the stockyards smokehouse & larder.

Ever have one of those days when you want to just ditch every responsibility life has so rudely placed on your plate and hole up in a car listening to old school hip hop and eating fried chicken?

Thought so.

I had one a few Sundays ago. Just couldn't look at one more Google doc or attempt to formulate one more coherent press release. My brain went: kaput. And then: ...fried...chicken.

I dragged my housemate Lo to The Stockyards Smokehouse & Larder. It was a rainy day, so we sat in the car and demolished what seemed like fifteen pounds of fried chicken, coleslaw and fries to the soundtrack of Dilated Peoples.

 Then we went shopping and tried on some summery outfits. 

Weird chain of events, right?

It worked. 

I'd heard good things about The Stockyards' fried chick'n and - I've gotta hand it to them - they were all valid. Perfectly crisp to the bite and seasoned on the outside, miraculously tender and juicy on the inside. Not excessively (key word: excessively) greasy. And here's the clincher: they didn't even serve them with a creamy dipping sauce, like I demand all my other fried chicken morsels (McNugs, etc.) come with AND I STILL LIKED THEM. 
I know. 
Twilight zone. 

I hear The Stockyard serves these badboys up on waffles, and I also hear they make one of the most deliciously indulgent burgers to be found in this city. (The Butter Burger, with bone marrow, blue cheese red wine butter, onion frites and butter lettuce.) Um... death. In the best possible way. 

So, the next time you have one of those days when you just can't take it anymore and all you want is fried chicken (or an insanely indulgent burger)... just ... go to the Stockyards. k? k.

The Stockyards Smokehouse & Larder

699 St.Clair Avenue West

Toronto, ON

www.thestockyards.ca