Continuing my search to find the best fried chicken in the Greater LA area, I was invited by a friend to try Crimson Coward located just adjacent to the 71 freeway. And after taking a look at the positive reviews on Yelp, the experience of others seemed enough to get me to give them a try on a Sunday night.
Coming into the restaurant around 5:00PM, the restaurant was empty. But because no one was eating in at the time, the staff were able to make my food very quickly. Looking at the menu, there were many different dishes. But for this visit, I decided on a 3 piece chicken tenders box at medium spice ($11.00) and a Full Coward 12 piece wing box at mild spice ($28.00). The food was ready in about 5 minutes and I took my food out of the restaurant.
Opening the box of chicken tenders, I was surprised by the size of each piece! For one, the three pieces had a thin layer of breading and a whole lot of chicken. Each piece spanned the length of my palm to the tip of my middle finger which to me was great from a size perspective. A piece of bread was given with the meal which was a nice addition. But unfortunately, the bread was not toasted and turned out to be just a piece at the bottom. Furthermore, the box I received did not come with the pickles the dish was supposed to come with. The Full Coward box was similar to the tenders box in that the chicken wings were thinly breaded and had a lot of meat. But similarly, the piece of bread at the bottom was not toasted and there were no pickles in sight. At the $11 price tag, the tenders box was more than filling and easily more worth it of the two. But on the contrary, $28 dollars for 12 wings leans on the pricey side compared to many other places in the Pomona area. With these two items taken into account separately, the total price to portion ratio is only decent.
Onto the taste of the tenders, I found the white meat to be fulfilling and fresh. With the medium-spice breading, the chicken gave a pretty heavy kick which made me reach for some water. But it was rich with seasoning as well which provided flavor for the meat. If anything, the only thing I would wish for is a tad more moisture. Onto the wings, the chicken meat had a hint of flavor inside. However, most of the flavor was on the breading. For the mild spice, there was little to no kick. But all things considered, the wings were seasoned very well. Moisture of the wings was balanced and made them taste borderline succulent which was much appreciated. As for the bread last, each slice tasted just like you'd imagine: slice of white bread mixed with the remnants of chicken seasoning. In all, the food was pretty good. But nothing crazy to write home about.
Looking back on my first experience at Crimson Coward, I would say that there were many positives to the place. The price for the tenders was pretty good, the taste was decent, and the service was pretty fast. But on the contrary, there were many aspects that leave room for improvement. The price for the wings was on the more pricey side, the pickles were missing from each of the boxes, the bread inside was plain, and the moisture of the tenders was lacking. All of these being considered, I argue Crimson Coward earns a three star rating out of five. If I were to return for a second time, I'd definitely order something else. But in all, Crimson Coward is a decent spot with a decent chicken for a decent price. read more