Cat Cora Swings Open Fatbird With Jello Shots And Fried Chicken

Iron Chef Cat Cora’s Southern-themed restaurant Fatbird stepped into the Meatpacking District over the weekend with a menu of hot chicken, baby back ribs, and drinks with cheesy names like “Not Yer’ Mama’s Jello Shot.”

The 150-seat restaurant at 44 Ninth Avenue started serving a full dinner menu on Sunday night, when people had already started to pack the premises. It will be serving dinner only from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. until Thursday, after which breakfast and lunch will also be offered starting from 7 a.m.

The dinner menu has both a “classic” fried chicken and a Nashville-style hot one, with half a bird plus two sides costing $26. Other entrees stick pretty closely to the Southern theme as well. Cora — who’s from Jackson, Mississippi — is offering a burger, collard greens, shrimp and grits, and biscuits and gravy.

The drink menu in particular is where the corny factor really comes out. Besides that jello shot with sweet tea vodka, there’s a pineapple margarita called “Papa’s Pineapple Southern ‘Rita” and peach-bourbon cocktail called “Purdy Peach Sweet Tea.” Diners can also opt for a two-gallon mason jar of spiked punch.

Here’s a look at the dinner and breakfast/brunch menu:

It’s the celebrity chef’s second standalone restaurant. Her name’s everywhere, but mostly at restaurants in places like airports and casinos. Late last year, she opened a burger restaurant in Santa Barbara, California. She’s running this one with Thomas Recine, a partner in celebrity magnet Sugar Factory.

Stay tuned for more.