The Eagle

Front and center on the artfully faded menu, billed in enormous knockout type, The Eagle OTR’s star attraction is undoubtedly her fried chicken. You’ll certainly know this bird if you’ve tasted it. The crisp, peppery crust is anything but demure, and once you’re hooked, it’s not a taste you’ll soon forget. The meat hits such a sweet spot—just firm enough, but still tender and yielding. And while the thighs and drums are certainly approachable, as you’d expect, the bone-in breasts are the ne plus ultra of fried fowl.

This Amish farm-sourced and carefully-considered chicken is the result of a two-step cooking method—an overnight brine (the contents of which are a guarded secret), followed by a pressure-fry to minimize moisture loss. The method, conjured up by Chef Chas Barracato, the creative force behind the menus at both The Eagle and Bakersfield, owes much to culinary ingenuity. And yet The Eagle itself is a somewhat stealthy yet hyper-formulaic concept of owners Joe and John Lanni. The brothers Lanni, owners of Bakersfield, the Currito chain, and SoHi, their new sandwich shop in Oxford, have a knack for serving up interesting, crowd-pleasing fare that caters to urban lumberjacks as well as weekend warriors who like to head downtown to play. Continue reading…