Bill C.
Yelp
Fried chicken sandwiches are either great or boring. The fast food variety of over-salted chicken on bland bread, fried in crummy oil and topped with a cheap dressing...no thanks, that saturated fatty kind is not good for you. Marcus Samuelsson takes a healthier approach with Streetbird and uses quality ingredients on fresh chicken, not frozen. They don't cook it till you order, so everything's straight out of the fryer.
Streetbird's fried chicken sandwich ($16) is a boneless thigh with plenty of heat on a black sesame seeded potato bun. They brine it overnight, before dredging and frying. Portion size isn't huge, but about what you'd expect for this venue...with the high rent of a new casino, you're not getting large helpings from any of the restaurants. But the taste and quality of ingredients is meaningful. I'd rather pay $16 for a sandwich that pleases than $7 for one that's forgettable and unhealthy. But I also think they would be wise to offer white meat as an option, for those who prefer breasts.
The wings at Streetbird (six per order), a slice of white bread, and a few pickles also went for $16...pricey for the amount of food, but again tasted great. The Ethiopian spice called 'berbere', a combo of toasted spices, makes the flavor unique. They add ancho powder, garlic, cayenne, and a few others for a powerful kick.
It's a small, simple menu. Wings and thighs come in 3 categories - Sugar Babe, Spicy Chica, and Hot Mama - depending on how hot you want it. Spicy Chica was just right and didn't burn but they use about four times the amount of cayenne on Hot Mama, so be ready if that's your choice.
They were out of fries that day but the ordering menu at the kiosk didn't mention that, so it allowed diners to place an order for something that didn't exist. They ended up writing down customers credit card numbers on paper for the manager to refund later, which seems inadvisable. Damn, all you have to do is update the computerized menu if you're out of an item! But they'll get better at this moving forward, hopefully.
The kiosk suggests a tip of 18%, 20%, or 22% as you pay. If tips are about good service, how are you supposed to know ahead of time? Sure, you can change the amount to whatever you want, but suggesting a 22% tip on a takeout order is new to me...should I feel cheap for giving only 10 or 15% on takeout?
That said, l won't hesitate to come back to Streetbird for another tasty sandwich...comfort food to ease the pain after that day's donation to the Resorts World blackjack tables.