Chowzter New Orleans Day 1: Dooky Chase vs Willie Mae

Perfection.  That’s the word that I decided to use to describe this past weekend’s trip to “The Big Easy.”  If you don’t know which city is “The Big Easy,” you clearly have been under a rock.  I’m talking about New Orleans, of course!

This weekend was the North American Chowder Awards.  From Best Burger to Best Pizza, the awards covered them all.  Chowder chef experts represented for each city.  Fun is simply an understatement because we had a blast!  There were delectable wines, amazing food, and some of North America’s most talented food bloggers.  This past weekend had all the ingredients for a weekend of laughs and tons of memories!  This exciting event was held in New Orleans, Louisiana, which is the perfect city for eager foodies ready to explore and find the best foods the “N.O.” has to offer.  Our first stop was to find amazing chicken!

Let’s talk about Dooky Chase’s Restaurant vs Willie Mae’s.

Our first foodie mission was to find the best fried chicken in New Orleans.  We visited two historic fried chicken landmarks:  Dooky Chase’s Restaurant and Willie Mae’s.  Initially, I was taken back by the name Dooky.  But after walking into the restaurant and smelling the tasty fried chicken and seeing their gorgeous African-American art collection, my uneasiness instantly disappeared.  Being from Atlanta, my fried chicken standards are extremely high.  Dooky Chase’s met my standards without question.  The crunch, the seasoning, and moisture in the chicken was divine.  Dooky Chase’s has had several United States Presidents dine there and was also a well known meeting place for several Civil Rights leaders during the 1960s.

I was thrilled to be able to enjoy hot, fresh, crispy chicken.  It’s crispy outer shell and flavoring was just right.  It wasn’t too salty, and it wasn’t spicy. It was literally perfect, which means that I love the chicken at Dooky Chase’s Restaurant!

After we were stuffed, I thought that we were going back to the hotel.  But Jeffery, Chowzter Founder, said that after eating a full meal at Dooky’s, we were off to Willie Mae’s.  I automatically started having thoughts about all of this great food that I was devouring.  I knew I was going to return to Atlanta an extra couple of pounds heavier.

Willie Mae’s has been open since 1957.  It was initially opened to create a causal soul food dining experience.  At Willie Mae’s, I was instantly in love with the little scoops of sides.  The chicken at Willie Mae’s was thicker in batter and spicier in flavor.  I prefer the chicken at Dooky Chase’s Restaurant.  It was definitely my favorite.

Next time that you’re in New Orleans, try Dooky Chase’s Restaurant, and it will not hurt to try Willie Mae’s also.  Enjoy!