One of the writers taking the plunge photo: Aaron McKenzie Fraser

Never heard of Dixie Lee? Then head down to Somerset strip and check out what I am told is the last Dixie Lee restaurant in Ottawa.

Founded 40 years ago in Belleville, Ontario, the origins of the name "Dixie" are buried in the mists of time. "Dixie" is certainly a nickname for the southern U.S. and "Lee" likely refers to the Confederate general Robert E. Lee - the same name of Bo and Luke's 1969 Dodge Charger, the General Lee. Oddly, Dixie was the name of Daisy Duke's jeep. Daisy knocked boots with Bo and Luke - the result of the "collision" between her "jeep" and their "charger" is "Dixie Lee."

Starving when we arrived, Aaron and I greedily ordered a two-piece chicken dinner, a one-piece fish meal, plus a side of butterfly shrimp.

I picked up a drumstick and tucked in. Predictably, the skin slid off and I ended up with a mouthful of slimy skin, revealing a rubbery mass of blue-grey flesh that clung to the bone. In an act of futility, Aaron began dobbing his breast with the few razor-thin serviettes that came with our meal.

Wet, limp and bland, Dixie's "Tasty Golden Chicken" was anything but. Letting the chicken dry out, we tried the seafood. Props for the lemon wedge. It gave flavour to the fries, which we both agreed weren't half bad, but somewhat bland. Surprisingly, the fish was crispy and light, unlike the shrimp, which was mostly a thick cake of fried breading. As for the rest, the coleslaw was the same fluorescent green treat KFC spoons, the macaroni was basically limp noodles swimming in mayo, and everything was cold in the space of 10 minutes.

"You'd think that with this amount of grease they'd be cooking on the way home," remarked Aaron.

Aaron put it best: "Basically, the meal was a vehicle to get condiments into your belly." So true.

Tired and swollen, I hobbled back to work and found this southern gem which I'll end this review with: "Dixie Lee the time has come to say goodbye, Dixie Lee, now brush that tear drop from your eye. Tho' I'll leave you far behind, you'll be always in my mind and some day I'll come back, so don't you cry." -Goodbye Dixie Lee, 1917.

Dixie Lee
648 Somerset St. W.
(613) 231-2349
Dinners between $3 and $10
 
 

		Write your comment on this article!

