Fried Chicken & Bread

The stylish Maketto on H Street NE features one of the city’s hottest dishes. Chef Erik Bruner-Yang takes on fried chicken with flair, turning it into a crispy Taiwanese platter that is both sweet and spicy (thanks to the kick of peppercorns). Served on top of French bread, the ensemble can feed three people, who will most likely sit in silence as they marvel at the dish’s flavor explosion.

Washington.org

Apr 7, 2018

The stylish Maketto on H Street NE features one of the city’s hottest dishes. Chef Erik Bruner-Yang takes on fried chicken with flair, turning it into a crispy Taiwanese platter that is both sweet and spicy (thanks to the kick of peppercorns). Served on top of French bread, the ensemble can feed three people, who will most likely sit in silence as they marvel at the dish’s flavor explosion.

Washington.org

Apr 7, 2018

Maketto continues to rack up the accolades, due in large part to Erik Bruner-Yang’s Taiwanese fried chicken and bread, which has proven to be an instant classic. It’s everything it should be: sweet, sticky, spicy, and crunchy. There’s even buttery bread to use to soak up sauce so good you’ll develop romantic feelings for it.

Eater DC

Feb 8, 2017

If there’s only one thing that keeps people coming back to Maketto, it would have to be the fried chicken dinner. Two years after the restaurant’s opening, the chicken remains, hands down, the most popular dish on the menu. And for good reason. Though it’s inspired by a street snack that’s a staple of Taiwanese night markets, Erik Bruner-Yang’s creation is far from humble fast food. The flavor comes courtesy of a caramelized fish sauce, along with Ma La oil—a spicy condiment infused with pepper and Chinese five-spice. No doubt, this poultry packs a punch. The sweetness from the fish sauce, though, is more than plenty to balance the numbness and heat. A coating containing sweet potato flour provides that all-important crispy texture. Not to be forgotten is the accompanying housemade bread, the better to sop up any remaining goodness. At $28, this must-order is big enough to serve two.

The large-format dish can easily feed three. Take a bite and your first impression might be the dish’s sweetness, but hold tight: It won’t be long before you feel the unmistakable numbing spice of Sichuan peppercorns.