After Merkin Vineyards opened up its expansive hilltop trattoria in Cottonwood, Merkin closed its Old Town Cottonwood restaurant and replaced it with Four 8 Fried Chicken. The fried chicken recipe is by owner and winemaker Maynard James Keenan. We personally loved the unique spins on the three chicken sandwiches we tried here. The Classic is served with fennel slaw, sliced tomato and tangy aioli, for a nice spicy kick. The Southwesterner is topped with lettuce, tomato, pickled jalapenos and chipotle aioli for a hot taste. For vegetarian diners, the restaurant offers a plant-based patty was just as moist and as tender as the others we sunk our teeth into.
Each sandwich was served on a sweet Hawaiian style bun and included one side. It was reasonably priced at just $13. Guests also can order wings, dark and white meat in addition to tofu tenders. The sides here are also noteworthy. We loved the Green Chile Shells and Cheese, Hush Puppies, Elote off the cob and House made Sweet Sourdough Waffle. Most of the sides have some true Southwestern flair that we appreciated. One of the things we love the most about Southwestern cuisine in general it that chefs aren’t afraid to make dishes taste hot. The shells and cheese was a nice, spicy take on mac and cheese.
Another unique aspect here? The drinks menu. Four 8 Wineworks curates this. Guests can look forward to a variety of Arizona-made white and red wines in addition to meads. You also can try out a flight of meads. We’re fans of the Four 8 Sparkling Mead that was both refreshing and sweet at once. The cider is another light option. Desserts are another highlight. The gelato is our go-to order. All of the gelato is handcrafted by Kelley E. Foy, who’s been featured in these pages as an Open Portfolio artist. We quickly devoured the cooling Bunker Mint Chip before we left this true Southwestern joint. − A Sedona Foodie
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