Update On Dixie Lee................     Well, as you may have suspected from the less than flattering column, Dixie Lee on Somerset is gone. The stuffed mailbox with all those unpaid bills is probably an early indication that as far as a "delicious" place to go for chicken is concerned, nobody is whistling "Dixie" on Somerset Street. This particular address has seen Dixie's, an Indian buffet and a pizza place occupy the address, could there be some "bad karma" in this bulding preventing a restaurant from being successful there? We'll see what pops up next.
Steve Landry	{2 votes}	December 7th, 2006
If you don't like greasy chicken, why are you eating there or commenting on the food?     We all have different likes and dislikes for food. However, the main reviewer _clearly_ does not like deep fried, coated chicken. Any breaded chicken is going to be FULL of grease, that is effectively what the bread coating does. It soaks up the grease. So again, why the review, on something that clearly is not liked by the reviewer? There are complaints about "grease" and "blue-grey flesh", as if the reviewer is almost a vegetarian! Next we'll have vegans walking into The Works, and complaining about all the cooked animal flesh! As for the rest of the comments, three of them are from people that haven't even eaten at Dixie Lee in Ottawa, but only comment on how they will never eat there, because of the review! Frankly, if you don't like grease and chicken, then the review won't change your mind one way or the other.
Bob Bennett	{3 votes}	October 23rd, 2006
Dickie Wee would be better than Dixie Lee     Well after months of waiting I finally got around to ordering some food (?) from Dixie Lee on Somerset St. W. and boy was I disapoointed, didn't smell like Dixie in N.B., didn't look like dixie from N.B. and tasted like, well .... grease. My first experience with Dixie's food was in New Brunswick back in the early 90's when I lived in that region of our great country; super crispy chicken, light fluffy battered fish and fantastically dark brown fries always served piping hot and mouth wateringly good. So when I got my food home from Dixie here in Ottawa (I'm a couple of blocks away) boy was I ever surprised, pale, limp skinned chicken (or was it sea-gull, couldn't tell by the gray mass of what appeared to be meat) with a taste of grease, the axle kind, the fries weren't bad, but there is room for improvement, the fish was OK, but just barely, very thin fish under a thickish skin of batter, but it was cooked correctly and was crispy until the lemon and vinegar were applied (I know I'm a savage). The chicken that wasn't eaten the first night got tossed out to the crows the following day and even the crows were relunctant to eat the left-overs, can't argue with that, if crows won't eat the left-overs then you shouldn't have ordered in the first place. Lesson learned and I will steer clear of Dixie Lee in the Ottawa area and if I want good Dixie, I guess I'll have to vacation in New Brunswick next summer. From the article it seems that DL's are closing up shop in various locales in and around Ontario, from what I tasted I can fully appreciate why.
Scott Holliday	{4 votes}	October 12th, 2006
First Mr. Mozzarella, Then Harvey's ... Who Next Will Fall to "Dixie Lee"?     At 648 Somerset West, there used to be a Mr. Mozzarella. No, it wasn't necessarily the best pizza in town, but it was still good. Pizza is just about my absolute favourite food, so for me, it borders on the sacred ... a gift from above to make life here on earth better than just tolerable. So if a pizza joint that served decent slices, as did Mr. Mozzarella, gets shut down for another restaurant, then boy oh boy, there had better be a bloody good reason for that! I can't understand why fried chicken & fried seafood would replace pizza. And after reading your review, I understand it even less. And just as Miriam G. pointed out, a Harvey's is being closed for Dixie Lee. I don't like seeing a Harvey's closed, not necessarily because I like their food, but it was one of the very few fast food places my whole family could enjoy. The cooked their veggie burgers on a separate grill, so as to avoid cross-contamination with meat, which was good news for daughter who lacks the necessary enzyme to digest meat. But then they brought in the salmon burger, cooked alongside the veggie burger, & that ended our interest in Harvey's (especially for wife, who has an anaphylactic allergy to seafood). Harvey's saw the error of their ways, & dropped the salmon burger. We started going back, after giving them a few months to "purge the gills from their grills". Things were looking better, & then Dixie Lee has taken over a location. So what restaurant will they take over next to offer up their fare? Apparently they are expanding. No one is safe.
Brad Thomas	{4 votes}	October 6th, 2006
Eat My Words........: New Dixie Lee Opening on Walkley Rd.....sad to see Harvey's go     It was to my surprize this week that as I was commuting on Walkley road and noticed that my favorite fast food restaurant had closed. In it's place (drumroll).....was a Dixie Lee restaurant with an opening soon sign! I eat at Harvey's quite often and am disapointed to see most of the locations in Ontario being shut down this week. I had asked several people in the Toronto area and have heard the same story there as well. The tasty flame-broiled veggie burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches will surely be missed and were nice to have after a long day at work. I have never eaten at a Dixie Lee restaurant and am generally not a fan of greasy fried chicken- so I can't really comment too much on the food myself. But I just don't see how a Dixie Lee restaurant will do well in that location because there are so many other really good chain restaurants already in the area.
Miriam Goldstein	{15 votes}	September 29th, 2006
Greasy     I have tried Dixie Lee chicken and wouldn't eat it again. Very greasy deep fried stuff. I guess that is why the Kanata location (at a gas station) eventually closed down after being open less than a year or so.
Sue Michal	{7 votes}	September 28th, 2006
Dixie Lee     I went to the Dixie Lee on Walkley, the food wasn't bad, but I wouldn't eat it everyday, a little too greasy for my taste, but once in a while, when you're in a rush and need to eat fast, it's a good choice and it's pretty affordable.
Brian Fung		December 11th, 2006
Dixie Lee is bad in more ways then you know     I once worked at a Dixie Lee in Ottawa, I would highly suggest not eating there, the cross contamination from uncooked to cooked chicken is rediculous. It is simply unsanitary. If you would like a more detailed explanation just email me at thePilgrem@gmail.com
Brent Bodnar	{4 votes}	October 3rd, 2006

Write your comment! please follow these guidelines

Information requested in blue will remain confidential   [privacy policy] Please indicate your real first and last names.

First name :

Last name :

Your email :

Confirm your email :

Title of your comment (max. 150 characters)   Your comment (max. 2000 characters)  characters remaining       LIMIT PER PERSON : one comment per article per member. Thank you. Your comment will be read by our approval team and, if it is approved, will be posted on the website within 24 hours. It could also be published, along with your name, in the printed version of Xpress magazine and on any of our partner websites. In order to present the highest quality of comments, Xpress reserves the right to refuse certain submissions. Any plagiarism will entail the entire removal of the member’s profile. Xpress is not responsible for the opinions expressed by the members.