Here’s the dish! When I visit Atlanta for the holidays, I am always eager to try some of the new places around town. One of my friends and I ventured down to Little 5 Points to visit the iconic Outkast mural, and while in the neighborhood, decided to stop by Hattie B’s Hot Chicken.
As a spicy food lover, surprisingly, this was my first introduction to Hot Chicken. I went in guns blazing! If I was going to try Hot Chicken, I wanted it HOT! I approached the counter and proceeded to order a Wing Platter (3 whole wings) with Baked Beans, Potato Salad, and Lemonade. When asked what spice level I would like, I foolishly replied “Damn Hot!!”
Hattie B’s offers 6 levels of heat for customers:
Southern – No Heat
Mild – Touch of Heat
Medium – Warming Up
Hot! – Feel the Heat
Damn Hot!! – Fire Started
Shut the Cluck Up!!! – Burn Notice
When the person taking my order asked if I was sure if I wanted Damn Hot!!, I should’ve taken this as a clue to order something milder, but I proceeded with my order as is. We did have to wait a bit for our food to be brought out, but it was a beautiful December day in Atlanta, so we enjoyed the sunshine on their outdoor patio and waited patiently for our food to arrive.
When our food was brought out, the server made another comment about the spice level of Damn Hot!!,but I was damn sure I could handle it.
I was wrong! While very flavorful, it was too hot for me to even enjoy it fully. I was only able to get down one of my three wings, and I must’ve gulped down 3 cups of lemonade fighting off the heat. The sides helped give my taste buds a break in between bites of chicken. Both sides were really good, and being a southern restaurant, contained bacon! Yes! Their Potato Salad has bacon in it!
I would definitely be back to eat more Hot Chicken, but I will humble myself and stick to the Medium and Hot! range.
Until next time, keep dishing!
The Dish With Kat 