The Shaw fried chicken sandwich, top, comes with kaleslaw; above, Hotville’s “mac & smokin’ cheese.”
NASHVILLE-STYLE hot chicken swept in as a craze late last decade; rather than blaze and fade, the dish has begun blending into our chile-laden landscape. For a taste of the dish’s true lineage, head to Kim Prince’s restaurant at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw mall. She comes not just from hot chicken royalty but from its creators. Her aunt is Andre Prince, owner of Prince’s Hot Chicken in Music City; their family began selling hot chicken to customers in the 1940s. At Hotville, the spice paste is its own texture, at once slick and pleasantly sandy. The staff pleads with first-timers to start by ordering the chicken mild; with medium and spicy levels there is likely tingling, maybe even all-over prickling sensations, and certainly sweats. For hot chicken sandwich seekers, Price makes a slaw-crowned version she calls the Shaw, and on weekends the kitchen sends out buttery waffles; they bring a little sweetness to the burn.
NASHVILLE-STYLE hot chicken swept in as a craze late last decade; rather than blaze and fade, the dish has begun blending into our chile-laden landscape. For a taste of the dish’s true lineage, head to Kim Prince’s restaurant at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw mall. She comes not just from hot chicken royalty but from its creators. Her aunt is Andre Prince, owner of Prince’s Hot Chicken in Music City; their family began selling hot chicken to customers in the 1940s. At Hotville, the spice paste is its own texture, at once slick and pleasantly sandy. The staff pleads with first-timers to start by ordering the chicken mild; with medium and spicy levels there is likely tingling, maybe even all-over prickling sensations, and certainly sweats. For hot chicken sandwich seekers, Price makes a slaw-crowned version she calls the Shaw, and on weekends the kitchen sends out buttery waffles; they bring a little sweetness to the burn. 