Travelin' Tuesdays

We love to travel and we love to eat.  Every Tuesday, as long as my memory holds up, I will reminisce about some of the memorable food we have eaten while on our travels.

The Best Fried Chicken...Ever!

In 2005, Becky and I were planning an October road trip to Florida.  Needless to say, 2005 was a busy hurricane season.   Instead, we headed west to visit the Grand Canyon , Zion National Park and then head over to Bryce Canyon.  The trip was that and much more.  When we take road trips, we like to plan as little as possible staying open for new, unexpected adventures.

While driving through New Mexico, we took a side trip to visit El Morro National Monument.  The highlight of El Morro is Inscription Rock, a sandstone promontory full of Native American petroglyphs and the signatures of  17^th through 20^th century  Spanish and American travelers carved into the rock.  It was impressive and well worth the extra time to visit.

After our stop at Inscription Rock, we continued west on the back roads planning to hook back up with the Interstate at the Petrified Forest in Arizona.   It was early afternoon and we were starving.   On the map, there were several towns listed where we were sure we could find a place to eat.  Wrong! 

When we finally reached the Zuni Pueblo, we stopped at the Information Center to find out what there was to see in the area and to find food.  We were starving!   We asked the woman in the center what was available in town.  She pointed to an opened takeout box of fried chicken and told us that the only place to eat was at the Halona Plaza.   She gave us directions and we headed on over. 

To our surprise, the Halona Plaza was a grocery store, an old grocery store.  The store has been owned and operated by the same family since 1910.  The previous owners built the store in 1866.  Towards the back of the store was a counter where we ordered our fried chicken.  As we waited for our food, we watched the man behind the counter make fresh red chile sauce in a blender. 

The weather was hot, it was windy, and it was dusty.    We sat on the curb outside the store and ate our chicken dipping it in the just made red chile sauce.  And I swear it was the best fried chicken I have ever eaten.  Becky concurs.  To this day, we can still feel the heat and the wind and we can still taste the chicken dipped in the red chile sauce.