Shaquille O’Neal's new venture in the restaurant field has arrived in Houston, and as luck would have it, Big Chicken is pretty close to where I live, so being neighborly, I stopped by to say hi.
Oh my. Oh my. I am not a food reviewer, nor am I much of a foodie, but by their fourth day in operation I’ve been there three times and just thought I’d like to share with you what I’m experiencing. The Big & Sloppy had me in heaven on day one.
It’s at Westheimer and Tanglewilde in Southwest Houston, in a Randall’s shopping center occupying what used to be a Corner Bakery Café. 9630 Westheimer Rd #1000 Houston, TX 77063
The buns are brioche bread. Wow. Wowee. Very, very tasty. You can get your chicken fried in an amazing crust unlike any other fried chicken I’ve ever tasted or they’ll grill it for you. The signage says they only use premium chicken that’s preservative free and humanely raised with no cages, no hormones and no antibiotics, so if that’s important to you there's that. But taste-wise, the chicken is top notch. I read somewhere they spent hundreds of hours developing the crust. It was time well spent. While eating I started googling to find out the background. The chicken is phenomenal. Did I mention I’m not a big chicken sandwich fan? I had mine fried and it was possibly the best I have ever had. Go to this video of the menu and you see how a sandwich is assembled.
So I had the “Big Aristotle” last night, which is one of Shaq’s self-chosen nicknames I read somewhere. I like Greek philosophers and Aristotelian logic so I went with it. Inside the sandwich are freshly fried onions cooked to perfection. They fry them right there while you’re waiting. Everything is done fresh. The muenster cheese was delicious. It comes with a bbq sauce with a hint of smoke and touch of sweet. I cut the sandwich in half and my husband and I shared it for dinner because, I'm guessing, Shaquille O'Neal has a large sense of proportion. We loved it.
And had a side order of BC Fries. I have no idea what the BC is but not your typical fries, my friend. It’s a deep-fried thin lightly salted slice of potato heaven shaped more like a rectangular potato chip than a traditional fast food restaurant fry. Loved the fries. They also have sweet potato waffle fries, and Dirty Fries that come with cheese sauce, bacon, banana peppers and spicy chipotle bbq. Dang. Haven't tried those yet. There are a choice of sauces that are exquisite.
There is a bar. A fully stocked bar. I personally have not had a drink there but if you want a martini, tequila or mixed adult beverage of your choice you can order it with your meal. There are TV’s mounted on the wall and go figure – they had sports on.
There’s pop corn chicken, and chicken tenders that I haven’t tried yet. And sliders. Lucille’s Mac n’ Cheese is made with Chees-It crust. I’m gonna have to do that. Probably soon. I haven’t had any of the milkshakes but those look amazing. There is one called “Big Conductor” that includes salted caramel cookies and whipped cream. I’m guessing that’s going to be in my future. They have their own ice cream, which is listed as a food group and that appeals to my Aristotelian logic.
I can’t wait to try the Ceasar Salad and the Cobb Salad. Salads are my favorite breakfast.
There is only one Big Chicken in Houston and one in Austin so far, another 50 planned I read somewhere. They are on some limited Carnival Cruise ships. The original is in Las Vegas. Evidently this started with a TV Show? Dunno. If I have any more incredible edible experiencing I may feel compelled to share them with you, but just wanted to let you know we have a new restaurant in Houston that’s really, really good. My integrity compels me to tell you this is not a paid endorsement. This isn't a commercial. We do advertising for a living but this isn't an advertisement. I just really like the food and wanted to share it with you, my friend.
photo: Getty Images