Article by Debra Freeman with photography by Fitz
Freeman holding Queen Mother’s Classic chicken sandwich
On a whim, my boyfriend and fellow foodie/food photographer and I drove up to Northern Virginia to try Queens Mother’s- the fried chicken restaurant helmed by Hell’s Kitchen winner Rock Harper, who is a former executive chef in Las Vegas and in Washington, DC. Queen Mother’s is located inside an incubator space, the Cafe by La Cocina in Arlington, and I had read glowing reviews on social media for weeks. When the opportunity presented itself where both of us had some free time, we decided to hop on 95 North from Richmond to drive about an hour and a half to give it a try.
We had the Queen Mother’s Classic chicken sandwich, and I hesitate to call it a chicken sandwich – that’s almost offensive because what ever other chicken sandwich I’ve had pales in comparison. The chicken is brined in duck fat and canola oil, and is accompanied by “Mother Sauce.” I normally don’t enjoy white meat, but it was flavorful and juicy. The sandwich also checked off one of my personal boxes – a toasted bun. I’ve consumed hundreds or perhaps thousands of chicken sandwiches in my lifetime, and this is by far my absolute favorite. The next time I go back, I want to try the Virginia Honey Butter sandwich, which according to the website, brushes the chicken breast with “honey butter that has notes of vanilla and finishes with a touch of Italian sea salt.”
This perfection of a chicken sandwich was worth the drive from Richmond, and I plan to do it again. It’s just that good.
For more info on Queen Mother’s Fried Chicken, visit-
http://rocksolidfood.com/QueenMothersDC/
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1 Comment
What a GREAT review! Thank you so much and we look forward to seeing you again in the near future! (Next time you come through, tell Chef Rock that his Mother sent you!)