Blaze of Glory

Although Joseph Zegarac may be frying up hot chicken ($7.50) at his Chow Chow Kitchen takeout spot in Lakewood, the chef and owner had never tried Nashville's famous fiery dish until he made it himself five years ago. His bone-in, skin-on chicken gets fried in oil and then slathered in medium or extra spicy hot sauce. The blazing version is a frying oil-based paste of cayenne powder, smoked paprika, ground mustard and brown sugar. "Instead of getting soggy like a Buffalo sauce, it can sit on the fried chicken and keep it crispy," he says. True to tradition, it's served with house-made pickles and a slice of Wonder bread — Zegarac adds house-made coleslaw. He's since tried the Southern classic at Music City spots such as Hattie B's. "I still think [they] blow mine away," he says. "But I'm hoping in 20 years, I'll be compared to some of these people who have been doing it their whole life." 14201 Madison Ave., Lakewood, 216-712-4126, facebook.com/chowchowkitchen