Swiss Chalet is a long standing franchise chain in Canada only. Traditionally it served up…read morerotisserie chicken and ribs. But over the years their menu items have definitely expanded to include wraps and sandwiches, burgers, ribs, rotisserie beef, pastas, and even a stir fry! The latest offering is crispy chicken. True, the rotisserie chicken had crispy skin, but this is different, this is a breaded crispy chicken, to compete with the likes of Popeye's and Church's. The rotisserie beef is definitely a new concept to me, and not one I'm sure would work out. I will need to try it (most definitely), but in a future visit perhaps. For any Americans that read this, the food is similar to that of Boston Market; however, it's full service in a dining room setting.
On the menu tonight was a half chicken dinner (crispy chicken) with fries, a kids meal ribs with corn, and a kids meal rotisserie chicken with mash potatoes. The kids meals come complete with drink and dessert, we selected Worms N'Dirt and a Caramel Sundae.
As always, the service is super quick, with meals coming out shortly after being ordered. One notable is the lack of dipping sauce. The signature chicken sauce many have come to associate with Swiss Chalet. I asked our waitress for some as I thought she had forgotten it, but was informed that the sauce was no more! Fortunately they still carry the beef gravy (for the mash potatoes) and we got a couple of extra of those. She also brought out a chicken gravy (the kind that normally comes with open faced chicken sandwiches) for me to try.
Rotisserie Chicken. Grant it, it has been a while since I visited Swiss Chalet, the chicken was not as good as I remembered it. I had the dark meat (leg/thigh) as I always do because it's not as dry. This time around, the skin was not as crispy and the chicken itself is not as salty (which is actually a good thing, because it used to be super salty). The chicken was still moist and tender, and the chicken gravy did complement it well, although the experience is more of one like a Thanksgiving dinner at home. Overall, I think their signature chicken still held it's own. 3 stars.
Crispy Chicken. Again, I requested dark meat. This chicken was actually a success to me. The batter was full of crispy crunchy goodness. The meat inside steaming hot and juicy. Pretty good for new entry. 4 stars.
Ribs. The kids meal came with 1/3 rack (4 bones) of side ribs. To me, there are three elements to ribs: The tenderness, the spices/flavours, and the sauce! These were moist, but not as tender as they could have been. I did not detect any marination or spices in the meat itself, and the sauce was tangy and sweet, but nothing special. 3 stars.
Corn. This did not taste like your fresh frozen variety kind, rather the can kind. Either that or they way overcooked it. It also didn't come as hot as I would have liked as we had to add our own butter and salt, and when we did, it didn't melt and dissolve as I wanted it to. 2 stars.
Fries. These are one of my favourites, and I'm not much of a potato guy. Harvey's (also reviewed) shares the same fries as Swiss Chalet since they're both part of Cara holdings, but Swiss Chalet is the original. Light and crisp on the outside and with potato that is soft on the inside. They definitely have these down pat. Couple this with the beef gravy and they're as good as it gets for me! 5 stars.
Mac n Cheese. This was originally the side that was selected with the kids chicken meal, but when we tried it, my kids did not like it and left it untouched after one bite. The Manager noticed this when she made her rounds and offered us a substitute (koodo's for customer service) in which the mashed potatoes and gravy. I did not try this, but for what it's worth, my kids give it 2 stars.
Worms N'Dirt. When this came, it did not disappoint! It literally looked as described. Chocolate pudding, gummy worms, and crushed oreos make up the dish, and when you mix it up, it looked exactly like what you'd get playing outside, I swear the worm were even moving! A fun name for a safe dessert. 3 stars.
Sundae. This dish was no frills, vanilla ice cream with sauce on top. I wasn't expecting gourmet as it's a dessert for kids, so no disappointment here. 3 stars.
Swiss Chalet also has a successful take out business as well although I don't normally use it. With travel time, the chicken skin becomes soggy because of the trapped in heat, same with the fries. If you're ok with soft skin, you're better off picking up a whole chicken from Costco at a much better price. Overall 3 stars.
If you would like to experience more, come dine-with-me.yelp.com I'd love to have your company... Bon Appétit!
