They are saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t repair it!” Nicely, issues run fairly easily on the greater than a dozen Hattie B’s areas that stretch from Las Vegas to Atlanta, with new outposts deliberate for Chicago, Austin and Huntsville. In order that they don’t tinker a lot with the menu at Hattie B’s.
In reality, the final main addition to the meals lineup was a sandwich greater than 9 years in the past. However tastes change, and government chef Brian Morris has been eager about a brand new merchandise for fairly some time. I met with him to debate the latest menu merchandise: The Southern Salad.
“We’ve been speaking about it for years,” Morris explains. “We wish to preserve our menu tight, so there’s solely house for one salad. Possibly we’ll add one other one later, however we don’t wish to stray from our core competencies.”
After all, meaning rooster, both grilled or fried rooster bites. Like an everyday Hattie B’s expertise, friends can choose their most well-liked warmth stage, go for dipped or dry warmth with simply powdered seasoning, or no warmth in any respect by ordering it “Southern model.” There’s additionally a brand new nonspicy stage that has been accessible at their Austin outpost, a dry rub known as Candy & Smoky.
Morris instructed me that the grilled rooster doesn’t maintain onto the spicy oil dip just like the fried model does, so the dry rubs are a fair higher taste supply system for a little bit of spice. “Identical to our dip sauce elevates good Southern fried rooster, dry warmth elevates our Southern grilled rooster whereas letting these juicy, tender bites really shine.”
Chef Brian Morris with The Southern Salad
Consistent with the Hattie B’s gestalt, Morris says it doesn’t need to be the completely healthiest salad you’ve ever eaten. “We would like it to be indulgent and Southern and scrumptious and craveable with out breaking the calorie financial institution!” The bottom of the salad is a particular mixed-greens combo of spring combine, romaine, inexperienced leaf lettuce, ribbon-cut carrots and purple cabbage. Add-ins embody crispy hardwood-smoked bacon, Tillamook farm-style sharp cheddar cheese, a candy corn succotash constructed from corn, black-eyed peas, bell pepper and thyme, and house-made toasted cornbread croutons that actually stand aside out of your on a regular basis croutons that shatter if you happen to even strategy them with a fork.
Dressing decisions embody the usual Hattie B’s dipping sauces of ranch, honey mustard and blue cheese together with new creamy poppyseed or roasted garlic French dressing developed specifically for The Southern Salad.
After testing at just a few Hattie B’s areas the place the salad obtained rave opinions and wanted just a few small tweaks due to diner suggestions, The Southern Salad is rolling out in any respect areas immediately, June 23, at a value of $12.50. For an entrée salad, that’s a fairly cheap value — and it rings in at rather less than a Hattie B’s sandwich plus a facet as a comparable. And consider it this fashion: If you happen to order a salad, you possibly can really feel even higher about your self while you order banana pudding for dessert!
