Supporting Local: Boss Bird Kitchen - San Diego, CA

While we may be enjoying the homebody life more than we'd like to admit, we still support local by ordering from neighborhood businesses. Another new eatery in our area is Boss Bird Kitchen on Miramar Rd. They took over the spot where Gaya Gaya once was, and Sarap Kitchen before that! Foodie friend Mary had expressed interest also so I met her for lunch during their soft opening lunch service back in February, when dining in was still the norm. There is also a revisit, takeout style, in the second half of this post.

Standard Burger (chicken) ($9.50)

Members of Mira Mesa Neighbors FB group were saying how much they loved the "hot mess" chicken burger. Since Mary and I don't do spicy, we opted for the standard version. You'll notice how hefty a portion of fried chicken is given too! The breaded chicken needed more fryer time though because it was a bit on the doughy side in some sections. Tastewise, it was simply seasoned with salt and pepper, a house-made sauce, plus a delightfully fluffy bun.

Dime Box Chicken Wings ($13)

Wings came in several portions from nickel (5 piece), dime (10 piece), to quarter (25 piece) box of wings. We were able to do 2 flavors with the dime box so chose garlic parmesan and citrus soy butter. We preferred the parmesan flavor, which was a good ratio of garlic to parm BUT we couldn't really taste any citrus in the other flavor, mostly the butter component. We saved the pickles from both orders for the guys. Dennis commented that the pickles seemed a bit off, like they didn't ferment long enough.

When my coworkers joined us later, their order of garlic parmesan wings came out *spicy* first, then slightly under in the re-do. With new cooks in the kitchen, there was definitely room for improvement. It was still their first week being open and the manager apologized for the kinks!

By the next month, Boss Bird Kitchen was advertising the donation of 100 meals to hospitality workers plus a "share a box" promotion. Good causes catch my attention so I figured it was time for a revisit! The staff cheerfully walked the orders out to your car so you didn't even have to leave your seat! Their menu hadn't really changed from our last visit, other than changing to pickup only.

Now $50 lighter, here's what I got: a dime box of wings, six chicken tenders, a hot mess, and a future meal for a hospitality worker <3.

Parmesan Garlic Wings and Mustard BBQ Wings ($13)

The parmesan garlic was plenty garlicky and we really enjoyed the tang from the mustard bbq sauce! Dennis commented great consistency without an overpowering mustard influence. The meat was still moist underneath the skin though the wings are on the smaller side.

Hot Mess Burger (chicken) ($9.50)

Because it was so popular online, we went for the hot chicken version this time. Dennis loved how moist it was, with a pleasant heat to the sandwich. The slaw worked well to cool off your mouth too. There was enough chicken breast that we could have split into two sandwiches! Pickles had improved since the last time too, and were crisp and fitting with the meal. There was an abundance of fries that came with the sandwich.

Six Tender Combo ($14)

Chicken tenders had a medium consistency of fried batter and seemed plenty meaty. It was great to pair the tenders with the biscuits because you could make little sandwiches out of it! Dennis's variation was to drizzle on Meljess Honey from the local farmer's market. He was giddy with excitement as he ate dinner. We also had leftovers for two more meals! You won't go hungry eating here!

The food was a vast improvement over the first visit and they definitely brought their A-game, even as takeout! It's nice to have a mom and pop chicken spot in the neighborhood even though it does cost a little more. We do like supporting local and will keep an eye out on Boss Bird Kitchen! Let us know of any other local spots we should hit up next!