FINALLY! Finally, my goodness, finally…..the great chicken mecca Raising Cane’s is open in Middle Tennessee. Well actually, it’s been open in the area for several weeks now. I just hadn’t had the opportunity to go get some until last week. Before that, I only ever had Raising Cane’s on trips up to Indiana when we’d go to cover a Paradigm Pro wrestling show just on the other side of the state line from Louisville, Kentucky. It never misses – it’s always on, and there were times I thought about driving to Indiana JUST to get some of this chicken.
Anyway, last week, I finally made the effort to head out to the location just of Sam Ridley in Smyrna for a feast of a dinner. There are currently three locations in the mid-state – this Smyrna one, one closer to downtown, and one out in Cookeville. How they landed on those three towns to start up in the Volunteer State is beyond me. I’m just thankful that one of the locations they picked was just 30 minutes from the house. For more on Raising Cane’s, check out their website. Let’s dig in.
PICS
@sobrosnetwork Juicy. Crispy. Golden. The best #chicken fingers in the game have come to #Tennessee! Raising Cane’s is the truth. #smyrna ♬ Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On – Mel McDaniel
RATINGS
Food: 7.343/10 – Of all the fast food chicken joints, Raising Cane’s unequivocally has the best chicken. It is golden crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The Cane’s sauce gives it a tangy, zesty pop. The coleslaw and fries are fine, but it’s the Texas toast that’s really the star of the show…rich and buttery, fluffy, with the slightest char across the toasted side. Pro-tip: add a second piece….not instead of coleslaw or anything…just…get another piece. It’s phenomenal.
Value: 5/10 – $12 for a fast food combo sounds high to me…maybe I’m just getting old. But, when you factor in just how good the meal is, how much food you get, and how the price of fast food has gone up across the board (your boys spends $16 at Taco Bell now), it’s about right flat in line with everything else.
Overall: 6.17/10 – You can keep your Zaxby’s. You can keep your Slim Chickens. Give me Raising Cane’s eight days a week. It’s an all-time classic. Oh hell yeah.
CURRENT NASHVILLE RESTAURANT RANKINGS
- Audrey (8.82/10)
- Hathorne (8.62/10)
- Butcher & Bee (8.5/10)
- Nectar: Urban Cantina (8.44/10)
- Lockeland Table (8.31/10)
You can check out our full Nashville restaurant rankings here. I’m always looking for new spots to try – don’t be afraid to hit the comments with suggestions!
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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