Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen, locations nationwide
As mentioned in my prior column, I frequent only two chain restaurants. One is Hot Table, a local franchise that quickly ascended to the top of the panini pantheon throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut. The other is Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen. My ties with Popeye’s run deep; I have enjoyed countless fried meals over the past decade.
Popeye’s was a weekly sanctuary for my friends and me in college. We would make the 25-minute trip like clockwork on a weeknight, basking in the golden glow of a hearty chicken breast or crispy chicken tenders. They used to have a special meal on Monday evenings — two pieces of bone-in chicken, fries and a drink for six dollars. This meal was the ultimate paradise for poor college kids across the nation.
In a world where most chains produce bargain-bin dishes, Popeye’s was among the few to exemplify quality control and consistency. Despite my countless visits over the years, I have not once experienced a bad meal. I also love the fragrant Cajun influences patrons can savor in every bite. The chicken radiates an adept balance of savoriness and spice, while the dynamically seasoned fries and the buttery, crumbly biscuits make for an ideal accouterment.
In 2019, the once-hidden treasure became a go-to hotspot when the restaurant’s chicken sandwich exploded into the zeitgeist. Suddenly, no one could get near the drive-thru window, with countless cars cascading around the parking lot, patiently waiting to try the new item. I found the whole ritual somewhat silly; who honestly believes it is a good use of two hours to wait in line for food?
A few months later, I finally seized the chance to try the chicken sandwich. Somehow, it lived up to the hype. The enormous slab of crispy fried chicken between two buns elicits the ultimate comfort food experience. Every bite is more sinfully decadent than the last. Over the years, Popeye’s has innovated the chicken sandwich concept in brilliant ways. I would go as far as to say that their new blackened chicken sandwich, featuring a rich blend of cajun herbs and spices, is the best fast food item on the market.
Now on Streaming: “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter One”
I know everyone wants the “Deadpool and Wolverine” review, and it will come eventually, but I wanted to seize this opportunity to spotlight my favorite film of the summer so far, “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter One.”
For the uninitiated, “Horizon: An American Saga” is the long-awaited passion project of Oscar-winning writer, director and actor Kevin Costner. Costner famously left the top-rated TV show “Yellowstone” and invested nearly $40 million to create a grand epic on American frontier life in the 1800s. What started off as the concept for one movie quickly evolved into a four-part series that would weave together countless perspectives from the period.
“Chapter One” establishes an arresting starting point for the ambitious narrative. Costner has created a powerful mosaic of Americana, a bold, adventurous and nuanced meditation on the roaring highs and sobering dangers facing those wistfully aspiring to chase the American Dream.
I applaud Costner for crafting a film that feels atypical of modern sensibilities. At a whopping 181 minutes, “Chapter 1” embraces the patient storytelling and grandiose scale of epics from yesteryear. We begin by following the brief history of a piece of land wrestled between American and Native American control. Costner’s patient camerawork and evocative use of real-world sets and atmospheric lighting lull viewers into the heightened tensions of this clash.
Thankfully, the adept visuals are supported by a well-calibrated screenplay. Costner never settles for simplistic platitudes; his film always strives to convey the complex perspectives involved in America’s development. I’ve heard many complain that these arcs feel unfinished, which is strange because that is intentional for the first part of a franchise. Instead of definitive answers, Costner articulates his themes through several stand-out sequences. “Horizon” features many vibrant tonal paint strokes, from a rousing standoff between two cowboys, to the bright sparks of a new romance and even characters reflecting on a painful loss. The way it encompasses various ideas so effortlessly is a testament to Costner’s steadiness behind the camera.
Sadly, most media coverage on “Horizon: An American Saga” completely ignores the film’s quality, instead focusing on the film’s tumultuous financial performance. I find people relating box office to a film’s quality extremely reductive. Kevin Costner crafted “Horizon” because it was an artistic endeavor that held profound meaning for him. Not every movie is intended to make a billion dollars, and I do not think films need to justify their existence by being profitable for studios.
“Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter One” came and went in theaters, but I am confident the film will discover an eager audience on streaming. Fans of Westerns and old-school epics will be delighted.
