Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que is known mainly for its barbecue, but I’ve read good things about their Southern Fried Chicken, and so went to a new branch at The District last week to see how it measures up to Popeye’s ludicrous Tuesday special.
I did a double take when my Southern Fried Chicken plate ($16.95) showed up. Can this be right? Did I order a giant mound of mashed potatoes by accident?
This is an unreasonably large side. A half-sphere of about 7 inches wide, I reckon. That’s 89.8 cubic inches, or just over 6 cups of potatoes. No wonder the potatoes had to be centered on the plate, with the two gravy-covered chicken cutlets nudged snugly onto the mound.
I’ve been to Lucille’s several times, and I still can’t decide if I like it that much or not. It’s a competent chain with consistently good dishes. A few years ago, when I did a BBQ taste test of many restaurants in Orange County, Lucille’s food stood out for its presentation – perfectly centered grill marks on the chicken, and a good range of tasty, fresh sides. Its BBQ recipe wasn’t my favorite, but Lucille’s, like a Miss USA winner, has the all-round package.
The eye for detail extends to the restaurant interior. Each Lucille’s is a roughly 11,500 square foot, outsized bungalow with a patio, a bar, big booths, and a thousand attractive details like the antique signs, folk paintings, brick walls, flying pigs hanging from the ceiling, jars for drinking water.
It would be quirkily authentic. Except the details are replicated in 10 other Lucille’s around the country. The figure of Lucille’s is also apparently an invention of the restaurant owner, whose family also owns Hof’s Hut.
My other hesitation about Lucille’s is that, even though most things I’ve tried are much better than average, I haven’t found an item that’s done signficantly better than any other restaurant. I would bring my family here any day, but on my own, I don’t crave the restaurant.
Anyway, back to the fried chicken breast cutlets. They were reasonably good, though they fit in a different category than Popeye’s deliciously crisp dark meat. The mashed potatoes were better – fluffy and garlicky. The kitchen did a great job on the side of roasted vegetables too.
By the end of the meal though, I started to get bored with the chicken. Even before accounting for the price difference, I’d choose Popeyes on taste alone.
We also ordered gumbo ($9.95 for small), and were sorely disappointed with the dry-to-a-crisp rice that topped the stew.
The stew itself was all right, a salty, spicy mix of sausage and large chunks of shredded meat. (Without rice, the meat tasted great the next day I had it)
Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que
The District at Tustin Legacy
2550 Park Ave., Tustin, CA
714-259-1227
Click here to find a Lucille’s near you
Previous fried chicken entries:
•BBQ Chicken
•Grandma’s Chicken House
•Memphis
Previously published stories about Lucille’s
• “From Hut to Roadhouse” by Tiffany Montgomery
• “O.C.’s Americana” by Elizabeth Evans
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I’ve only gone to Lucille’s once, and it was for lunch. I had one of their sandwiches which was good, but just like you say, it didn’t really stand out. I’d never thought of going there for fried chicken though, I only think BBQ when I think of Lucille’s.
I don’t know if you have ever gone to Arthur’s on Tustin Ave. in Orange, but they have some pretty nice “Okie” Fried Chicken. That’s one of our favorite comfort food / greasy spoon places to go in OC. You get a whole three course meal with their dinner plates, soup/salad, main dish, and dessert.
I’ve had the fried chicken AND the gumbo at Lucilles and youre right on. Its ok for a meal but its the same price as Memphis and Memphis is far superior and not as fatty
I like Lucille’s, as it’s better than average for a chain. I had the braised short ribs during my last visit, and it was fantastic. Prices are a bit high, so I don’t regularly visit, maybe once every 1-2 months. Haven’t had the fried chicken at Lucille’s yet.
Best chicken I’ve had locally is the broasted chicken at Zubie’s Chicken Coop in Newport Beach.
Love the baby back ribs here… the grits are great too. I generally do my best to eat light and healthy, but I’ll always pull out all stops at Lucille’s because it’s really good food that’s different from your average food chain variety of restaurants that inhabit Orange County. I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed with their food, especially the bbq and their signature sauce.
Hey, thanks for the comments.
DanGarion and limacharliwhiskey: Both Arthur’s and Zubie’s are listed on the Broaster site, so I assume they use the same marinade and frying oven. I’m thinking they won’t taste too different from the fried chicken I had at Grandma’s Chicken House (or Chicken Box in La Habra, ages ago, when I first heard of broasted chicken), but of course the ambiance and sides will be different. Still, I might drop by to have a taste.
Lucille’s is to BBQ like McDonald’s is to prime steaks. Lucille’s is mediocre and anyone with a grill, access to a good meat market and time can cook it better. Orange County has very poor BBQ choices (Tim Decinces place in Tustin is also below par) but if forced to pick one, Luke Walton’s joint over in the Tustin Marketplace is far superior to Lucille’s.