Burn Discover: San Antonio meals truck Pete’s Scorching Hen brings the warmth

Hen’s a flexible fowl. 

It may be ready complete, or dismembered into legs, thighs, breasts, wings and “fingers.” Some cultures even eat the ft and cockscomb. It may be roasted or rotisseried, skewered and grilled, floor and fashioned into meatballs or slowly simmered with leeks and different aromatics. 

However the hen preparation that’s most captured America’s consideration, and no small a part of the culinarily colonized world exterior our borders, is frying. There are variations involving such substances as buttermilk and sweet-tea brine, the motherland of most of them being the South. 

Within the case of Pete’s Scorching Hen, a meals truck now posted up on South Presa Avenue, the purpose of origin is Nashville. I’ll spare you the historical past.

You need to in all probability know, although, that scorching in Pete’s case means scorching. The menu provides six levels of depth, most of which is equipped by a evenly sweetened and deadly chili paste, and until you might be atoning for some really egregious sin, it’s exhausting to think about ordering any hen dish at a degree larger than 4. “Scorching — It’s ridiculously spicy,” the menu warns about that degree. 

Then again, it’s equally exhausting to think about selecting degree 1, or ordering the fowl plain. The place’s the enjoyable in that?

My first expertise with Pete’s “Scorching” degree got here with the Soiled Chook, a mashup of loaded fries, critically fried hen elements, mac and cheese, crumbled bacon and, someplace in all that, aged cheddar. The upscale mac and cheese is a extra subtle model than the same old, using shell pasta and a lightweight hand with the tacky stuff. It could be value ordering as a separate facet. 

It’s additionally a welcome antidote to the craggy and crunchy hen, which at “Scorching” teeters proper on the sting of masochism. The buried and closely seasoned fries are inevitably soggy and appear pointless. Perhaps in the event that they have been piled on high, the story can be completely different. 

I’ve by no means been a hen and waffles fan. By no means noticed the purpose. However by no means have I had them with Nashville-style fowl. Having realized my lesson, this time I picked “Medium,” and the combo of crisp waffle and just-spicy-enough hen in a sandwich actually labored. However what really sealed the deal was the accompanying mixture of scorching honey and poblano butter. I’d drizzle it over something, together with ice cream. I may, nonetheless, do with out the dusting of powdered sugar. The honey offered loads of sweetness.

There’s out of doors seating subsequent to Pete’s yellow meals truck, however no one was within the temper for that form of warmth on any of my visits, so the cool and darkish inside beckoned. Whereas ready to your order, you’ll want to peruse the show cabinets which might be the main target of the area. Amongst the awards, together with one from the Present’s United We Brunch occasion, are a number of books that counsel a chef with, on the very least, an appreciation of the broader world of delicacies. 

There are tomes from high-toned locations the likes of Chicago’s Alinea and Copenhagen’s Noma and cookbooks from cooks as well-regarded as Thomas Keller. Mexican meals doyenne Diana Kennedy’s Oaxaca al Gusto is right here as effectively — together with works by restaurant administration guru Danny Meyer and cocktail capo Dave Arnold.  

Hen could also be only a stepping stone.

Which prompted me to return to Pete’s for the chicken-fried steak with Akaushi beef. No less than the meat selection speaks of aspirations. Know that that Pete’s does a brisk after-church enterprise and that the Sunday-best crowd has an obvious hankering for chicken-fried steak. 

For that go to, I arrived at 12:15 p.m., solely to seek out the CFS already bought out. Seems that the flowery beef is usually MIA. On my second attempt a couple of days later, the order taker assured me that this was not all the time the case. I additionally needed to take into accounts that the identical server by accident took my identify down as “Bruce” on an earlier go to. 

One factor I’ve realized in years of reviewing is that errors occur and there’s usually a necessity for a pivot. I subbed a collection of sides for the no-show CFS and wasn’t disillusioned. Certainly, the Chili Crisp Sprouts — of the Brussels selection — have been nearly meaty with their deep char, toasted pepitas and dusting of cotija cheese, all smoothed out with a facet serving of chili-lime mayo. 

A slaw of finely shredded cabbage with outstanding cilantro added slivered poblanos for a refined, vegetal warmth. It could be nice alongside the waffle sando. 

And crimson potato salad proved itself cool, tangy and one other good hen companion.

So, the CFS shortage and different minor deficiencies are forgiven apart from one factor: I imply, actually, Bruce?

Subscribe to SA Present newsletters.

Observe us: Apple Information | Google Information | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Fb | Twitter | Or join our RSS Feed