Chef Hemant Kishore has been making a name for himself for years in Las Vegas, with his Toddy Shop concept taking over various venues and popping up at special events. Now he’s leveling up one of our all-time favorite dishes with his signature flavors.
It’s all about fried chicken on the second and fourth Fridays of each month at the brunchy new Downtown spot the Parlour Coffee and Cooking, which recently took over a former taco shop space on Carson Avenue near 7th Street. Kishore launched the pop-ups in February (the Parlour is closed in the evenings), and he’s been routinely selling out just by updating followers on Instagram (@toddyshopusa) and at thetoddyshopusa.square.site, where fried chicken fans can order ahead.
“I wanted to do something a little smaller and hang in there a bit, then when the time is right, pursue Toddy Shop [as a restaurant],” he says. “Fried chicken is easier to sell than a full-on South Indian bar.”
He’s doing two styles of bird: Trivandrum ($18), a popular dish in his hometown of the same name, marinated for 36 hours with yogurt, curry leaf, fennel, byadagi chili, garlic and ginger before a dusting in coconut masala powder and a deep fry; and tandoori fried chicken ($18), done in classic Southern style only it’s laced with those familiar tandoori flavors such as coriander, cumin, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper and cardamom.
“I’m getting really good quality birds from Red Bird Farms in Colorado, air-chilled, which means the skin gets crispier,” Kishore says. “I played around with a lot of different breading mixtures to get that really nice crust.”
Three sides also packed with flavor—ghee rice, warm black garbanzo salad and crispy fried cauliflower tossed in chili garlic sauce ($7-$8)—round out the meal, available for dine-in or takeout. Kishore typically does about 50 orders at each pop-up, and he’ll also serve it up this month at a May 16 event at Vegas Test Kitchen, with reservations available now at secretburger.com. –Brock Radke
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