wanderingjew and Foodbme,
I'm not denying that there's good fried chicken to be had in NYC. I'm just saying that fried chicken doesn't strike me as having its roots in, or being an organic part of the New York food scene. Even the example cited, Sylvia's, as noted is a soul food joint, implying that, although located in The Big Apple, it still has it's culinary roots in the deep south.
In other words, they may serve fried chicken in a soul food place in NYC, but the fried chicken tradition, the method used to cook it, the recipe, etc., all comes from elsewhere. As another example: Stroud's may open a location in New York, but it will still be serving Kansas City style fried chicken.
So, once again, I ask, "What the heck is New York-style fried chicken"? What, if anything, differentiates it from Southern Fried Chicken, Maryland Fried Chicken, Barberton Fried Chicken, Stroud's Fried Chicken, or any other form of Fired Chicken not yet mentioned?
Buddy