Omnivore - Popeyes is open again!

Yay! The Popeyes on Boulevard at Ponce de Leon reopened yesterday.

My favorite fast food was unavailable for several months after a fire closed the place. Because of my continual complaints about the service there, I have been frequently accused of setting the fire myself. Never mind that my car’s windows were busted out there and 80 percent of my orders were screwed-up. I ain’t no arsonist.

The place was festooned with balloons yesterday and I became immediately suspicious when an alarmingly cheerful staff member said “Welcome to Popeyes” as soon as we came through the door. There were at least 10 people working the counter and kitchen.

We ordered the 10-piece special — spicy fried chicken with five biscuits and two large sides of coleslaw and red beans and rice. The latter are as good as you find most anywhere in the city and the chicken is better than average too.

Did they mess up our order? Of course. We were handed a box of mild chicken, instead of the spicy kind we’d ordered. (We insisted they get the order right, which didn’t seem to go over too well.)

It’s good to know that very little has changed at Popeyes, even with a staff of 10.

I started a cycle of Prilosec soon after eating.

(Photos by Cliff Bostock)