Chef Joseph Lenn delivers our leftovers in a very special container!
In a way, I wish I’d never had the delicious sweet tea-brined fried chicken I had for the first time last week at J.C. Holdway in downtown Knoxville. It was the most delicious chicken I’ve ever tasted.
So, what’s my problem? It’s this: no other fried chicken will ever measure up! And it’s not on the eatery’s normal menu. It was a once-in-a-blue-moon special offering called “Bubbles and Bird Night.” So, what’s a girl to do?
Here’s the deal. About once a month, from January to August, J.C. Holdway offers a special “chef’s counter” dinner. It’s not cheap. We paid $249 each for two seats. But, I’m telling you, it was worth it. For the price (plus tip), we got four killer courses, a wonderful bottle of champagne selected by the restaurant’s sommelier, Jason Drotar, and special touches and surprises all through the night. But, dammit, what am I going to do about that chicken??
Well, for starters, we enjoyed the leftovers. Every couple was served a whole chicken, so we had plenty to take home. If you are interested in one of these special dinners, keep an eye on J.C. Holdway’s Resy reservations page. The one to be held in August will be the last until January because September marks the beginning of the busy restaurant season in Knoxville with football games leading into holiday gatherings. There are only 12 seats on sale each month — six at a 5:30 seating and six at a 7:30 seating. So, if you want to go, grab them quickly!
We arrived a little early for our 7:30 seating, so we sat at the bar and enjoyed a drink while surveying the busy scene. Here’s my Grey Goose martini. We highly recommend their cocktails. Always expertly prepared — and delicious.
Soon, it was time to begin.
When we took our seats, I found this at my place.
And Alan found this. “What on earth?” we wondered.
The napkins were curious. Are those legs I see?
Yes! Here’s the unrolled napkin! Hahaha!
And then Chef Lenn removed the lid of my friendly hen, revealing a deviled egg topped with caviar! Delish!
I want to pause here to give a little credit to Chef Lenn’s wife, Laura. She collected the hen dishes from vintage shops. And she had the napkins made by an outfit called “Spoonflower,” a custom fabric, wallpaper and home decor shop. It’s little touches like these that make the chef’s counter experience so much fun.
But, let’s get serious now! Sommelier Jason Drotar came with this awesome bottle of champagne.
A 2010 Saint-Chamant cuvee de Chardonnay brut champagne was the “bubbles” in the “Bubbles & Bird” title of the evening.
Cheers!
These two friends of ours, Erin Donovan, left, and Maria McHale, were supposed to be at the chef’s counter, too. But a booking snafu caused them to have to be at a nearby table –Table 1. Chef Lenn visited them often to be sure they didn’t feel left out!
Jason was not a stranger, either!
Grace Weber helped prepare the next course. It is true “tweezer food!”
It was a salad composed of cantaloupe, compressed watermelon, arugula, Benton’s prosciutto, and watermelon vinaigrette.
And a couple of radishes for good measure — and crunch.
We were delighted when an old acquaintance, Bobby Goodfriend, stopped to say hello. He lives mostly in California now, but was in town for a visit.
Chef Lenn looked serious as he was plating that delicious chicken.
It came out accompanied by grilled corn brushed with basil vinaigrette.
Other sides were grilled green beans with Almondrada and potato puree with chicken gravy. (Almondrada is a Mexican liqueur made with tequila.)
Here’s the inside of my chicken. It was cooked perfectly — melt-in-the-mouth tender. I had heard friends rave about this chicken, which J.C. Holdway apparently sold for take-out during the pandemic. Now I know what all the fuss was about!
Alan approved, as well!
Got a thumbs up from Table 1!
Next: dessert prep. Chef Lenn is Knoxville’s only James Beard Award-winning chef.
Lord, this was amazing! Chocolate semifreddo with salted caramel and crispy chocolate. (Pearls? Were those chocolate pearls??)
The ladies startled Alan!
From left, Alan Carmichael, Laura Lenn, and Jason Drotar as we said our goodbyes.
In addition to our leftover chicken in the fun bucket you saw in the first photo on this post, we also found these lovely parting gifts — homemade caramel corn — in our to-go bag when we got home.
We in Knoxville are so fortunate to have Chef Lenn and J.C. Holdway. Although we enjoy our regular dinners there, we recommend these highly amusing — and tasty — special occasions when they pop up!
It is THE BEST fried chicken ever. I ordered it several times during the pandemic, usually gathering with a few friends for a socially distanced dinner. Seems like it came with sides like greens & mashed potatoes, but the chicken was the star of the show.
Gay: Wish we had taken advantage of it then! But, at least we know now!
The look on my face gazing lovingly at the wine says it all… Truly the absolute best fried chicken we have ever eaten!! Glad to see you all there.
What a wonderful write-up of the evening! We are thrilled to see how much fun everyone had and appreciate your kind words about the food and experience. Your support means a lot to us, and we look forward to hosting more memorable events like this in the future!
I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed the event. Creating the sweet tea brined chicken is always a joy for me. It takes me back to my internship when I learned the sweet-tea brining method from Chef John Fleer, my mentor. He was the first to use this technique in our area. It’s always wonderful to see our guests appreciate the unique flavors and effort that goes into making the food. Thank you for highlighting the fun and delicious experience!
Maria: Next time, we want you at the chef’s counter! But at least you were nearby.
Laura and Joseph: Great, great job, friends! We love coming on “normal” nights, of course. But you all put so much creativity into these special events. We can’t wait to see what’s next!!
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