Archive for the ‘Burritos and Other Fine Foods’ Category

Uncle Remus Chicken & Barbeque of Chicago

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Twitter is a phenomenal tool for listening.

For example, are people talking about Joel Chandler Harris?  Not that much. Song of the South?  Sure, especially with the release of the Princess and the Frog on DVD.  What about Uncle Remus?

Like you wouldn’t believe.

Uncle Remus Chicken & BBQ is, according to many on Chicago’s West Side, “the business.”

See what I mean?

Whenever I look at my saved search for “Uncle Remus” on Tweetdeck, I have to wade through unending praise of Uncle Remus Chicken & BBQ.  Either that or comparisons to its nearest competitor, Harold’s Chicken Shack, on the South Side.

So on a recent trip to Chicago, Amelia and I just had to try it out.  Accompanied by intrepid blog commenter Joe, Brer Lion shirt-owner Heather, and another guy named Joe, we set out for the W. Madison location.

There’s no seating inside Uncle Remus.  You read the menu that’s written on the wall in a shade of orange so neon that I think I contracted epilepsy on the spot.  The extremely reasonable prices, however, made up for it.  Once you decide on your order, you give it to someone behind a large pane of glass.  I gave our order to a lady wearing a shirt that said “Auntie Uncle Remus.”

While you wait (a surprisingly long time) you can either watch ‘em fry everything up through the glass or stand awkwardly in the corner next to an inexplicably placed map.  We chose the latter.

Auntie Uncle Remus finally called our number, and we received our chicken through a 12″ x 12″ hole that sits about 6 feet off the ground.  It has something of a speakeasy quality to it.

We took the chicken to nearby Garfield Park to enjoy a little picnic before hitting up the Conservatory.

The verdict?  A resounding “meh.”

The mild sauce, occasionally referred to as “crack sauce,” is what keeps folks coming back.  It’s pretty good, and the chicken is better than this picture would have you believe.  We did not bother with the fries (and recommend that you do the same).  If you factor in the price, it’s a pretty good value.  That said, I’ll take the Busy Bee Cafe any day of the week.

Still, given the name, the product, and the experience, I think we all agree:

Brer Possums Sent to White House for Christmas in 1907

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On December 23rd, 1907 the New York Times ran a little story about Mrs. Helen D. Longstreet, widow of Confederate General James Longstreet.  Mrs. Longstreet sent two possums to the White House for the Roosevelt Christmas dinner.

The possums “surrendered” near the Wren’s Nest.  Click the article for a larger version.

I have many questions.  Here are a few–

• Who elected Mrs. Longstreet to the position of “Presidential Possum Postmistress?”
• Who currently holds this office?
• Where do I apply?

Here are a few more–

• Were the possums on vacation just prior to their surrendering?
• Did Mrs. Longstreet take possums on vacation regularly?
• Did the possums enjoy a warm reception at the White House or were they thrown in a heap with all of the other marsupials the Roosevelts had been sent?

I could do this all day.

Thank you, New York Times Archive, and Merry Christmas.

Kingsized Rocked Our Fundraiser

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Big Mike Geier and the rest of Kingsized played a heck of a show at the Wren’s Nest on Saturday.

I’m still recovering.  But I did manage to post a few pictures of the party.  Check ‘em out here.

Did you take any pictures?  Seriously, I’d love to see ‘em since I was so busy running around all night. Just upload your pictures to the Wren’s Nest Facebook Page.

Big thanks to our volunteers (Laura, Nicole, Greg and Christina, Lauren and Catherine, my mom, my sister), our staff, and the folks who had a great time, which was everyone.  Thank you, everyone.

Kingsized at the Wren’s Nest — We’re Getting Nervous

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By now you might have noticed that Kingsized is playing our fundraiser here on September 27th.

That’s less than 10 days away.  I’m a little worried.

Don’t get me wrong — the show will be phenomenal, the tacos will be delicious, and the margaritas will have tequila.  I’m mostly worried that folks might miss out on a great time.

We’ve got a lot to compete with — class reunions, out-of-town plans, laziness, stock market induced excuses, hatred of fun and margaritas — you name it.

And in typical Wren’s Nest fashion, we were late spreading the word.  The price we pay?  Restrained panic.

We’re looking to you, dear Wren’s Nest blog readers, to help us out.  And boy howdy, have I got some incentive–

Inspire nine folks to come to the concert with you, and drinks for your entire table are on me.

You heard me.

Honestly, I don’t think anyone will take me up on this offer.  I’m sure you’re either too busy or it’s too expensive or you don’t have time to rally your crew.  I will be shocked if you can pull this together.

So prove me wrong.

Free drinks for you and your buddies all night, but only if you (1) are at least 21; (2) mention this blog post; (3) assemble your crew of 9 or more; (4) pay for your tickets in full; and (5) tell me about it before 4 pm on September 22nd (lain@wrensnestonline.com).

Please, test my generosity.

Microsoft’s New Commercials With Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld

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Microsoft and house museums share the same problem. They’re (perceived as) boring. Super boring.

