Sunday, August 15, 2010

Finger Lick'in Good Fried Chicken & Beer @ Eva Restaurant

Every Tuesdays until otherwise notified, Eva Restaurant on Beverly Blvd offers Fried Chicken and Beer Night. For $25, you can eat as much chicken and drink as much of the selected beer as your hearts desire. And for an additional $5 a piece, you can order from one of their home cooked sides.

Eva is occupying the space that once housed Hatfields's. Although the decor seems somewhat similar to Hatfield's (modern, stark white walls, white table cloths), Eva is in fact quite different from Hatfield's. Hatfield's was quieter, more subdued. Eva is warm, energetic and rocking. We don't just mean the music (i.e. Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Heart, Foreigner, metal rock) blasting throughout the restaurant. Chef/Owner Mark Gold (Leatherby's Cafe Rouge, Cafe Pinot, Patina) is by the door to greet you. He even poured us our beer when we walked in. He also tried to fake us out by telling us it was Burgers and Hot Dogs night. Thankfully, it was not.

The beer of the night was Boont Amber Ale from Anderson Valley, a medium bodied beer with caramel tones.

I love that they served it in party cups. The waiters would walk around with pitchers of refill, always ensuring that your cup was full.

We had seats in the tiny alley corridor. Eva also has a main dining room and a front patio that overlooks Beverly Blvd.

Our waiter brought over a paper plate of fried chicken. Three pieces, one for each of us. I was expecting a bucket of chicken, but it's understandable that they want to serve you one piece at a time given that the chicken is cooked to order. They offer both white and dark meat, which satisfied everyone at our table. Our waiter did mention that the white meat runs out quickly so you should advise if you prefer white meat so that they can save some for you.

The chicken is double battered in buttermilk, then chilled so that the breading sets before it's cooked the old way in a skillet. You won't find a deep dryer here. After, the chicken is seasoned with spices. The chilling of the chicken prior to frying results in a nice crunchy exterior which manages to stay intact. The chicken was tender in the inside, covered with a crunchy skin which was not greasy. I really enjoyed the fried chicken. The breading was seasoned well and the meat was juicy. My friend mentioned that she thought the meat was a bit gamy but I didn't notice. Because the chicken is not mass prepared, there was a wait in between orders. I suggest you ask for more chicken before you are done with your last.

So I've always said that I can clean a bone (nooo.. get your head out of the gutter..), and no one believes me but here's proof.

Cartilage, ligaments, tendons, connective tissues all cleaned out. Waste not want not!

Sides are $5 a piece, and served in Chinese takeout containers.

Creamed corn was our favorite. The corn was sweet and fresh, and the dish was rich and very buttery. It's a bit of an artery clogger but worth it.

Zucchini with garlic and chili flakes

Potato salad with mustard dressing

I really enjoyed my dinner at Eva. You really can't beat AYCE delicious fried chicken and good craft beer. They didn't skimp on the ingredients or serve crappy beer. I thought the fried chicken and beer night was a fun concept. You could tell that it worked from the packed restaurant. It attracted diners from young to the old. The ambiance was casual and fun. Eva is inviting and the type of place that you just want to hang out at and have a leisurely dinner with friends. The service was friendly, our waiter also brought by extra servings of side orders. Mark Gold was walking around the restaurant, refilling beers and checking up on guests. The fried chicken was delicious and the creamed corn was to die for. IMO, Eva seems to have everything going for it. It has the right concept, cooking, ambiance, service and most importantly, the right heart.

Hits: chicken, creamed corn, price, service
Misses: AYCE is not good for the diet
Rating: ***

EVA Restaurant
7458 Beverly Blvd.,
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 634-0700
http://www.evarestaurantla.com/

5 comments:

Banana Wonder said...

interesting. i'm not a fried chicken eater, or really a chicken eater for that matter, but i want to take a phat bite out of that piece you got there!

bagnatic said...

i totally clean everything off the bone too. love crunching on the cartilage bits. this really sounds like a good deal. i'll wear my fat pants when i go.

Diana said...

I think I would definitely need to call in and ask for breast meat... I'm not quite one with cartilage yet!

Did you like it better than the fried chicken at the Ivy?

Marie said...

AYCE chicken and beer really sounds like trouble waiting to happen! :)

stuffycheaks said...

Anna- Do you not like fried chicken cuz its greasy? Cuz Eva's isn't greasy.. so maybe you should give it a try when you are in town!

Bagnatic - haha yeah.. i had to be real stealth when biting off the cartilage since I was in an "American" joint, not a Chinese place

Diana - Hard to say!! I liked the seasoning at Eva better AND that they offered dark meat.. but i appreciate Ivy for executing on the white meat. I have to say Eva wins cuz of the AYCE chix and drink beers too!

Marie- Yeah, I was definitely full when I was done. But such a good deal! Hard to pass up on.