As a fat boy from Houston, Texas living in New York for the past decade I've always missed my favorite foods from back home. As they say, the three main food groups of Texas are BBQ, Tex-Mex and Chicken Fried Steak. While New York actually has a lot of good BBQ restaurants to offer and the fact that there is no such thing as Tex-Mex food outside the great state of Texas(although there is plenty of good Mexican food here), that leaves me to my mission on Chicken Fried Steak(CFS). The mission to find all the places serving Chicken Fried Steak in New York and rate them with my personal set of criteria of which I feel are crucial in creating the perfect Chicken Fried Steak. These criteria can be broken down into the following categories:

• Crust - Extremely crucial to the perfect CFS. The crust should flakey NOT crunchy.
  
• Thickness - Also very important, the steak can't be too thick. 1/4" to 3/8" is ideal.
  
• Gravy - Keep it simple and original. Don't try and get fancy and mess up a good thing.
  
• Cookedness(my own word) - A good CFS should still be juicy on the inside, NOT burnt to a crisp.
  

and just to add to the list are:

• Sides - Being that CFS is about as southern as it gets, why not enjoy it with some mash potatoes, mac'n cheese or some grits while you're at it.
  
• Service - Southern food should naturally be accompanied with southern hospitality even when in New York City.

Crust

This is what I call the "Cunchy to Flakey Meter". Since I have the crust as first on my list of criteria in making the perfect Chicken Fried Steak I feel it is important to explain how it should be prepared. When eating alot of these NYC Chicken Fried Steaks I couldnt help feel they were being deep fried because they were burnt to a crisp on the inside and the crust was so hard and crunchy. A real Chicken Fried Steak should be pan fried and flipped for the perfectly cooked and flakey crust. NOT crunchy!


This diagram shows where on the crunchy to flakey side your crust should be.

MARFA

MARFA NYC
101 East 2nd St
(between 1st Ave & Avenue A)
New York, NY 10009





Marfa, TX is most notable for it's art scene and for its beautiful desert landscapes & mysterious Marfa lights. Marfa NYC attempts to recreate the west Texas town of its namesake with its rustic and bare interior. Pictures of the town's Prada boutique and other art hang on the stucco walls and then there's the menu, Texas staples like ribs and tacos and of course Chicken Fried Steak.

As soon as we heard about Marfa and their menu consisting of Chicken Fried Steak we wasted no time getting over there to try it. We ordered a whole bunch of food to sample which for the most part was pretty good. Carne asada Tacos-good, Dry Rub Ribs-good, Pulled Pork Tostada- very good, Marfa Red Chile con Carne-terrible! If you want real Texas chili go to Hill Country, its by far the best chili in New York. Unfortunately they don't serve CFS and that's why I was here so lets get to it.
Lets start with the crust, very good. On the right side of the flakey to crusty meter. You could tell it was dredged in more than just flour too, it was actually kinda spicy. There were two fairly large steaks at just about the right thickness and covered in plenty of gravy. The first time I ate there, there was an unfamiliar taste to it that I assumed came from the gravy-like too much garlic or something, but the second time I went there it tasted fine. Not the pure white country gravy but good and the right consistency. The cookedness(as I like to call it) was ok, only a small tip of the last steak was too burnt to eat but over all nicely cooked.
Now the sides- the first time I ate their mac'n cheese it blew me away. It was so creamy and with the right amount of crusty baked goodness on top. Unfortunately the second time it was just average or actually below average. The dish itself is served with mashed potatoes and they were great. You can't really mess up mash potatoes though. The service I found to be excellent both times, granted it was pretty empty. So over all I would recommend Marfa to anyone looking for some good southern eatin'.

• Crust -
  
• Thickness -
  
• Gravy -
  
• Cookedness -
  
• Sides -
  
• Service -
  

DANTE'S

Dante's
1 Hope Street
(1 block south of Metropolian & Roebling.)
Brooklyn, NY 11211





So my girlfriend is researching for me on this project and she's turning up places with Chicken Fried Steak right under our noses. Dante's; the latest incarnation to occupy the space at 1 Hope st; is a restaurant specializing in so-called Southern Fusion cuisine. It was the roomies birthday so we gathered ourselves up and walked over. It's BYOB so we brought a six pack of Dos Equis. The service was great but the waitress seemed a little strange like she was intimated by the sight of us. Perhaps she's used to a more gentle looking hipster clientele. She was sweet though and offered the birthday boy some complimentary wine. The food unfortunately left a lot to be desired, at least for a picky eater like me.

Chicken Fried Steak w/ a scoop of mashed potatoes and gravy and a side of mac'n cheese. First of all the crust was too crunchy, probably deep fried. It was also a little too thick, two things crucial in a good CFS. It gets worse. Now when you're dealing with a sub-par Chicken Fried Steak you can actually save it by smothering it with tasty gravy. The gravy must have been from a can of Cream of Mushroom. Even still I had to request more and proceeded to cover my steaks. Not what I was hoping for. The mac'n cheese was just awful. I maybe took two bites before giving up on it. It wasn't cheesey at all and had an over powering taste of garlic, and I actually like garlic. Oh well, the taters were good. Next time it's the shrimp and grits.

I should mention again that the service was excellent and they even brought the birthday boy a surprise slice of red velvet cake and ice cream.

