149 North Glassell St.
Orange, CA 92866
Man, did I love Burger Parlor. Whenever someone asked me where to get the best burgers in OC, Burger Parlor was definitely on my Mount Rushmore of great burgers in our wonderful county. Then, just like with so many things, the pandemic came and ruined everything.
Joesph Mahon, the owner of Burger Parlor decided that burgers were not delivery friendly, so he decided to scrap his beloved burger concept and join the other 5,000 chicken concepts that have sprung up in the last couple of years. Okay, it might not be that many, but it does seem like I have written more than my fair share of hot chicken reviews in the last few years. Yet, here I am again meeting my parents for dinner at a hot chicken restaurant, hoping I will like it as much as I loved Burger Parlor.
Jaxon's is named after Chef Mahon's son. The menu is pretty simple, as they only have tenders, four sandwiches, a teriyaki chicken bowl, six sides, and 13 housemade dipping sauces. The chicken comes in four styles; classic, half heat, full heat, and buffalo. Tender meals can be ordered in 2, 3, 4, or a ten-piece family offering and they include a side of your choice. Prices range between $10 to $15, while the family pack will set you back $40. Be aware that you do get one sauce with each meal, but if you want more sauce there will be a nominal charge.
Parking in this area of Orange can be a little tricky, but we almost always have good luck parking in the convenient parking structure on Lemon Street or the smaller parking lot on Orange Street. We arrived just a little after 5pm on a recent Saturday. Jaxon's had a little rush when we walked in, but it cleared up rather quickly. We ordered at the counter, and then your name is called when your food is ready. This is how everything turned out for us this evening.
Both my dad and I got the same sandwich, the Jaxon's Coleslaw Chicken Sandwich ($11.49). His is the one on top, the one that looks like they were trying to bury the chicken in a mountain of coleslaw. Not only did this sandwich come with plenty of coleslaw, but it also came with pickles and two tenders on a glossy bun. I've had chicken sandwiches that are made with two tenders and sometimes they kind of fall apart while you are eating them. That was not the case here, as the bun did a great job keeping everything together. I got the half spice for my sandwich, and the heat level was very tolerable. The chicken itself came out of the kitchen hot and steamy, but the breading here is definitely not on the crispy side of things. I also have to make note of the coleslaw, as it was not very impressive. I remember it as just cabbage with no dressing on it. It did add texture, but little else. Crinkle cut fries are my favorite kind of fry, as I feel that they are the best for dipping. These were seasoned fine, but could have been held in the fryer a bit longer to make sure they were all crispy.
I guess I should also admit right now that I failed to snap some shots of the sauces at Jaxon's. I know, rookie mistake. You would never guess that I've been doing these reviews for close to 13 years now, but I skrewed this part up. I did try a few and jotted down some thoughts. My favorite was the garlic herb parmesan which was full of flavor and really went well with the chicken and the fries. The Jaxon's cajun sauce is comparable to Raising Cane's signature sauce, but not as peppery and kind of bland. I also tried the ranch, which I thought was missing something and was also kind of boring. Katie was very fond of the lemon-lime pepper, but I felt it was too heavy on the citrus notes, so I was not a fan.
Part two of my meal at Jaxon's was this 2 Piece Tender Meal ($9.99). I went with full heat for this, and it was not very hot at all. It just seemed like they added extra paprika and other spices to the chicken tenders. The chicken tenders are very good sized here, way bigger than at most places. The chicken again came out of the kitchen very hot. I liked the chicken, as it was moist and juicy from beginning to end, but I'd probably skip the full heat the next time because it really did not add too much to my dining experience.
Definitely the best pick of the night was Katie's meal, the Elvis Pepperjack Chicken Sandwich ($11.89). This sandwich came with lettuce, tomato, and pepperjack cheese. She got this classic style, which meant no heat. I think what made this for me was the cheese. It added not only a small tinge of heat, but a creaminess that balanced this sandwich out better than the others.
Eating at Jaxon's made me miss Burger Parlor even more. These chicken sandwiches are fine, but I think I have reached my limit with the hot chicken sandwich craze. Chicken sandwiches are not as versatile as hamburgers in my book. There's only so many things you can do with a chicken sandwich, and I have not been wowed by any that I have had recently, including these from Jaxon's. The chicken on its own was fine, but not noteworthy, and I was not really a fan of a good majority of their sauces. Maybe I caught them on an off day, but I'd rather eat at nearby Holdaak, Dave's Hot Chicken, or one of the other 235 chicken options within a ten mile radius of Jaxon's.
Out of five buckets of ranch dressing, (because I can imagine that with all of the fried chicken restaurants in OC, most go through many buckets of ranch dressing a day), five being best to zero being worst, Jaxon's Chix Tenders gets 2.5 buckets of ranch dressing.
For more information about Jaxon's Chix Tenders, head to their website by clicking here: https://jaxonschixtenders.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment