March 29: 7-Eleven

One of my guilty pleasures is heat lamp chicken strips. Something about letting the chicken sit under the lamp for hours often crisps up the exterior, infuses the meat with the spices in the breading, and just taste delicious. Maybe it's the extra flavor from the risk I know I'm taking, but, yeah, that's a comfort food for me. Safeway's deli does it particularly good. A gas station near Longview did it particularly bad.

Today, I'm craving food so bad it's good. I almost grabbed a Car2Go to drive down to Jack In The Box to get some of their nasty, greasy tacos, but decided to search for chicken strips instead.

So, internet, where's the best chicken strips in town? Ezell's gets great word of mouth. But many blocks from the Link station? Too far. Nate's Wings and Waffles on Capitol Hill? Too sit-down, and if I want pub grub, there's closer. Chicken Valley Farm at Pike Place? Maybe. I'll head that way if I can't find anything closer.

Instead, I head south, vaguely thinking that I remember a deli with chicken strips between here and the stadiums. I poked my head into the Kingdome Deli, but with the undercooked tuna melt they served me a few months ago, I was kinda glad they didn't have fried foods. The King Street Kafé next door also didn't look like a heat lamp chicken strip kind of joint.

I eventually wandered into McCoy's Firehouse, enticed by the chicken strips on their menu, but there weren't any open seats. Fine. I'm headed towards Pike Place, though I'm hoping to find something on the way.

And there it is. 7-Eleven. I get in line behind three down on their luck folks flowing chili onto their hot dogs, and ask the clerk for three chicken strips. "Two?" "No, three please." "I'll give you three, but just charge you for two." Sweet. I grab a drink from the fountain and check out. $3.70, the cheapest meal I've had to date.

Back in the office, I chow down. The breading is thin and soggy. The meat is dry and mostly flavorless. I didn't grab any sauces to go with it, which would have helped. But it's heat lamp chicken strips. Judging by some of the other folks in line, literal beggars can't be choosers. Maybe I should have gone for the Jack In The Box taco bombs. Guess I'll find out in a few hours.

7-Eleven
621 1st Ave.
Chicken strips and a Diet Dr. Pepper, $3.70