Congratulations to the Whelk, recipient of a recent and well-deserved “don’t miss” review from the New York Times. While everyone else is busy storming over to Saugatuck, I checked back in at leFarm and was mostly surprised, but also thrilled to see Chef Bill Taibe in the kitchen last night.

He stopped by to say hello and eventually conversation wandered to the important issue (at least in my book) of the fried chicken sandwich at the Whelk. Pickles in my sandwich? Yes, please. I’m such a huge fan of Pimento cheese, I served it at our Super Bowl party this year.

The original fried chicken sandwich at the Whelk was a bit of a messy affair, but I loved it that way. So did our California-dwelling friend Brendan, who saw my photo and demanded to try it on his next visit back to the East Coast. We ordered it up few weeks ago and found it no longer the same fried chicken sandwich of our dreams. The chicken had been trimmed down to fit more neatly in the bun. Bill assured us it’s still a work-in-progress and asked to see the original version. Here it is, my photo notably dark and out of focus – but if it’ll help me get another sandwich like this, I have no problem with sharing.