Three-way

one sixtyblue is still keeping things sophisticated in the dining room, but in its lounge, chef Michael McDonald is becoming known for homier stuff: hamburgers, pizzas and, now, fried chicken. His new Wednesday night promotion hawks a bird that’s soaked in buttermilk and spiced with cayenne, onion powder and espresso before being fried. But to keep that sophistication level high, he’s pushing it with a glass of Champagne. (1400 W Randolph St, 312-850-0303)

A trip to Charleston, South Carolina, gave The Bristol’s Chris Pandel a hankering for fried bird, but his choice isn’t chicken but quail. Pandel marinates the bird in a molasses brine, dusts it with cornmeal and then fries the thing. But the best part comes postfryer, when he plates it with a side of fried okra and then drizzles the quail with maple syrup spiked with malt vinegar. (2152 N Damen Ave, 773-862-5555)

Not ones to really hop on a bandwagon—nor shy away from excessive displays of decadence—the team at graham elliot is getting in on the fried bird thing in a slightly different way. The choice of fowl is duck, the choice of cut is the fatty liver and the style is breakfast: The restaurant places its chicken-fried foie gras on a duck-fat biscuit with a slathering of quince butter. Then—as if the dish weren’t already over the top—the whole thing is drizzled with maple syrup. (217 W Huron St, 312-624-9975)

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