Thursday, March 9, 2017

Ma Lou's Fried Chicken, a review

West wall of Ma Lou's with picnic table in foreground.
Ma Lou's Fried Chicken opened last Friday to much fanfare. After a few false starts, last night I finally had a chance to get some takeout from Ypsilanti's newest restaurant. Here's what I ordered:
Big box (feeds 2-4) 2 breasts, 2 leg quarters, half southern half medium spiced, $19
Large side of potato salad, $2 as an add on to the big box
Biscuit-donut, $3
Let me begin by saying this: if you are a fan of fried chicken, I am confident you will like Ma Lou's.
Clockwise from top: medium spiced chicken thigh; a bit of potato salad; pickle slice; southern spiced chicken thigh.


The chicken is flavorful and moist. The crust is salty, crispy and not overly greasy. The southern style was great. The medium spice level has a definite kick but is not so hot as to be unenjoyable. If you're chasing that capsaicin dragon, I am sure the "spicy AF" heat level will do the trick for you. The chicken comes in a brown bag, atop two slices of white bread and topped with pickle slices. This is great because the white bread ends up soaking up the lion's share of the oil from the chicken, making it delicious. It complemented the overall experience and cut the oil nicely. I don't know if this is how chicken is counted, or if some error was made at Ma Lou's but our takeout order definitely contained 8 pieces of chicken, which is twice as many as we expected. Which is a pretty good amount for $19. Easily enough for 3 hungry adults. The potato salad was made of baby potatoes. It was oniony and dilly. It was creamy, but not in a mayo-way. I think it might have some sort of sour cream or cream based dressing rather than a mayo based dressing. It was good, but not particularly remarkable. I'm looking forward to trying the other sides: fries, coleslaw, and baked beans.
On to the biscuit-donut. What is a biscuit-donut you ask? It's biscuit dough, shaped like a donut, deep fried and coated with a buttermilk vanilla glaze. It's got a great crust and a nice fluffy crumb. The glaze gives it just the right amount of sweetness. I gave EJ most of the biscuit-donut and asked her thoughts. "It's good," she said. "What did you like about it?" I asked. "All of it," she replied. I liked it too. My only critique would be that the $3 price point for a single biscuit-donut seems just a little steep. There is of course a solution, just buy a half dozen and get a discount!
Interior of Ma Lou's. Note: picnic tables and vintage arcade games.  

So what's the bottom line? I'll definitely be returning to Ma Lou's. I want to try the spicy AF chicken, their chicken/tempeh sandwich and the rest of their sides. You should check it out too, gentle reader, especially if you're a fan of fried chicken.





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