• Crust -
  
• Thickness -
  
• Gravy -
  
• Cookedness -
  
• Sides -
  
• Service -
  

BROOKLYN STAR

The Brooklyn Star
33 Havemeyer St
(between 8th St & 7th St)
Brooklyn, NY 11211




The Brooklyn star is another spot that was hiding right under our noses. It's a fairly new restaurant in Williamsburg started by the ex-chef of the famed Momofuku franchise. I guess he must have a southern background because they specialize in exclusively southern dishes like Dr.Pepper Ribs, Pulled Pork, Shrimp and Grits, and the cast iron Mac'n Cheese w/bacon. Now normally I wouldn't consider trying the dish mis-named Country Fried Steak for my project. You would never hear it called that in the South. It's just like being in Philly and saying Philly Cheese Steak. You just don't do it. But due to the reputation and good reviews I'm granting an exception in this case.

The place is quite small and simple and definitely feels like the food is what counts the most. Immediately I see a huge brick oven centered in the back of the kitchen that just confirms my notion. We started with a sampling of items from the menu that's divided into two categories: Small and Big. The cornbread which was pretty good, is made to order in a real cast iron skillet with bacon and jalapeno. The mac'n cheese is also served in the cast iron and with bacon. It was delicious with an excellent crust and good cheeseyness. Another item we had to try was the Dr. Pepper Ribs. I couldn't really make out the Dr. Pepper flavor but still quite tasty. Although, it's not the baby back or spare rib cut that you might have thought, but actually the short ribs and served in a bowl. Perfect for sharing.

Now, lets get down to business. The Chicken Fried Steak comes out, two medium size and two small size steaks. The crust was definitely deep fried and walking on the wrong side of the line into crunchy territory. The pieces could have been pounded a little thinner, but not way too thick. The gravy was a bit meagerly applied. A good CFS should be completely blanketed in white gravy so I asked for some more and proceeded to blanket. The gravy was actually very tasty and as I've mentioned before can save a Chicken Fried Steak. It certainly helped in this case. As I've experienced with the deep fried CFS's they tend to risk being over cooked as was the case here. A couple of pieces were too burnt to eat. The taters were delicious though and helped to satisfy my taste buds. Over all a great dining experience but not the best Chicken Fried Steak unfortunately. The wait staff was excellent and attentive as you would expect from such a small intimate place.

I came back the next week with the crew and everyone left full and satisfied. I ate the Shrimp and Grits which was absolutely ridiculously good. Perfectly seasoned and broiled shrimp in a bowl of grits with a fried egg layered in there. The only thing missing was the cheese.

• Crust -
  
• Thickness -
  
• Gravy -
  
• Cookedness -
  
• Sides -
  
• Service -
  

HOG PIT-BBQ NYC

The Hog Pit
37 W 26th St
(between 5th & 6th)
New York, NY 10010





The Hog Pit, which was previously known as the iconic Meatpacking District biker bar and bbq spot has relocated due to the old neighborhood's high priced rents and over all fancy pantsyness. Now directly across the street from the best bbq in New York-The Hill Country(Ouch!) the new Hog Pit is back in business. But to be fair the Hog Pit is really a place to drink cold beer first and a place to eat second, while the Hill Country is the opposite. Something we realized as soon as we walked in during the after work happy hour.

The food came in good time and at first glance looked good. As I start examining the crust I realize its definitely deep fried which I'm starting to realize is the most common although not the most tasty way they cook these things up here. A pan fried Chicken Fried Steak will always taste better- it's all about the TLC. The cuts were a bit thick but I've seen worse. So what do you do with a thick and crunchy Chicken Fried Steak? You smother it in tasty white country gravy. Unfortunately all they have is this yellow thin diluted substance, but it will have to do. I asked for more and drizzled it on. The mac'n cheese was inedible but there was hi point. The cheese grits. Those cheese grits were so good I scraped the bowl with them and wanted more. In closing I wouldn't recommend you go to the Hog Pit if you're looking fir the best Chicken Fried Steak in New York, but if you're looking to go somewhere after work to drink some cold beer and listen to country music and perhaps snack on some fried pickles or fried clams then this is the place.

• Crust -
  
• Thickness -
  
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• Sides -
  
• Service -
  

ACME

ACME Bar & Grill
9 Great Jones st.
(3rd Street Between Broadway & Lafayette)
New York, NY 10012






After discovering this place online in our research we thought it was most definitely worth a try. The menu boasts of real Cajun and Gulf Coast treats like catfish or fried oyster po-boy's. Seafood gumbo or jambalaya and course a wide array of BBQ choices. And lets not forget the Chicken Fried Steak. The wall is lined with a crazy assortment of hot sauce bottles(free to to be used with your meal) and decorated with a Louisana theme. It's kinda like a less mom & pop version of Mara's Homemade. So lets see how the Chicken Fried Steak fares up.

The food was out before we knew it, I mean really fast! The Chicken Fried Steak is definitely deep fried but actually very flakey. Actually too flakey 'cuz the crust was just coming right off. Thickness was on point and was covered in an ample amount of gravy but I asked for more anyways. The gravy itself was very dissappointing. It was so watery and flavorless. It was like warm water mixed with flour, it was bad. I ate it anyways and the sides were delicious. Red beans&rice and mac'n cheese. Those beans were so good I ate every morsel and the mac was mighty tasty too, very cheesey with a nice baked topping. In conclusion I would again say this is not the place in New York you go for a terrific Chicken Fried Steak but otherwise great Southern food and atmosphere. Next time it's seafood gumbo all the way.

You can buy the hot sauce there and we picked up the Acme brand red habanero sauce which is fire but super flavorful and tasty.

• Crust -
  
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• Cookedness -
  
• Sides -
  
• Service -