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| 2-Pc. Fried Chicken with Biscuit |
I rarely visit Roy Rogers for any other reason than hamburgers; but man doesn't live on burgers alone, does he? Every now and then, he must deviate... stray, if you will. That could mean a Roast Beef Sandwich (not bad) or today's choice - Fried Chicken, a pricier alternative ($7.49 for 2 pieces, a biscuit, fries and drink.) The result? Odds are, I'll stick to burgers; but there is hope.
That hope rests in the chicken itself... Tender & flaky with tons of meat (at least in the leg.) The thigh, not so much; but both pieces suffer from terribly dull skin (total lack of seasoning.) Considering it's fried chicken, that's a big no-no. In the end, the interior flavor and abundance of meat won out, lifting its grade to a B- (perhaps an A- with a better coating.)
The biscuit looked great, but was way too soft without its familiar crusty top. It tasted underdone, and begged for butter. A biscuit with bad texture is yet another no-no (sense a trend?) Thankfully the holster fries (minus the holster... I hate eating in) more than made up for a listless biscuit. Roy's fries are vastly underrated; and in this case, carried the meal.
As for atmosphere, it's proximity to Lakeforest Mall invites a broad range of customers... some worse than others (a lot worse.) For example, a family of five took turns standing on the table while the matriarch undid two different power cords from a Roy's outlet. Beforehand, her kids repeatedly ran back and forth (full-speed) between the cashier and their corner table. Needless to say, the elderly couple sitting next to me was none-too-pleased (nor was I.) After all, some of us were here to eat.
Roy Rogers remains a draw (today's visit was supposed to be a belated birthday gift to myself) but they're starting to use up their generous surplus of good will. Their prices are high, their burgers continue to shrink and overall quality is down. It's not time for a full overhaul (at least not yet) but some fine-tuning is clearly in order.
