Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
At the time of this writing, Byrd & Barrel was not yet open, and restaurant co-owner/executive chef Bob Brazell couldn’t definitively say whether it would be so by our publication date. We certainly hope it is; this one is going to rock.
Gourmet fried chicken will be served in a fast-casual dining room (as well as via a drive-thru window) at the busy corner of Jefferson and Cherokee. A menu of 50 beers stars craft brews in cans. Also look for wry nods to our local treats, including Provel mac and cheese topped with crushed Red Hot Riplets, which Brazell made on Travel Channel’s Underground BBQ Challenge. It sounds like decadent, down-home, dine-out de rigueur.
Brazell plans to pressure-fry, or broast, the chicken to seal in the juices. “Broasting was huge back in the day,” he says. “Grocery stores and some fast food places still do it. It works for us with the drive-thru, because I can do 40 pieces of fried chicken in 10 minutes.”
Brazell’s already left an imprint at Athlete Eats, Monarch, Niche, Prime 1000, and Pi. Now he’s rolling out his own idea. “The concept I’ve had for some time is a bridge between really good food and fast food,” he says. Brazell may just start a frenzy. 3422 S. Jefferson.
