Food Review: Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers

There aren't very many places that exclusively sell cooked-to-order chicken fingers. Until my visit to the Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers location at Polaris Parkway, I didn't know what "good" chicken fingers tasted like. In fact, what I found was surprising and absolutely marvelous.

When I entered the uniquely decorated store (it has nostalgic movie posters and historic photos of Westerville, OH), I was immediately greeted by the cashier. I asked him what he recommended for a first-timer, and he goes ahead and gives me a free sample chicken finger with its secret sauce. I took a bite and was immediately impressed by the freshness, tenderness, and flavor of the chicken combined with the sauce that was tangy yet had a slight spice kick. The sauce was so good that it made the fries taste amazing. Additionally, their in-store brewed sweet tea was delicious and I was back several times for refills.

Its menu is simple: chicken fingers, the secret sauce, and a couple sides to go with it (i.e. Texas Toast, a toasted kaiser bun, cole slaw, and fries). It turns out that their chicken (breast pieces) is marinated overnight and cooked to order. I would even be bold to say that this place trumps Chick Fil-A's chicken strips and those are pretty good, too! I will definitely be back for another round of those strips and sweet tea.

Raising Cane's (the restaurant is named after the founder's dog) can be considered to be a prime example of success in chasing the American Dream. Founded by Todd Graves, it found its humble roots from pure sweat and determination to "fry chicken." You can read up on its history, drool at the menu, and find locations near you by visiting their website at http://www.raisingcanes.com/.