Chicken Salad with Fried Oysters - William Penn Inn
This historic inn is one of the few places that still serves what is sometimes called the Philadelphia Special, that is, a dish that has cold chicken salad on one side of the plate and fried oysters on the other. It goes back to the days when oysters were plentiful and inexpensive and chicken was costly, as it was an attempt to make a good meal affordable. I love it! (The nearby Blue Bell Inn also has it on the menu.)
Email : 27thpal@comcast.net
Comments : First saw the Oyster/Chicken Salad dish on the menu of Dukes Seafood (long gone) in Philadelphias Tacony neighborhood in the early 60s. Recently (2011) saw and ordered it at the legendary Crab Trap Restaurant in Somers Point, NJ (delicious). The waiter wasnt familiar with it being called the Philadelphia Special, but he knew it was a Philly dish. He said it was on the menu of several Jersey Shore seafood houses he had worked over the years.
Date : 2011-10-13