Ad Hoc - Fried Chicken Night

Elite '08

63

128

Christine C.

Berkeley, CA

One of the best buttermilk fried chicken you will ever experience, accompanied by the buttery mashed potatoes and corn on a cob, is what you will get at Ad Hoc's fried chicken night.  The other courses almost seem trivial after having tasted the flavorful fried chicken.  

It alternates between Mondays and Wednesdays.  (If it's Monday this week, then it's Wednesday the next and so on.)

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1

12

James S.

Danville, CA

FRIED CHICKEN NIGHT IS THE BEST

I was planning on just leaving that for the entire review - really, do you need anything more? But check this out:

So we get our bread and I keep hearing this voice I recognize, after awhile I'm like "who is that?" I look over and it's Kathleen Turner sitting beside me. Cool! So I mind my own business for the next few minutes, look over again and realize that Thomas Keller joined her and is sitting basically right across from me. Bonus!

The only thing that went wrong with this dinner is that it was HOT inside the restaurant. This is because it was up to 110 in Napa today and the air conditioner can't keep up. It was probably 85 inside Ad Hoc. I looked at my dining partners and was like, "don't drink or you'll die of heat exhaustion," but they were full of fail and did so anyway. They regretted it. Noobs.

So don't go on a very hot day because their air conditioner isn't the best.

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Elite '08

277

337

Dan V.

San Francisco, CA

Allow me to be frank with you.

I had a really shitty first half of 2008:  Work was insane, family... equally insane, health (and subsequent surgery) was a little scary, being hit on my bike by an idiot driver was perhaps even scarier, the unexpected death of two people close to me was heartbreaking, even my love life was...  hmmm, maybe like a Murakami story (and that's being positively generous).

I had been to Ad Hoc before, last September. It was supposed to be a beautiful day.  It turned out to be dark, gray, and rainy.  It was supposed to be an eclectic menu.  It was skirt steak and salad.  It was supposed to be a special occasion with someone special.  It is now a distant faded memory.

One thing I've learned in my old age (as I'm older than all of you...  well except Marc Y., that dude is OLDE) is that when life throws this crap at you, it is your choice how to deal, cope with, and move on to greener pastures.  Some seek comfort in introspection, some with friends, some with travel, hell even with food.

Comfort food should take you to your personal "happy place", usually triggered by something that might come from your mother's kitchen.  My mom didn't make a lot of skirt steak growing up; however, she made HELLA fried chicken.

I decided to give Ad Hoc a second chance after the first sour experience, and I am definitely glad I did.  Fried Chicken Night could have been a completely different restaurant.  I could not have had a better experience.  Instead of rain showers, our servers rained greetings and introductions and champagne suggestions.  Instead of an uneclectic menu, we had:

1a) amuse bouche:  heirloom tomato gazpacho with essence of tomato, creme fraiche and basil.

1b) compressed melon summer salad:  a complete balance of tastes and textures.  compressed melons vacuum sealed in simple syrup and sea salt, fresh bitter frisee, roasted pinon nuts, creamy and salty feta cheese.

2a) buttermilk fried chicken.  incredibly succulent, marinated in meyer lemon juice and basted in buttermilk before being battered and fried to perfection.  Not as good as Mom's (hey, what is?) but for restaurant, this is as good as it gets (compare:  City Grocery in Oxford, MS and Pies N Thighs in Brooklyn, NYC).

2b) sides were a fingerling potato salad and heirloom helga beans with a bacon and tomato stew.

3) cheese plate:  salted almonds, plum jam with Zingerman's Lincoln Log goat cheese and a sheep cheese that I can't remember for the life of me oh well.

4) peach and mixed berry cobbler.  wow. this is the height of peach season (i did a little peach picking a couple weeks ago which was fun) and these peaches were even better than the super expensive tree-picked peaches we got at the organic farm.  Unbelievable juicy and tuned to perfection with the remainder of the cobbler.

To drink: besides the Philippe Michel Crémant du Jura bubbly, I also tried the Meyer Lemon soda (not sweet! instead, delicate and mild...  focusing more on the bitter and sourness which I love) as well as ONE WHOLE CARAFE of Ice Tea (unsweetened, sorry Mom).  Yes, one whole carafe to myself.  Mwahahahaha.  That made the drive home a little interesting.

Also!  I went with a VIP so the service was unbelievably beyond expectations and the obligatory kitchen tour post-meal was totally awesome.  You know who you are and thanks a lot, friend!

So here's to second chances.  Always keep an open mind and don't be afraid to let your guard down once in a while...  the pay-off might be sweeter than you could imagine.

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Elite '08

376

209

Lee R.

Oakland, CA

Yesterday was fried chicken Monday and five of us made the (2-hour traffic-filled) trek to Yountville.

It was worth it.  Wow ... they do chicken right!

This was the first time I had the Ad Hoc perfectly fried chicken I have read about in reviews and magazines.  The entire evening was just one great thing after another.

After salad, chicken with smashed potatoes, corn and green beans, we were served a great cheese course and then lemon bars. Every bite was wonderful. The evening had a simple, summer picnic flair to it. If only every picnic could have food this good.

We will be back. I only wish that Ad Hoc was my neighborhood restaurant!

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Elite '08

205

622

Seong P.

Oakland, CA

After a day of relaxation at Indian Springs and then a 2 hour drive from Calistoga to Yountville due to some mystery accident on 29 I saw no trace of, we were an hour late.  I figured we might get seats at the bar but the staff was very accomodating.

We were seated after 10 seconds at the bar and continued to have excellent service throughout.  At one point, we had 3 servers surrounding our table for 2.  It was a bit overwhelming but they were all very pleasant and we didn't have to wait for a thing.  Everything was delicious.  The chicken was crispy and juicy without being greasy.  The haricot vert were perfectly seasoned and so fresh tasting.  The salad was refreshing and the cheese course was great.

The only thing I wasn't that into was the lemon bar but I don't like altered fruit so I'm not the best judge.  The crusty/cookie part of it was nice though.

The ambiance, service and food totally lived up to the hype and I hope I get to come back soon.

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11

69

H. Q.

San Francisco, CA

I have to add my 5 (plus 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 x infinity!) stars for the fried chicken night!   My crew and I trekked from the City - with the three of us, carpool lane and some amazing "lack of traffic" Karma, we were there in 1 hour!  WOOO!  We even had enough time to spare to stop off at Oxbow Market and Fatted Calf (HIGHLY recommended!)

Anyways, I digress!  Another great treat from Mr. Keller.  I've been to Ad Hoc a few times now and have enjoyed every single time.  BUT!  Fried Chicken Night.  OMG!!!!!

The chicken is brined overnight, the chicken is fried with a simple flour and spices coating.  The oil is flavored with rosemary, thyme and a hint of lemon.  Each piece is almost uniform sized and all done to the same color of caramel.  Each piece is crispy, moist, juicy and not at all greasy!  My hat is off to Mr. Keller and his excellent Chef de Cuisine, Dave!  You have made Mondays (and now Wednesdays!) something to look forward to!  

The staff, as always, were wonderful!  5++++++ stars to them too! Friendly, knowledgeable, and gracious!  

Oh yeah... the rest of our meal was amazing too. All the salads, sides, cheeses and dessert change each time.  But... the chicken remains the primary Star!!!

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Elite '08

88

751

Jen D.

San Francisco, CA

For my 600th review, I'm dedicating it to Fried Chicken Night at Ad Hoc. Um, yeah... It's just that good.

So I'm a southern girl. Born and mostly raised in southeast Alabama. My grandma lived her whole life in Alabama and so did her mom, and her grandma and so on... So the southern family recipes have been passed down generation to generation. So it should come as no surprise to you the reader, that my grandma can make some damn good buttermilk fried chicken.

The only thing she does different from the TK way is she mixes her flour with the buttermilk and batters the chicken that way. Everything fried was always fried in a cast iron skillet and the oil was always saved in a jar and reused the next time something fried was made. So the fried skin was always so flavorful.

With that being said, my first experience at Ad Hoc's Buttermilk Fried Chicken night left me speechless. I can say without hesitation that the chicken is the best fried chicken that I have ever tasted, aside from my grandma's of course. It was juicy and so tender that the meat practically fell right off the bone. The skin was flavorful and crisp, with a nice subtle peppery kick.

The sides were equally as delicious. Eugy commented on how we ate the entire salad without complaining. Usually, I only take a bite or two out of a salad that is offered with dinner because I want to save room for the main course. But this time, the salad was so delicious, I would have been fine eating just that. The salad consisted of small iceberg wedges with pickled red onion, over roasted tomatoes, applewood smoked bacon and brioche croutons with an herb cream dressing. This is probably one of the best salads I've ever had. You can tell that the veggies were top quality and very fresh.

For the sides during the main course, we had whipped russet potatoes and steamed long beans with roasted almonds. Again, best whipped potatoes aside from my grandma's. Perfectly smooth, no lumps whatsoever. Buttery and flavorful. The long beans were perfect and the almonds gave it a nice sweetened flavor.

The cheese plate was very delicious as well, coming out with a mixture of cows milk and goats milk cheese, very similar to a brie, with a special type of almond and fresh strawberry jam.

And for dessert we had a chocolate brownie with chantilly cream and caramel sauce. I'm not much of a chocolate person, but this was very good. My favorite though was definitely the chantilly cream. I ended up adding it to my coffee. Which by the way, Ad Hoc has the best coffee that I have ever had. I really wish I could find out how to purchase it to brew at home.

To go with our meal, we had 2 bottles of the beer that is brewed especially for Ad Hoc. It went perfect with the fried chicken. But so did the 1/2 bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape. :)

The service is always top notch and it was great seeing the ever so friendly Nessim! HI NESSIM!! A big part of me wants this restaurant to be in San Francisco, but then the selfish part of me likes the fact that it's pretty far away and not easily accessible without a car.

I look forward to many more Ad Hoc Fried Chicken nights to come.

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Elite '08

345

470

arnold g.

Fremont, CA

I've had Ad Hoc's fried chicken at least four times and it's been amazing every time.

When they published the recipe in Food & Wine magazine, I started making it at home. (http://www.inuyaki.com...) It's not as good as going to Ad Hoc, but if you can't make the drive up to Yountville on a Monday or Wednesday, it's definitely worth the effort.

Let's put it this way...the fried chicken was so good, the first time we had it we actual sang to it. (props to Graceypoo and Steph P.)

(to the tune of "My Girl" by The Temptations)
I guess you say
What can make me feel this way?
Chicken...Chicken...Chicken
Talkin' 'bout chicken
Chicken!

and when the meal was over...

(to the tune of "When Will I See You Again" by Three Degrees)
Oooooh, Aaaaah
Aaaaah, Oooooh
Precious moments

When will I eat you again?
When will our hearts beat together?
Are we in love or just friends?
Is this the beginning, or is this the end?
When will I eat you again?

If you want to know the fried chicken schedule, I've published it here:
http://www.inuyaki.com...

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