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Meeting Top Chef Richard Blais at The Crack Shack in Century City!

Posted on July 24, 2018 | Filed Under: Food | Tags: Century City fried chicken, Crack Shack, Richard Blais, Top Chef, Westfield Century City restaurants | 6 Comments

The Crack Shack recently opened in Century City. I had heard SO many good things about The Crack Shack, so I couldn’t wait to try it out. As a big fan of Bravo TV’s Top Chef, I have been tracking Richard Blais’ career for years, seeing his transformation from TV chef contestant to cookbook author & now a celebrity chef & restauranteur!

I decided to visit the restaurant on opening day. Mind you, I was also there to check out the Nordstrom sale & I saw that The Crack Shack is conveniently located right across from the department store on the first floor of the Westfield Century City shopping mall.

Crack Shack signage_photo credit_getcrackshacked

(Photo credit: @getcrackshacked)

The Crack Shack is known for their fried chicken. I love fried chicken but since I only had a limited amount of time, I opted to order a chicken sandwich. I had a hard time deciding which one to try so I asked the restaurant hostess. She said that the most popular chicken sandwiches at The Crack Shack are the Coop Deville & the Firebird. Since I wasn’t sure how spicy the Firebird was going to be, I decided on the Coop Deville. I love spicy & flavorful food but since this was going to be my very first time eating at The Crack Shack, I decided to play it safe. This also gives me a reason to visit again (next time with my whole family). 🙂

Crack Shack sandwich menu

I paid the cashier & grabbed a table out on the patio. It’s a great spot for people watching & there was a nice breeze on a picture perfect LA day.

Crack Shack front

A few minutes later I noticed a Crack Shack employee delivering food to the table near me. I quickly realized that it was Richard Blais! I was so excited that I jumped out of my seat & approached him. He was very nice & gracious enough to take a selfie with me. We had a quick chat – I asked him if there were plans to open a location in the San Fernando Valley. Richard said that they were opening in Pasadena later this year.

Crack Shack Richard Blais

Selfie with Richard Blais

Shortly after meeting Richard, my Coop Deville sandwich arrived. I couldn’t wait to take a bite of it – but first, a photo or two!

Crack Shack Coop Deville close-up

Crack Shack Coop Deville 2

The brioche bun was so fresh & tasty. I discovered later on (after reading a sign in the restaurant lobby) that The Crack Shack only uses bread made in-house or artisan bread from local bakeries. The fried chicken was moist & tender. Most places I’ve been to serve fried chicken that’s sort of on the dry sign. So I took this as a good sign! Like their placemat says…

Crack Shack placemat

The fried chicken sandwich has a little bit of heat, but the combination of pickled fresno chilies, lime mayo & napa cabbage really just hit the spot!

The restaurant has a bar, extensive sauce station & a Stubborn Soda machine (along with Pepsi).

Crack Shack Silverware _Sauces

Crack Shack soda fountain

The outside patio (facing towards Constellation Blvd) has a fun grassy area for hanging out during happy hour, complete with beach chairs & bean bag toss game).

Crack Shack patioI’m looking forward to returning with my family in tow, so that we can order a bunch of different entrees. The Crack Shack has fried chicken dinners, a variety of bowls (you can add tuna, fried or grilled chicken, pollo asado & other types of proteins), as well as side dishes like deviled eggs, Mexican poutine & mini biscuits.

The Crack Shack is located at the Westfield Century City shopping mall. For more information, visit their website here.

Disclosure: No monetary compensation was received for this post. This blog post is for informational purposes only. I happily paid for my own food & can’t wait to visit again. All images are my own unless otherwise noted. As always, my opinions are 100% my own.

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Comments

  1. Christie says

    July 24, 2018 at 3:26 pm

    Woohoo – Pasadena! 😀 Looks delish!

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      July 24, 2018 at 9:22 pm

      I know right?! I’m glad they will open a restaurant in Pasadena in the Fall!

      Reply
  2. Lynn says

    July 26, 2018 at 7:54 pm

    My favorite sandwich is the Señor Croque… try that one next time! The fries are fantastic and the deviled eggs!! So happy you enjoyed your visit 🐔♥️ I know the Executive Chef personally… my middle son!

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      July 26, 2018 at 8:29 pm

      Thank you for the recommendations! I can’t wait to try it next time. You must be so proud of all that Richard has accomplished!

      Thanks for stopping by my blog! 🙂

      Reply
      • Lynn says

        July 28, 2018 at 1:14 pm

        My son is Andrew. He is the Executive Chef in the kitchen… Richard is the celebrity name behind the the restaurant. My son runs the kitchen! ♥️

        Reply
        • Jennifer says

          July 30, 2018 at 11:56 am

          Sorry Lynn for the misunderstanding & thanks for the clarification! Looking forward to trying out The Crack Shack again. 🙂

          Reply

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