Layne's Chicken Fingers

Layne's Chicken Fingers just opened on Mineral Point in West Madison, and I went ham. Chicken fingers, cheese curds, a club, a shake. I wanted to see what this place could do beyond the usual tender basket.

Chain or not, good food is good food. And a lot of this was really good.

The Lowdown

• City: Madison, WI
• Address: 7501 Mineral Point Rd, Madison, WI 53717
• Phone: (608) 690-8815
• Website: layneschickenfingers.com

What I ordered

I got the four-piece tender basket with three spicy tenders and one regular, Texas toast, crinkle fries, Layne's sauce, and honey mustard on the side. Then I added the spicy club, cheese curds, and a salted caramel shake. I also tried the house jalapeno ranch and regular ranch. All the sauces are made in house.

My thoughts on the food

First, those cheese curds slap. They're lightly breaded cubes, way more cheesy than bready. For me, they blow Culver's curds out of the water. Apparently this is one of only three Layne's locations serving them, so take advantage.

The spicy tenders are the move. Flaky, crispy breading, juicy inside, and the heat makes them way more interesting than the regular tender. Drown one in the house honey mustard and tell me I'm wrong. The regular was fine, but spicy wins easily.

The spicy club is huge, with bacon, cheese, and Layne's sauce. Tasty sandwich, though I'd want the bacon a little crispier. Texas toast was buttery with a little salt at the end. Even the crinkle fries were better than I expected. The salted caramel shake? Solid, but middle-of-the-pack compared with everything else I tried.

The verdict

My order of favorites: spicy tenders, cheese curds, club, fries, regular tenders, with the shake somewhere in the middle. Go try West Madison Layne's and do not skip the honey mustard.