When chef Tom Bayless quietly left Urban Cowboy Public House last year, I was borderline inconsolable. After reviewing Public House for the Scene, I was there all the time despite living 10 miles (and 30 minutes in traffic) away. I couldn’t get enough of the abalone mushroom broth, the perfect tomato sandwiches or the succulent smoked meats. At one point I was there so much I was probably one meal shy of a restraining order — and then suddenly Bayless was gone, and I was left with a gaping hole in my dining roster. Last week, that hole got a lot smaller with the opening of BokBox.
The concept is simple: Bayless and his partner Dauer Ellis (Rolf and Daughters, Folk), serve crispy, smoky, coal-roasted chicken and rotating sides from the POP/Otaku Ramen walk-up window in East Nashville. They’re currently only open on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. or until the chicken runs out. Order online for pickup, via Postmates for delivery or on-the-spot. Take your chicken to go or eat at one of two picnic tables outside. Ten dollars (all cards, no cash) gets you a half-chicken, or for $16, you can upgrade to The Box, which is one of the heftiest lunches in town: a half-bird, rice or grains, soft rolls or lettuce wraps, one side and one sauce.
So how’s the bird?
In a word: perfect. Breast, thigh, drumstick, wing — every piece of BokBox chicken is juicy inside, seasoned impeccably outside, and delivers on the meaty, salty, finger-licking goodness that the words “coal-roasted chicken” bring to mind. Bayless has always been an expert when it comes to roasting — he cooks the birds with coal and smoke, then finishes them on charcoal — and you really have to be an expert in order to open a whole concept based on just one thing. But expertise is nothing new for a guy who came up through The Catbird Seat and Bastion, where execution and confidence are prerequisites. At BokBox, his powers are magnified by Ellis, another chef with a fine-dining pedigree who clearly wants to keep it simple, have fun and cook kickass food.
The menu is small, so I went ahead and ate the whole thing. Here’s the breakdown:
Sauces
There are five to choose from, but my hot take is this: You don’t need any for the chicken itself. That’s how good it is. But sauces are fun, one comes free with The Box, and all of them are good, so dunk on. Here’s how I’d rank them:
- Aji Verde: Fresh Peruvian green sauce, similar to chimichurri but creamier, more subtle and ideal for adding brightness, especially to the dark meat.
- Creamy Dijon: Just what it sounds like: An addictive, zesty, creamy mustard sauce.
- Yogurt Ranch: Again, this one’s self-explanatory, but it’s worth noting this is The Good Ranch — that is, not the kind so thick you can turn it upside-down and it will stay in place. This version is a dilly delight, and for $1 I’d make this your bonus sauce and mix it into your rice.
- Bok Man Gai: Dark, Thai-style dipping sauce that’s rich, salty and a little spicy. Best with breast meat.
- Bok: Bok’s version of wing sauce. Tasty and tangy, but again — I think the chicken’s better naked. (I’m sorry, Tom! Please don’t leave us again.)
Sides
These rotate, but the squishy rolls, lettuce and rice are always on the menu, and here’s where I admit to living in a house divided: I think the rice is a little under-seasoned. My husband tells me I am wrong — he’s a chef, so sometimes we listen to him — and I get what should happen here: You put roasty, dripping chicken skin on top of rice and it soaks up all the fatty, tasty goodness, and everyone is happy. I love that idea; I just don’t think enough flavor is seeping out of this chicken for it to happen — and that’s actually another testament to how damn well the chicken holds its juices. However, splash a little Yogurt Ranch into your rice, and it is go time.
Other sides include salads like the smashed cucumber-mint or cracked wheat with lemon and parsley, both of which are good backdrops, but I think could be seasoned a bit more aggressively. The local lettuce salad, however, is spot-on with its bold greens, pickled shallots and zippy vinaigrette — yet another reminder of how well these guys do the simple stuff. But the best side, far and away, is the heirloom beans. They are infused with so much smoke and salt and fat that they’d make any Southern grandma jealous. They remind me of the live-fire glory days of Public House, before the fire department shut them down and killed my spirit. With BokBox, Nashville got some of that spirit back — and this time it can be delivered to your door.
