Up-Lyfting Eats!

Up-Lyfting Eats!

Hatch & Coop's BBQ chicken sandwich

By. William C. Walker Jr.

November 19, 2018

Featuring: Hatch and Coop

You see a lot while driving for Lyft, especially when it's in a city such as Philadelphia. I've met interesting people, and taken notice of a multitude of restaurants. These places lie within the city like hidden gems waiting to be discovered. It was on one of my early Lyft rides that I met the executive chef and general manager of one of these gems Michael O'Mara of Hatch and Coop. Let me take you inside this self described chicken and egg joint in this new series of posts I'm calling Up-Lyfting Eats.

Located in Midtown Village at 122 South 12th Street you'll find what can be best described as an Upscale Chick-Fila yet not upscale in prices. Open seven days a week from 7am-9pm this place offers delicious food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The setting is casual and remarkably clean something that Michael and his staff take great pride in. The majority of the fares they present are created in house from all the sauces to the insanely delicious batter used to coat their chicken.

So let's get to the good stuff, there's a variety of sandwiches to choose from at Hatch and Coop. There full menu is available all day, but if your star is a chicken sandwich LET'S GET TO THE CHICKEN! I ate the Coop and their BBQ chicken sandwiches. To make their chicken Michael explained how they take this chicken breast brine overnight in pickle juice, pounded flat in the morning and then marinated in buttermilk. Next it's coated in their house made coating and deep-fried to golden perfection. Each sandwich is served on a buttered and toasted King's Hawaiian Roll. First up the Coop this chicken sandwich can be had regular or spicy served on a bed of homemade crunchy coleslaw and Hatch and Coop's house spread. All together each item fuses to create a delicious bite. I've never thought to eat a chicken sandwich with coleslaw on it but it works. It helps that this isn't your traditional coleslaw super wet and loaded in creamy dressing. Hatch and Coops slaw is fresh dressed in a tangy vinaigrette that's out of this world. The crispy cool slaw is a perfect companion to the piping hot and crisp fried chicken, there's a tang to the slaw that blends well with the sweet yet not overpoweringly so house spread.

While I greatly enjoyed the Coop I LOVED LOVED the BBQ chicken sandwich, in the words of comedian Tracy Morgan I loved that sandwich so much I want to take it home and get it pregnant! Once again we have this perfectly fried piece of chicken this time coated in homemade BBQ sauce and if the delicious coleslaw wasn't enough they kick it up a notch by adding their fried pickles. Texture wise the sandwich is a dream the soft bun, the crunchy chicken, slaw and pickles! It's sweet and tangy and I could've eaten at least 20 of these sandwiches if I was allowed. The sides that Hatch and Coop offer are not to be out shined by the sandwiches. The french fries were seasoned perfectly hot and crisp but not too much, so great whether dipping in ketchup or their house spread. Also, provided potato pancakes which were like mini hash browns again seasoning 100% on point. Next their fried pickles, now I've had fried pickles before typically they're lightly coated but you get more of a wilted pickle than anything else. Hatch and Coop's fried pickles are on another level. First they're well coated the pickle itself disappears into this golden brown shell that's loaded with flavor. As if this perfect fried nugget wasn't enough it's served with this onion vinaigrette dipping sauce that is dynamite! If there was one drawback it's that the pickle could slide out of the breading at times when trying to bite it, but the breading was so good I found myself still dipping and eating. Your best bet, eat it in one bite.

Even though Hatch and Coop is a chicken and egg shop they do offer up some dessert. Now while I was skeptical of coleslaw on my chicken sandwich, it paled in comparison to the level I skepticism that I had for Hatch and Coop's Ice Cream sandwich (pictured below). When Hatch and Coop says all their sandwiches are served on King Hawaiian Rolls they mean all their sandwiches! Yes I was highly concerned when I saw that included their Ice Cream Sandwich. Ice Cream on a BUN THIS IS MADNESS! But this along with their BBQ sandwich I could've eaten ALL DAY! First they have Vanilla Ice Cream rolled in cinnamon toast crunch cereal the bun is buttered and toasted totally differently from what they do for their sandwiches. It's extra crispy and then drizzled with this house made caramel sauce the ice cream in the middle with the crunchy cereal MIND BLOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As if that weren't enough they offer another pairing with house made pumpkin spice ice cream and a sugar cookie! I know that much may think were over pumpkin-ed this time of the year, but I wanted jar upon jar of that pumpkin spice ice cream!

