Sir Von II
Coffeyville, KS
Chicken Fried Chicken
w/ Mashed Potatoes, Vegetables
Dish Score: 59
Overall Score: Ugh!
Price: $$
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SCORE BREAKDOWN
- Presentation & Creativity: 9/20
- Portion Size & Nutritional Value: 5/10
- Ingredient Compatibility: 8/10
- Flavor, Taste, Texture, & Doneness: 26/40
- Service: 5/10
- Restaurant Appearance: 3/5
- Cost vs. Value: 3/5
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REVIEW
Oh boy! Honestly, I dreaded writing this review. This was the worst dining experience I can remember, unfortunately. My parents and I stopped at a new restaurant, Sir Von II, in a neighboring town. We discovered that this restaurant was in business a few decades back and had reopened in a different location with different owners.
The décor was modern and clean, but the same as what the previous restaurant had used in this stand alone building. The hostess/waitress sat us and then took our drink order. When she brought our drinks, she offered us breadsticks if we wanted them. “We have it with this oil and seasoning stuff, which I don’t like, but I can bring it,” we were told. Our breadsticks arrived and looked more like hoagie buns, but they helped stop our growling stomachs.
I ordered the Chicken Fried Chicken that came with fresh Vegetables and my choice of side; I went with Mashed Potatoes. If you go for unhealthy, go all the way. After a wait, mom and pops’ meals were brought out and my side of fresh veggies came out. Turns out the “fresh veggies” were overcooked, mushy, canned green beans with bacon and onions. Someone in the back cooked my meal as steak instead of chicken, so I had to wait for them to fix it. “At least you have something to eat,” my hostess said cheerily as she gave me the green beans. I was surprised it didn’t take long for my meal to be brought out.
As I get ready to dig in, my mom and pops questioned me if their frozen, not hand battered chicken was undercooked. Considering mom’s breast was running pink-brownish juices, yes it was terribly undercooked! My dad had already eaten his leg and there was still bright blood on the bone. I was instantly worried about food poison and got the attention of the manager/owner? sitting across the restaurant. (This was possible because we were the only ones there; now I know why.) She quickly came to see what the issue was and I pointed out that their chicken was not cooked properly. She apologized and took it back to finish it while bringing out new mashed potatoes for mom. “At least you have something to eat.” Really, again?!
Our young and talkative waitress came over to check on us and said that the fried chicken was a hard meal for the cooks to get right. Seriously? I recommend they should remove the item from the menu if this is a consistent problem. After about 5 minutes, their chicken breast and thighs were brought back out overly brown and they cut into them to check the doneness. Yah! They were cooked properly, or so we thought. After we were done eating (don’t ask why we just didn’t leave) mom picked up an untouched thigh and discovered very pink juices sitting on the plate. It was still not cooked through. When we got up to pay, I took the juicy plate up to the manager/owner and politely told her that the other piece of chicken was still not done. Her excuse was that fried chicken takes 15-20 minutes to cook fully. So…? There shouldn’t be blood on the plate. I hate to pull the ‘I’m a chef’ card, but almost did. I kindly told her that they could fry the chicken to get the breading crisp and golden brown and then finish it in the oven and check the temperature before serving. She clearly didn’t like being told how to cook and said that they had went back and forth on how to cook the chicken but decided they wanted the chicken to be completely fried. This is all well and good, if it is in fact completely fried, not partially cooked and served! There is no excuse for undercooked chicken and subjecting your patrons to food poisoning. Just because it takes a little while to cook doesn’t mean that the customer wants it faster if it is undercooked. Okay, off my soapbox. Hope you are still here.
Luckily, my chicken was hand battered and pounded thin, so it was fully cooked. The chicken was salty, but mostly a good flavor with a lot of breading. My mashed potatoes were dry and under seasoned, but the white gravy helped on both accounts. My meal needed a few tweaks to make it better, but it was edible.
Our waitress never came back after my parents’ chicken was brought back out, so we had to go to the podium to pay without a check. $35.00 and four pieces of undercooked chicken later, we were gone. I was a little surprised that no compensation was offered for their complete disregard to national health and safety standards in the form of a discounted meal or even a free meal.
It goes without saying, but I will say it anyway, that we will NEVER eat at Sir Von in Coffeyville, KS again. After further reflection, we should have just walked out after discovering the first time that the meal was not cooked properly. We would have had better luck at KFC where brand new, 16 year old employees can get fried chicken done right, every time, every day. I hope this makes them realize they need to make some changes, or that they will not get to ‘serve on’.
