The Post: When Soldiers Turn Chicken
Lafayette’s former VFW post is now a colorful commissary of succulent fowl, cold draughts & enough comfort food to feed an army
Salty, crunchy, greasy, juicy—fried chicken is the touchstone for deliciousness. Like barbecue, there are plenty of variations: from Southern fried chicken to buttermilk fried chicken to Louisiana battered fried chicken.
And, also like barbecue, individual preference is mostly based on what you grew up eating. As a child of the ‘60s, my model was the historic Denver Drumstick, where the takeout came in big boxes that looked like boxcars and a model train circumnavigated the restaurant. In my adult years, the standard has been the bird served by a Baptist church at the New Orleans Jazz Fest, where I was enlightened thusly: “I eated six pieces of chicken.” “You mean ‘ate.’” “You’re right, I eated ‘ate’ pieces of chicken…”
When I heard that Dave Query had the idea for a “hot chicken and cold beer” joint in mind, I salivated on my keyboard. He’s the brainbox behind the Big Red F restaurant group, a Boulder-based company that owns and operates numerous restaurants throughout the state, including Lola, Jax and Zolo Grill. I knew he wouldn’t fire up the fryer without doing his homework.
The result is the Post, housed in a building converted from the former VFW Post 1771 in Lafayette; it stays true to the local-watering-hole atmosphere. Bret “Smitty” Smith, the chef-partner (pictured below), headed up the research team, making trips to Texas and South Carolina and hitting places in Denver to try out equipment and cooking techniques. Winding up in test kitchens, they tackled the assignment of frying chicken better than the rest.
“We not only had to come up with a tasty recipe, but we had to mass-produce it,” Smith explained after a recent lunch hour rush. “We’re selling 1,300 pounds of fried chicken a week. We have to do an appetizing fried chicken over and over, and be consistent.”
Well, there went my fantasy of hundreds of individual cast-iron-skillet-and-Crisco stations. Smith was gracious enough to share his knowledge. His crew starts with all-natural birds that are raised in chicken coops with two doors, because if they had four doors, they’d be chicken sedans (okay, I made that last part up). The parts are brined for a day and then given a soak in buttermilk and dredged in…gluten-free flour? Elimination diets are popular, but these foodies wouldn’t use gluten-free flour just to mimic the taste and texture and look of wheat flour. It would have to be as good or better—and it is.
“We tried every kind of flour, and our favorite was a gluten-free blend,” Smith explained. “It’s more expensive, but we found that it absorbs 25 percent less oil, so the chicken is less greasy than the typical recipe. Also, the crust doesn’t brown up as quickly, so we can cook the chicken at a lower temperature for a longer period of time.”
Ah, the cooking. The Post uses state-of-the-art pressure fryers, “broasters” that cook large batches at one time. The key to any fried chicken is heating the oil or fat to the right temperature and keeping it there. The pressure fryers control the heat uniformly, a method that seals in flavor. “I had never worked with one,” Smith admitted. “You drop the chicken in, lock the lid, set the digital control, hit the button, cook for 16 minutes—and it’s the same every time.” The chicken rests for a few minutes to let the flavors meld, and then it’s served. And it’s absolutely delectable, done to perfection—tender and moist and with a crispy, golden crust that doesn’t come off the skin.
The Post’s menu also features Rotisserie Chicken with brown gravy (the Fried Chicken comes with country sausage gravy)—moist and savory, it falls off the bone. For larger groups, you can get fried, rotisserie or a combination in The Bucket. The Chicken & Waffles platter exhibits sophistication with maple pumpkin seed butter. If you don’t engage in fowl play, consider the Wood-Fired Pork Shoulder with caramelized onion marmalade or the Hand Carved Roast Beef with horseradish sauce and brown gravy.
The Post also turns out a multitude of impressive comfort food sides that are intended to be sharable. The Collard Greens had a smoky cooked-all-day flavor, with slivers of slow-cooked pork shoulder. The Creamy Grits were sensational—most traditional recipes don’t call for cream, but the Post uses it with milk and water, then finishes with butter, salt, pepper and the rich flavor of Mexican cotija cheese. The Green Chile Mac & Cheese (pictured below), topped with crispy breadcrumbs, is the ultimate downhome guilty pleasure; the creaminess goes perfectly with chicken, and we Colorado folks love us some fire-roasted peppers. I sampled bites of other sides, and they were all fresh and simple with a creative twist—the Broccoli & Pepper Slaw, the Creamed Cabbage with crispy pork cheeks and the Black Eyed Peas with citrus marinade. Complimentary rosemary cheddar biscuits filled the remaining crevices in my stomach.
And the house-brewed beers! Lead brewer Bryan Selders made his reputation at Delaware-based Dogfish Head, crafting unique beers. At the Post, paired with the meals, his 20 or so offerings are memorable as opposed to extreme. My favorites during my visit were Big Rosie, a robust porter with a dry hop aroma, and Howdy Beer, a balanced, restrained pilsner. Server Matt adroitly steered my table to recommendations for both victuals and brews.
The Post will have you believing that you’re having a leisurely Sunday supper with family and friends, but you’ll love it any day of the week, even the one chickens hate most—Fry-day!
105 West Emma St., 303-593-2066, postbrewing.com
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