We Tried The Reaper At Dave's Hot Chicken And It's No Joke
I'm not one for lots of spice. I like a little kick of heat every now and again, but I'll never do the Blazin Challenge at Buffalo Wild Wings or bite into a habanero pepper on a dare. I come from a long line of people with weak digestive systems. I pop so many Tums, they should sponsor me.
But when I heard that Dave's Hot Chicken was opening a location in New York City, I had to try it. And what kind of journalist would I be if I didn't taste their spiciest chicken to report on the experience? But let's back up.
Dave's Hot Chicken is a fast-casual restaurant specializing in Nashville-style hot chicken sliders and tenders. They started as a tiny stand in a Los Angeles parking lot in 2017 and have since grown to more than 70 locations with investment from Drake, Samuel L. Jackson, and Michael Strahan. So there's some serious hype around this chicken.
The Manhattan location, which officially opens to the public today, is a small space with graffiti-style art on the walls. The menu is also small, with only three combos: two tenders, two sliders, or one of each. The tenders are served on a slice of white bread, while the sliders have kale slaw, pickles, and spicy cream sauce called Dave's sauce. And all the combos come with fries. The hard choice is picking your heat level from the following options: no spice, lite mild, mild, medium, hot, extra hot, reaper.
I ordered a hot slider, a medium tender, and a reaper tender. I also got a water and a Coke for my poor mouth and some cooling sides—kale slaw and mac and cheese. Before sitting down, I had to sign a waiver to release Dave's of liability "due to [the reaper's] extremely hot nature." Yay!
I logically ate the chicken from most mild to spiciest. The medium tender was juicy and crispy, but the slider was my favorite. Even though it burned, I still went back for more. The slaw cooled me down, and the pickles had a welcomed tang.
Then it was time for the real challenge: the reaper chicken. I read through my rights again on the waiver I signed. "I acknowledge that eating the reaper can cause me harm, including, but not limited to, bodily injury, property damage, emotional stress, and even death." With that terrifying statement in mind, I cut off a small slice, probably about one inch, and ate it.
At first, the heat wasn't any worse than the other chicken, but that's what makes it so dangerous. The spice slowly, slyly, creeped up on me. I started sweating. I was breathing through my mouth. I was gulping down Coke. I tried my best not to touch any part of my skin or eyes. The pain grew with intensity.
I remembered the words from the waiver. I was experiencing bodily injury and emotional stress. I waited for property damage and the sweet release of death. But it never came. My digestive tract certainly did some property damage later that night, but the spice dissipated over the next 15 minutes. And it was actually delicious. The next time I go back, however, I'll stick with the hot chicken.
Dave's Hot Chicken is located at 944 8th Ave. in New York and is open everyday from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
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