Is it true that the very BEST chicken dinner on the entire Planet Earth, can only be found at the restaurant at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California?
I’ve been eating/enjoying fired/baked chicken for over 50 years, and IMHO, there is none finer than that served at this world-famous amusement park.
I waited in line for over half an hour, but it was worth every mouth-watering moment, and when I finally got seated, my guests and I each ordered three servings of it, because we knew that one serving would NEVER be sufficient.
If you have ever eaten the chicken there, do you agree with my opinion? If not, please advise me of a better place, because I am always in search of “the PERFECT chicken dinner.”
August 28, 2008, 8:02 PM EDT
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I do have to say that Knott’s Fried Chicken is the best I’ve ever had. The mashed potatoes and gravy and French fries are equally delicious. I so not however like the coleslaw.
Yes, to the mashed ‘taters with the white, chicken-flavored gravy on them.
You have me drooling all over myself…
The story is told that when the restaurant first opened, Mrs. Knott herself would sit by the kitchen door, and personally inspect/examine every single plate a waitress carried out, and if something wasn’t absolutely FLAWLESS, you’d hear her thunder, “TAKE THAT BACK! NOW!”
She was a tough old Cookie, and smaller than a first-grader, but you did NOT wish to get on her “bad” side…
August 28, 2008, 8:16 PM EDT
What I really miss about Knotts is the California Plum Jam. That is my all time favorite and I haven’t seen it for a long time. I’m hungry now.
Of course best is a matter of opinion, but Knott’s chicken sure is yummy. Roscoe’s is also very yummy. Woo hoo for So.Cal.
I enjoy the atmosphere at Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant, and eat there every time I’m in the area, but there are many other chicken restaurants in Southern California that are far superior to it—particularly in areas where “soul food” is common.
Please list them, if you’d be so kind, and I’ll print them out.
August 28, 2008, 8:59 PM EDT
Don’t forget Rhubarb Pie for desert….
It’s still on the menu, Isn’t it?
When in her cooking prime, my Mom’s fried chicken at times rivaled it, but in my mind, or rather, to my taste, Knotts makes the best. It has proven to me to be one of those rare restaurants you can always count on, having never disappointed me in at least a couple of dozen visits. Hmmm, I wonder if sccrowell is up for a 70 mile roundtrip to pick-up take out?! Hey Jack, if you’re going out there, pick us up a half a dozen servings, extra gravy, please!
I’ll be happy to treat you and all your freinds, WTF, but just remember that it tastes best, when it is eaten IN.
August 28, 2008, 9:51 PM EDT
@Jack Adams: I’d be glad to, except I haven’t lived in that area for some time, and can’t remember their names. Sorry.
@boffin: If I recall correctly, Knott’s doesn;t serve straight rhubarb pie. My recollection is that it was strawberry-rhubarb pie!
I’m on the East coast now, MarshallO, so I don’t get over there as often as I would like.
Sure wish I could go there once a week.
August 28, 2008, 10:08 PM EDT
@JA…I’m still mobile, not comfortably so, but for Knotts chicken, I’m in! And, I have a lot of friends. Make that soon-to-be very happy friends!
@JackAdams: I used to live in Orange County in San Clemente, and worked near Knott’s Berry Farm, so I often stopped-in for a chicken dinner. As I said before, for me, it was mostly the atmosphere that I liked! The dinner was good, but not spectacular.
Two places that I remember that had better chicken dinners than Knott’s (not in a “soul food” area) were Brotherton’s Restaurant in Pasadena, and the Tick-Tock Restaurant in Hollywood—now both out of business.
I’ll send you a PM, the next time I plan on being in the SO CAL/OC area, WTF, and the meal will indeed be my treat.
It’s no fun to eat there, all by yourself.
August 28, 2008, 10:21 PM EDT
I don’t eat chicken but I can tell you that they do have the best tasting boysenberry ice cream in the universe.
Boysenberries were invented by a friend of Mr. Knott’s, named Mr. Boysen, and Walter Knott turned Boysenberries into a major berry crop. Before he added his original theme park (Ghost Town), it was just simply Knott’s Berry Farm (exclusively boysenberries), then it became Knott’s Berry Farm and Ghost Town, and went from there. I first visited it in the 1950s, when the only attraction was Ghost Town and a couple of church edifices (the Knotts were very religious).
Boysenberry Icee, boysenberry funnel cake, boysenberry ice cream….
You know what I like most about Knott’s Berry Farm?
It’s an amazing success story.
Here’s this guy, struggling as an actor, putting aside his hard-earned money, until one day, he gets a job as a Deputy Sheriff on a hit TV comedy, and before you know it, he and his berry farm are world famous.
Rest in peace, Don!
@JackAdams: I assume that you are being “tongue-in-cheek”. Walter Knott, of Knott’s Berry Farm fame, and the actor Don Knotts (with an “s” at the end), are two entirely separate people.
Thinking even further, I think that the pie served at Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Restaurant was boysenberry-rhubarb pie, not strawberrry-rhubarb pie!
Can’t fool you, MarshallO!
August 29, 2008, 10:59 AM EDT
I used to go to Knott’s in the 70’s as a young child. It was a huge walking park with ducks, geese, ponds and toys for kids to climb, at least what my memory tells me. I loved it. It is now covered by a parking lot for the theme park. Still love it!!
@ladytmerie: Only the part of the park that had a recreation of Independence Hall and a jungle-like area is now a parking lot (it was separate from the original Knott’s Berry Farm acreage). The original Ghost Town and a huge “Magic Mountain” type of amusement park still exist.
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