The Roost was our first stop on The Crawl that was exclusively indoor seating and also the first stop that was exclusively counter service. As a result, it created a very quaint, authentic vibe which I can only imagine is a more common feature south of the Mason Dixon Line. Couple other areas which contributed to the authentic southern chicken-y vibe were the communal tables, cozy eating areas and limited menu (more to come).
I always hold a restaurant with a limited menu in higher regard. Rather than being a jack of all trades and master of none (Cheesecake Factory, anyone?), they excel and perfect the limited items that are offered. Whereas other stops on The Crawl had extensive drink menus, The Roost stood true to its limited offerings and was BYOB (cheers to Garrett for bringing the perfect amount of brews!).
With that in mind, The Roost’s entree offerings were very straightforward - the Chicken Sandwich or just plain Chicken - and were complimented by three seasonings - Original, Spicy or Nashville Hot. In order to try a complete representation of the menu, I ordered a Spicy Biscuit Chicken Sandwich and challenged myself with the Nashville Hot Chicken.
Everyone is aware of my disposition for boneless chicken (less juice and subsequently less flavor, obvi), the Spicy Biscuit Chicken Sandwich offered an adequate amount of flavor and juice. With that said, I felt the bird was a little overcooked, which created a slightly dry texture. I did, however, really enjoy the seasoning - not too overpowering but packed a strong punch of flavor. My biggest issue with the sandwich was the biscuit bun. Rather than serving on two full-sized biscuits, The Roost instead cut its biscuit in half and plopped the chicken between. As a restaurateur, I found this extremely irresponsible and careless. The half-biscuit crumbled at the touch, and what was left was a feeble attempt to hold an entire chicken while maintaining some semblance of a sandwich.
We all know my intolerance (hiccups) towards hot/spicy food, so I’m writing as objectively as possible when reviewing the Nashville Hot Chicken. The bone-in chicken was very well-cooked and provided a nice alternative to the crumbly sandwich. While the bird was well-cooked, I felt it was seasoned a little too strongly. Before even sinking my teeth, I accidentally inhaled some of the excess seasoning that was sitting atop the skin. User error? Maybe. Nonetheless, a spicy-hiccup-y explosion followed suite. As a result, I think the hot seasoning could have been even more effective if it was decreased to a more tolerable level.
The side offerings were also very limited. Unfortunately, the sides didn’t uphold to my standards of limited offerings as they were not very memorable - the mac n’ cheese was plain and the biscuits were unfulfilling especially after my crumbly experience with the sandwich. A sneaky good “side” was the peach cobbler. I’m still not sure why it was listed as a side whereas it’s actually a dessert, but I digress.