Unlike most house museums however, Microsoft has some pretty deep pockets. They addressed the problem by hiring the same firm that brought back the King from Burger King.

And behold! They made Bill Gates funny! With impeccable timing!

I suppose you could say that Microsoft’s Seinfeld commercials are a little bit like the Wren’s Nest blog–a little awkward, sometimes confusing, oddly funny, and a direct response to a problem (of being branded a snoozefest) outside of our control.

Oh, but ours cost $300 million less.  …and reaches approximately 300 million fewer people.

Thanks, Epicenter.

Rich’s Children’s Menu Featuring Brer Rabbit

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Southern historian Tim Hollis sent us this Rich’s Menu featuring Brer Rabbit and his critter friends–

Click here for the full menu.

Isn’t it weird that the tar baby recommends desserts, but included in those desserts is tar baby ice cream?

For those of you who never had the chance to go, Rich’s was an Atlanta-based department store, founded in 1867. It was like the Macy’s of the south until Macy’s acquired Rich’s in 2005.

Brer Rabbit Molasses: Sweet Sassy Molassy!

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Yesterday the staff of the Wren’s Nest received a bottle of Brer Rabbit Molasses in the mail.

Who knew characters in Joel Chandler Harris stories had such a corner on the pancake market?

Miss Nannie, one of our docents, got all excited when she saw our new acquisition.  She explained that her family used molasses all the time when she was growing up in the red hills of Alabama.

Her family was too poor to afford butter, so they’d mix the molasses with bacon grease and spread it on biscuits.

Now the only sweetening Nannie needs is a few tablespoons of sugar per ounce of beer.  Delicious.

But most importantly, thank you, Kirk, frequent blog commenter and member of the Wren’s Nest, for sending it over!  We’re going to make Brer Rabbit Molasses Ginger Bread Cookies for the Family Reunion tomorrow.

Auburn Avenue Podcast Tour With Andrew Young

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The Center for Civil and Human Rights Partnership just released an audio tour of Auburn Avenue. It’s kind of amazing.

For those of you not from Atlanta, Auburn Avenue is what Fortune Magazine once called the “richest Negro street in the world.” The MLK childhood home is there, as is a whole mess of other civil rights sites.

Speaking of celebrity endorsements, your host for the podcasts is none other than Andrew Young.

You know, Andrew Young–civil rights leader, Atlanta mayor, UN Ambassador, and the guy who once gave me his slice of pecan pie.*

Cool, no?

The podcast is broken up into sixteen segments. Here’s one of the shorter tracks–

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

While you listen, pretend like you’re standing in front of Big Bethel A.M.E. Church.

(picture: Edward R. Canda. Thanks, dude.)

You can download the Auburn Avenue Tour straight from the CCHR’s website, or search for it in iTunes.

* I was 17, and had previously shunned pie of any sort. I happened to sit next to Andrew Young at an event for a high school newspaper field trip. We happened to be eating lunch. He happened to not want his pie.  Andrew Young offered up his pecan pie.  I didn’t say no!

Surprisingly enough, the pie wasn’t so bad.

The Wren’s Nest Staff Recommends West End Restaurants

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Every so often a visitor will ask us if there is anywhere to eat in the West End, post-totally awesome Wren’s Nest tour.

It is important to know that they are asking this question earnestly, bracing themselves to hear that there is a complete dearth of dining establishments in this area of Atlanta. Which would be sad.

(Mercenary Amelia Trace eating up.)

The good news is that yes, there are restaurants! More than a couple, even.

(Bossman Lain wearing a cool shirt and eating up.)

The bad news is, it was becoming more and more difficult to respond to this timid question without laughing a little. Also, it kept us on the phone for a while, and you know how we feel about using the phone.

Solution! Allow me to welcome you to the newest page on the website, Places to Eat Around The Wren’s Nest That Not Only Exist, But Are Also Delicious (working title).

There you’ll find our totally biased recommendations of, essentially, where we go to lunch on Fridays. If you have any suggestions to add, don’t hesitate to do so in the comments.

So, who’s up for a tour and a lunch date?

Welcome, Eduardo! Now get to work.

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Dear reader, I am excited to announce the newest addition to the Wren’s Nest family: Businessman Eduardo.

Though this picture makes him look half good, half evil, he’s been nothing short of delightful on this, his second day of work.

We set Eduardo up for a pretty grueling interview yesterday, and he passed with flying colors. It took place at the Best of Atlanta party, so Eduardo’s first challenge was to coolly order a free beer while being congratulated for his success. He didn’t even flinch. In fact, he was able to approach this task repeatedly.

(Feel the intensity of our victory!)

Eduardo’s second task was to eat very small foods, all delicious, while mingling with other triumphant Atlantans. He especially liked some sort of coconut contraption and the treats from another Best of winner, The Chocolate Bar, in little old Decatur, and once again impressed us with his skill.

Eduardo’s third task was to have the last name is Rodriguez, which he did effortlessly. Man, can you feel our diversity skyrocket? I can.

So, we think we’re going to keep him. Welcome, Eduardo. We promise there will be fewer glamour photoshoots tomorrow.