Hot Lolas
Dry Hot: Warm + Tingling Chicken Sandwich
(Sichuan peppercorns, Korean chili flakes, cayenne, cloves, star anise, fennel, cumin, etc.)
Owner-Chef: Kevin Tien, 31
Background: Grew up in a military family, while cooking in his family’s Louisiana deli (Chinese food and po’boys); worked in restaurants to pay for college and then spent time in kitchens in Houston and DC (Oyamel, Momofuku CCDC, Pineapple & Pearls) before opening Himitsu, where he is a 2019 James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic
Style: Nashville + Sichuan
Behind the Menu: Find six spice levels, plus off-menu options, including one with capsaicin extract requiring a signed waiver; chicken is brined for 24 hours, marinated in buttermilk and, at order, battered, fried and seasoned
Inspiration: “I really opened [Hot Lola’s] to see if I could change the fast-food industry.” Tien adds a 4 percent “fair wage and wellness provision” on each order to provide health benefits for all full-time employees. “No one is making a living wage working in this kind of restaurant and I want to change that.” // Ballston Quarter: 4238 Wilson Blvd., Suite 12, Level C, Arlington
Wooboi Hot Chicken
Level Three Hot Chicken Sandwich
(Habanero, berbere, ghost pepper, Thai
bird chilies, etc.)
Owner-Chef: Minwoo Choi, 24
Background: Grew up in a restaurant family (Basilico’s Deli in Fredericksburg, Vinny’s Italian Grill in Lorton) washing dishes and bussing tables; parents wanted him to be a dentist, instead he enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America; worked in kitchens in New York and DC (Bourbon Steak); this is his first restaurant as owner and executive chef
Style: Nashville + Global
Behind the Menu: There are five heat levels, each one is a mix of about 15 dried peppers with inspiration from Tennessee to Ethiopia to Korea; the chicken is brined (a mashup of Southern buttermilk and Japanese shio rice koji), dredged, fried and sprayed with spice
Inspiration: “Why can’t food be fast, really good and support local farms?” Choi is already plotting another Wooboi and more fast-casual concepts. “All my restaurants are going to … be based on local ingredients and support local farms.” // 139 Spring St., Suite 1, Herndon; wooboichicken.com
This post was originally published as part of our Cheap Eats feature in the May 2019 issue. Want more food content? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
