It's no Team Edward versus Team Jacob, but Team Chicken Mary's squared off against Team Chicken Annie's to be named the finest fried chicken in Pittsburg, Kansas, on this week's Food Wars.
The Travel Channel's program pits two famous institutions in a given city against each other in a blind taste test to declare a victor in each episode. The crew was in Kansas City the last weekend of February to film a barbecue showdown between Gates and Arthur Bryant's, and it filmed the fried chicken battle in Pittsburg January 15 to 17.
Host Camille Ford sets the scene in Southeastern Kansas, on the "little strip of asphalt known as chicken dinner road." The show is shot beautifully with mouth-watering images of chicken in a fry-o-lator basket. The historical connection between coal mining and fried chicken is interesting as well.
"Coal miners need to eat and miners apparently love them some fried chicken," says NBC news anchor Brian Williams -- a former television anchor in Pittsburg -- who offers commentary throughout the episode.
The show falls down a bit when it comes to hyping the competition. Chicken Annie's is the original 75-year-old restaurant with "thin crust," and Chicken Mary's is the new bird on the block at only 65 years old. Both have a superfan entered in the final blind taste test. Cookbook author Emily Farris is a third judge, and she's joined by the town's sherriff and a superfan from Pittsburg State University.
I won't tell you who wins, but I will tell you there's something off in the judging (or editing). One of the restaurants receives a vote during the tasting from the sheriff, who then talks about voting for the other restaurant in his exit interview [I've got a call into Travel Channel and will update this post when they get back to me]. But what's a competition without a bit of controversy?
This is one to watch on your DVR -- especially to capture the judging aberration at the end -- because with commercials and some repitition of facts, the actual show runs about 18 minutes.
The episode next airs on Saturday, March 20, at 10:30 a.m.
[Image via The Travel Channel]
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I am riding from Charleston, SC to decide who has the best chicken.
I will leave here on 6-22-10 and have supper there the same day.
Ever notice how Food Wars always comes down to a tie breaking vote? It is always 2 to 2 and then they have a teaser showing the tie breaking voter just about to announce who he/she voted for and then they break for commercial. I have yet to see a show where it was 4-1 or 5-0. Makes me wonder what is really going on. The food always looks delicious though!
Both chicken places are good. As a former resident of Pittsburg (no H) I am happy to see that this little town was able to be noticed for something other than a great college team!
actually chicken annies has way better crust than any one eles because chicken annies is THICKER
i really like chicken Annies because it rocks and actually the crust is thicker than chicken Marys. food wars is awesome sadly i dont have cable right now but I watched this at my grandmas house for easter and I thought that this is such a interesting show and it is really competitive and I know competitive when I hear it because I am and Irish dancer not a bad one but a good one and I have a really fat friend and she always competes against me and now I totally hate her plus I hated her in the first place so it doesn't really matter. But anyways chicken annie's rocks
ohhhhhhhhhhh yeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As a Pitt resident, I'd rather have gebhardts chicken down the road
The only thing I don't like about Food Wars is the inclusion of the "superfans." I figure if you've been eating at the same place for who-knows how long, you will be able to taste the difference. Do away with these fans and make it a panel of random people/tourists that have never tasted either one.
I'm thinkin they flip a coin to determine the winner on these deals.
Anyways... I'm glad to see these places get some recognition. They both have absolutely fantastic fried chicken at very reasonable prices. (I think a big chicken dinner with three sides is about $10)
There's another on down the road called Gebhardt's that's just as awesome.
If you wanna take a weekend day trip from KC, they are a great place to go.
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