprised and dismayed to see it had been duplicated on the west coast, where I saw a line of folks standing outside of an unmarked storefront. No food could possibly be worth all that fuss, I was assured.
This assumption was questioned, when I read a review raving about a delicious new sandwich in New York Magazine. This must be a new hip restaurant in Brooklyn of course... No! It was the un-assuming restaurant, which I found was named Bakesale Betty's and being just a few miles from my house, I decided to give it a try.
My findings: It was good and it was simple! I'm really not a huge fan of raw cabbage, especially in a coleslaw form, but the combination with the vinegar and peppers and even parsley made it the perfect combination to the fried chicken. (not to mention, the abundance of veggies made me feel better about eating fried food) The flavors simple and fresh, with just a hint of sweetness and spice. Not only did I not mind eating it, I wanted to re-create it right away...minus the waiting.
Bakesale Betty’s Fried Chicken Sandwich
recipe from the San Francisco Chronicle
Serves 4
This makes a hefty sandwich in all regards – you’ll need two hands to eat it.
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 6 ounces each
The vinaigrette
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
The coleslaw
1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
1 cup red wine vinegar
2 jalapenos, seeded, cut in half and sliced crosswise --
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 green cabbage, core and outer leaves removed, and very thinly sliced
Kosher salt
4 Acme** Bakery torpedo rolls, sliced lengthwise
For the vinaigrette: Combine mustard, vinegar and salt in a bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil until well blended.
For the coleslaw: Macerate onions in red wine vinegar -- this means let them soak in the liquid--and let sit at least 20 minutes. Remove onions and discard vinegar. Toss onions with jalapeno, parsley, cabbage and salt. Toss with vinaigrette until evenly coated.
For the sandwich: Place fried chicken breast on bottom of torpedo roll and top generously with coleslaw.
**Acme is a local Bay Area bakery, but any sandwich roll will do.
Out of ease, I also skipped all the steps for frying the chicken and used store-bought fried chicken breasts instead.
Enjoy -- with a nice glass of fresh lemonade!
