Take 3 – The Scoreboard Smokehouse Bar and Grill

The Scoreboard Smokehouse Bar and Grill is a restaurant that I typically wouldn’t frequent.  It’s in the faux-tourist area of Music Valley Drive which boasts such establishments as Grand Old Golf and The Nashville Palace.

Quite frankly, I didn’t even know this place existed until I caught wind that venerable spicy food gods, Aarón Sanchez and Roger Mooking, of Food Network’s Heat Seekers were filming an episode at The Scoreboard profiling their Satan’s Tongue Nashville’s Best Hot Chicken.  I was still skeptical, so I waited until the episode aired so I could scope out the place.  I like to consider myself an expert on Nashville hot chicken, as I’ve conquered the hottest offerings from 400 Degrees, Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, and Bolton’s Spicy Chicken and Fish.  How had I not even heard of this place?

After sending out a couple of feelers to a group of friends, my wife and I suckered two people to join us in visiting this mysterious restaurant.  After picking them up, we were off to find The Scoreboard, which is a challenge in itself.  It’s tucked in an alley behind Cracker Barrel and next to an old, run-down motel.

It’s definitely a dive and has all of the typical decorations you would expect from a normal sports bar.  As this is a 21 and up establishment, smoking is allowed so I recommend heading there early in the day if you are bothered by second-hand smoke.

We eased into a booth in the back corner of the room and got settled in with the menus.  I really don’t know why I look at the menu because I knew what my stomach desired – Satan’s Tongue.  As with all traditional Nashville hot chicken, it’s served as a dry-rubbed bone-in breast on top of a slice of plain white bread with 2 or 3 pickles on top.  The Scoreboard gives the option of a side, so I chose french fries and ordered some bleu cheese dressing in case I needed it.

The menu says to allow 20 minutes for preparation, so that gave me plenty of time to get mentally prepared.  When it finally arrived, I knew I was in for a treat.

What makes the Satan’s Tongue Nashville’s Best Hot Chicken special is the habanero pepper sauce that is poured on top of the breast after it’s cooked.  That’s where the heat lies.  To test the waters, I decided to eat a small piece of the breading.  Immediately, I was on fire, in a good way.  I knew this chicken was going to be a challenge, but definitely one that I could handle.  I put the bleu cheese dressing aside as I wanted to take on this jumbo breast au naturel.  Now don’t think this hot chicken is for wimps.  This is a deep, burning heat that sticks with you.  I must have been drinking water like a fish because the server eventually dropped off a full pitcher for me.  My mouth burned, my lips hurt, my eyes started to water and yet…I couldn’t stop eating it.  If you thought the chicken was bad, just wait until you eat the bread that’s been soaking in the pepper sauce and rub.   After 15 minutes, I had powered through the pain until the plate was clean.

I wish I could say that the rest of the group enjoyed it as much as I did, but it got the best of one of them.  By the end of the meal, he was standing up and hunched over in pain.  I call this success.  As for my experience at The Scoreboard – I came, I saw, I conquered.   Bring on the ice cream!