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/.

 

Eleanor hits 90,000 miles...a retrospective.

It's an achievement that most motorcycles will never see, and I'm glad that I've been able to accomplish it on Eleanor. It took 1201 days (3 years, 3 months, 14 days) for Eleanor and me to hit the big 90k mark. Looking forward for many more to go!

Here's some of the dates and locations where we've hit some interesting numbers:

Mile 1: Los Angeles, CA (April 26, 2007) - she was delivered to me at work and I rode her right out of the parking lot
Mile 10000: Minneapolis, MN (July 13, 2007)
Mile 20000: San Francisco, CA (December 25, 2007) - my first big ride with Matt
Mile 33333: La Habra, CA (June 3, 2008)
Mile 54321: Irvine, CA (February, 15, 2009)
Mile 85000: Niagara Falls, ON, Canada (May 31, 2010)
Mile 90000: Westerville, OH (August 8, 2010)

Here's some other fun milestones to add.
States crossed: 37 (still missing Wisconsin - will be crossed in 10/10, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii - might be a challenge)
Countries visited: 2 (United States and Canada)
# of Women On Wheels® International Ride-Ins: 3 (2007 - Springfield, MO, 2009 - Kerville, TX, 2010 - Stratton, VT)
Longest Round-trip Ride: 6200 miles (LA/Columbus/Kerville, TX/Roswell, NM/LAX)
Longest Single-day Ride: 1004 miles (Roswell, NM to LAX)
Miles Matt and I have been together: 70,000

Now, it hasn't been all sunny days and roses with her. She's had a few electrical issues but have long been corrected. Her engine is still running happy and strong and that's what matters. So far she's on the standard oil change and visual checkup regimen.

Eleanor's still gearing for a lot more adventures with me. One of my ultimate goals is to hit Alaska with her...at the rate I'm going it sounds like a possibility!