Fourth Avenue's newest eatery is serving up comfort-food classics with a Tucson twist.
Under the helm of co-owners Micah Blatt and Ben Sattler, The Drunken Chicken started dishing out chicken and waffles last week.
"Within the landscape of Fourth Avenue, there really isn't fried chicken, there aren't really waffles," said Blatt, who also owns Mr. Heads Art Gallery and Bar just up the avenue. "Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of good burgers and tacos, but we wanted to fill some food gaps."
The Drunken Chicken is filling those gaps with what Blatt described as a "precise," single-page menu, the core of which focuses on different kinds of fried chicken and waffle creations. Appetizers feature fried deviled Eggs ($6), fried green beans ($6) and bacon strippers ($6), and Blatt said his heart lies with the aforementioned eggs and The Beast ($5), a bacon-wrapped, waffle-battered fried chicken strip.
"We're not southern, so we didn't want to do southern chicken and waffles, because that's not who we are," Blatt said. "This place encompasses the kind of people that we are. We have taken some things that are fun and different and brought them to Fourth Avenue."
Sides (all $3) include hand cut fries, mashed potatoes and cole slaw, and specialty sides ($4) include mac 'n' cheese and a beer-battered waffle. The menu also includes chicken nuggets, fries and a drink ($6) for kids.
Home to roughly 40 seats, including a long bar top, Sattler said he expects the local Fourth Avenue community to find its way into The Drunken Chicken as news of the soft open makes its way through different social and professional circles. Hungry diners should follow.
Sattler, who also works as a manager at Mr. Head's, said that after several years on the avenue, he is excited to see where the new business will go in the coming years. More than anything, Sattler said he is happy to be a part of the growing Fourth Avenue local business community.
"Fourth Avenue is just different," he said. "You can go to cities all across the world and you'll never see Fourth Avenue. I think that there are other places in Tucson and Arizona alike that you can pick up, put anywhere else and it would make sense, but here, Fourth Avenue is Fourth Avenue."
The Drunken Chicken is located at 429 N. Fourth Ave., on the west side of North Fourth Avenue south of East Sixth Street, and is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. until 2:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Ben Sattler remembers a specific moment in January when he received a call from Micah Blatt, owner of Mr. Head's Art Gallery and Bar on North Fourth Avenue. ■
