First of all, photo credit goes to Yelp's Jazmine L. The lighting was so dim, I couldn't get a proper shot done last night.
Magnolia House, on Lake Ave, north of California, in Pasadena, is one of those pleasant neighborhood spots that my wife and I hit up every once in a while whenever she wants a cocktail and neither of us feel like cooking. The food, which is very new American, is solid but it's really not a "you should drive here from across town" kind of place.
That said, I had to come here to sing the praises of their Moroccan fried chicken wings. Until they closed a couple of years ago, Cafe Birdie in Highland Park did a pretty good job with a similar dish but I think Magnolia House's version is better. There's a great crunch on the exterior, with a batter that's heavy with ras el hanout (or some kind of similar spice blend) and has some surprisingly decent heat as well. The serving size is also quite generous: I don't know what kind of chicken they source from but these are quite large; the drumettes are big enough to look like a full drum stick off a small fryer and while I usually prefer my flats as flats, in this case, I wasn't made that they left the wing tips on because those were also battered and fried to a crisp so they're worth snacking on too. For $17, I think the order came with at least 5-6 of those large wings and that felt pretty reasonable for the quantity.
Despite saying "it's not the kind of place to drive across town for" I would say that if you like fried chicken, especially with some aggressive spicing, this is worth a shot.
by soulsides
1 Comment
Random, but I read your blog religiously as a teen in HS and found so many musical gems there! That was such a fun internet era of exploration. Years later, I met someone who told me you were their professor and had encouraged them to go to grad school. Small world! Thanks for posting about these wings – I live down the street and usually only stop by for cocktails or their happy hour burger + old fashioned deal. Will have to try these!