"If you’re only going to do one thing, then you’d better be good at it, like when you’re a bounty hunter, defense attorney, or competitive logroller. The same applies to restaurants with short menus, like Luella’s Gospel Bird in Wicker Park. This place focuses on one thing - making delicious fried and jerk chicken - and they do it very well. If the name “Luella’s” sounds familiar, it might be because of in Lincoln Square. It’s another very good restaurant from the same chef, and the two spots are similar: both are small counter-service BYOB places with ridiculously nice people working there. But while the original has a variety of Southern dishes, Luella’s Gospel Bird makes the ordering decisions for you. You have four chicken options to choose from here, and they’re all delicious. There’s the buttermilk fried chicken (you get a wing, breast, leg, and thigh) whose every piece has perfectly crunchy, crispy skin. It’s served with honey on the side that complements the chicken so well, you’ll finally give a sh*t about the plight of the honeybee. Then there’s the Gospel, which is the same as the buttermilk, only topped with a tasty spicy remoulade. They also have the Gospel biscuit (chicken tenders on a biscuit topped with an egg) and a flavorful smoked jerk chicken that has a strong level of heat without requiring a warning label. Whatever you order, you can count on it to be cooked perfectly, and the white and dark meat will be equally juicy. There are four sides, too, but those aren’t as consistent. The two standouts are the buttery biscuits and the sweet maple candied yams, which are a fantastic counterpoint to the salty-in-a-good-way chicken. The mac and cheese, however, is pretty bland, and the collards are relentlessly bitter (even for collards) and need some more acid to round things out. That said, excellent yams and biscuits coupled with the fantastic fried chicken are all you really need to have a great meal here, anyway. Sometimes it’s nice when you don’t have to worry about making a bunch of decisions - just ask an NFL official or air traffic controller who had a bad day at work. At Luella’s, the few choices you have are all good ones. Your biggest concern will be what kind of beer or wine goes best with chicken." - Adrian Kane