Thus ends my first account for Up-Lyfting eats! First out the gate Hatch and Coop is going to be tough to beat! But it's a spot you have to go to! I already know it's going to be a regular spot for me! There were items I didn't get to try that I have to go back and partake! Chances are I'll be devouring BBQ chicken sandwiches but WILL POWER MAN! Do yourself a favor and go to this awesome restaurant, check them out on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! But most importantly get down to Midtown Village 122 South 12th Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 and enjoy!

Hatch & Coop's Ice Cream Sandwich, pumpkin spice ice cream and sugar cookie

In the End the Laundry Wins!

In the End the Laundry Wins!

by. William Walker Jr.

Dallas Cowboys Ezekiel Elliott (21) is tripped Atlanta Falcons strong
safety Damontae Kazee (27) during the first half Sunday, Nov. 18, 2018,
in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Danny Karnik)

I HATE JASON GARRETT. Let's get that out the way right away. I mean I don't hate the man personally I'm pretty certain Jason Garrett's a great guy when he's not breaking Cowboys fan's hearts with his terrible coaching. Jason Garrett as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys however I hate. Yet after a Monday night debacle when the Cowboys got trounced by an average Tennessee Titans team coming off the bye, I was ready for the Garrett era to be over! Okay let me be honest I've been ready for the Garrett era to be over ever since his 3rd straight 8-8 season that ended in Washington D.C. when Robert Griffin III was actually good! With each Cowboys win the likelihood of a Garrett firing is fading into the background, putting most fans into a precarious position.

Do you take pleasure in your team's victory when you know it ensures the coach you HATE will keep his job? I haven't been immune to this dilemma after the Cowboys lost to the Washington Redskins in DC I was done! I canceled all my game day rituals tossed out my superstitious practices, and made the decision that the 2018 season had to be sacrificed to save the FUTURE! With each loss we'd come closer to Garrett being fired! Again after the loss to the Titans it seemed inevitable, Jason Garrett was ready to walk the green mile. He was at the World Series during the bye, it wasn't a good look for a 3-4 team, the loss didn't make it look better.

Going into the Sunday night game versus the defending Super Bowl...champs...(sorry I think I'm going to be sick, inhale deeply and exhale) Philadelphia Eagles, it seemed like a given that they were going to be killed! You know what for the first time that I can recall I was okay with it. The night before I had been at my 20 year high school reunion and one of my friends was teasing about the impending beat down the Cowboys would suffer, and I welcomed it! The dream was one embarrassing loss would lead to Garrett's firing. Yet the game starts and by halftime when you hear Pigeon fans booing their team, I couldn't help but smile! As much as I dislike Garrett I'll give him credit, when it seems like the end is near these players rally for him. It was easily one of the best games the Cowboys had played this year escaping Philly with at 27-20 victory. In spite of my strong wish to see Garrett gone I still relished in the anguish suffered by Eagles fans. Besides this is classic Garrett's Cowboys tease us with what could be only to pull the rug from under us next week against Atlanta.

Thus brings us to yesterday's game against the Atlanta Falcons. A team that also finds themselves fighting for their playoff lives! Back to the house of horrors for Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, in Atlanta last year when Dak was sacked 8 times! A game that had Jason Garrett's ineptitude on full display. With Tyron Smith out backup left tackle Chaz Green was used and abused giving up 6 of Atlanta's 8 sacks! What made it so infuriating was the coaching staff's refusal to either pull Green or give him some kind of help until the game was out of reach! A loss that appeared to had broken Dak Prescott he didn't look like the same player. Dak even admitted to the Fox broadcast team before this year's Atlanta game how the sacks affected his play. Same as my shock with the win in Philly I was shocked that they beat this Atlanta Falcons team. Holding them to one touchdown and 4 field goals, this is a team that averages over 30pts at home! Even as I watched Brett Maher's field goal barely squeeze through the uprights as time expired for Cowboys 22-19 victory I couldn't help but leap for joy.

Yes I know this win coupled with the broken leg of Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith, and the humiliating Eagles loss of 48-7 the Cowboys are now in the driver seat for the NFC East. Look I don't think there are Cowboys fans alive that wants Jason Garrett to stay the coach. However what if just what if to spite all of us they keep winning ensuring that Garrett remains the coach! Will I not take joy in the Cowboys winning a championship? OF COURSE NOT! I'll be dancing and shouting like it's 1995 all over again! The best way to explain this feeling was best described by Jake Kemp a producer and co-host for the Dallas Cowboys post game show for Sports Radio The Ticket 1310am/96.7fm. He said when it's all said and done fans root for the laundry, and he's right! Even though, we all know this team will be BETTER with Garrett gone true fans still want to bathe in the team's success. Here we go Dallas six games left and the future in your hands. I want Garrett fired, but when the game starts I want to see good things for my Boyz. In the end the laundry wins!