Dining Review: Dean Street’s Freaky Good Fried Chicken
Lightning struck in my inbox last week. “Go to Dean’s”, said Corner Media’s Dina Rabiner. I’m not one to toss off a recommendation lightly, much less one half of our resident gustatory power couple. Because of BKLYNER’s new and improved coverage, I darted out to Prospect Heights to see what the fuss was about.
Dean Street (755 Dean Street, between Vanderbilt Avenue and Underhill Avenue) has been providing a quintessentially American experience since it opened in 2011. Dean Street has a full menu in addition to an exceptionally well-curated bar and live entertainment.
“Get the fried chicken. It’ll be enough,” said my server when I asked him what the best and most popular dishes on the menu were, and how well-suited they were to a man of my (large) appetites. The Brownstone Belt is home to some excellent fried chicken, so my hopes were understandably high as I placed my order.
Dean Street is home to a splendid happy hour special, with two dollars off everything between 5pm and 8pm. I took advantage and ordered a Catskill Oktoberfest ($6), which took more than a few minutes to come. However, once it did, I was met with a pleasantly hopped, slightly sweet, and well-poured pint that was new to me.
The downtempo service continued with my fried chicken, but it was worth the wait.
The portions were massive, as advertised. I was confronted with a bounty of a chicken breast and wing, a biscuit, butter, mashed potatoes with gravy, and a giant heap of kale that served as the understudy for the usual collards, of which Dean Street was out that night.
I dug into the chicken… and Dean Street immediately had a place in my top five for fried chicken in the nabe. This juicy, meaty, piping hot bird had a flaky, slightly peppery skin. Thank you, Dina. This chicken is kinda amazing.
After gorging on flesh, my attention turned to the biscuit. As I pulled the tender carb-bomb apart, I made sure to slather it in the salty butter. Clearly, this post is sponsored by the American Journal of Cardiology. Each soft, pillowy bite was an emphatic victory over good sense.
The mashed potatoes lingered. The rich gravy and heavily seasoned potatoes included ample skins, which provided a pleasant foil to the monotony tubers can create. These were good spuds, but nothing special.
Finally, the kale. This player was not ready for prime time, unlike David S. Pumpkins. While it was tasty, there was far too much chew to be pleasant. In hindsight, it seems natural that I didn’t finish my vegetables.
Will I be back to Dean Street? Of course I will. Will I tell people to go? That’s what I am typing right now. Go! I need to pay Dina’s kindness forward.
Dean Street
Address: 755 Dean Street, between Vanderbilt Avenue and Underhill Avenue
Phone: (718) 783-3326
Try: The fried chicken.
Avoid: Nothing, but definitely get the fried chicken.
Kids: Take a wild guess.