Dave’s Hot Chicken Is Testing New Cauliflower Sliders And Bites For A Limited Time

In a world inundated with fast food chains racing to find the newest and most delicious meat-alternative options, Dave’s Hot Chicken took their time to perfect the art of the cauliflower and knocked it out of the park. Based out of their beautiful new location in Costa Mesa, California, Dave’s Hot Chicken is testing new cauliflower sliders and cauliflower bites for a limited time.

The owner of the franchise, Genese Perez, gave Foodbeast some insight into why Dave’s is going beyond the chicken without trying to pretend to be chicken.

“Everybody has been trying to make something taste like something else,” Perez shared, “but nobody has tried taking something and staying true to its flavor in an updated way. That’s where we came in.”

The newest innovation takes a cauliflower steak — essentially cauliflower that has been cut vertically down the middle to create a thick “steak” shape — and batters it in a signature Dave’s batter, which is then fried and flavored with one of Dave’s many spice blends. I, being a weakling, chose the Lite Mild seasoning. Slap that onto a brioche bun with classic slaw, pickles, and Dave’s sauce, and you’ve got yourself a slider.

We also were lucky enough to try their Cauliflower Bites which Perez said didn’t need any seasoning to shine.

“They’re honestly delicious by themselves,” she exclaimed when I asked how I should flavor them. “And this is coming from a woman who loves her meat. Try them on their own and I promise you’ll love them”

She was right.

Both the slider and the bites were delicious in their own way. The beauty of Dave’s innovation is truly what Perez told us from the start: They aren’t trying to make the slider and the bites taste like chicken. Going into it knowing it would be cauliflower made the experience that much better.

These new cauliflower items are available for a very limited time at Dave’s Hot Chicken in Costa Mesa California, located at 3030 Harbor Boulevard. If you find yourself in the area, stop in, let them know that Foodbeast sent you, and enjoy.