Thanksgiving is somewhat of a tease for college students, in that you go home and eat bountiful amounts of food prepared with a little TLC, only to return days later to the reality of an empty refrigerator and a pile of dishes in your sink resembling the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Plus, papers and exams tend to take over your life leaving you barely any time to breathe, let alone cook.
So if you are itching for a home-cooked meal, but don't plan on doing any home cooking yourself, Kipp's North American Rotisserie, 1614 Monroe St., has got you covered.
According to employee Kym Miller, Kipp's is a family-run business that opened in Fitchburg in 1996 and has since resided near Camp Randall for over a year and a half.
The menu, also found at www.narotisserie.com, boasts both American and Latin American cuisine. Miller even described it to be a cultural melting pot. Chicken is the main course and you can get it in quarters, halves or wholes. You also have the choice between original, fried or barbecue.
I mixed and matched and ordered half fried and half original'original meaning rotisserie style chicken. Personally, I like the rotisserie chicken better, but both kinds are exceptional, to say the least.
However, chicken is not all this restaurant has to offer. In fact, the side items, which come in generous portions, are just as fabulous. It would be easy to make a meal out of them, sans chicken. In particular, the Wisconsin Three Cheese Macaroni puts Kraft to shame. It is creamy and chockful of flavor. Also, the Carolina sweet potato fries are one of a kind and simply divine. A little tip: keep the bag of fries open to release the steam if you like your fries on the crunchy side.
A few other side items include Boston baked beans, Iowa cream corn and Idaho garlic mashed potatoes and gravy. Nothing says soul food like a hearty portion of any one of these items and succulent chicken with meat that practically falls off the bone.
Apparently there has been some debate concerning North American Rotisserie's food qualifying as 'soul food' because the menu does not boast any greens. Miller reassures me that in her book, the entire menu is soul food because it comes from Kipp's heart and soul'his own unique mix of recipes.
Thus, you don't have to go too far to have lunch or dinner prepared with a little TLC. In fact, you don't necessarily even have to leave your house because North American Rotisserie delivers, just remember they're not open Sundays.
I would have to agree with Miller's sentiments that Kipp is truly 'a Picasso with food.'
