Ma Glockner’s Chicken, left, is steamed for several hours, then taken hot and seared on a grill for seven minutes. The result is a crispy outside yet a juicy inside.

WOONSOCKET — For more than two decades Ed Jacques, of Ed’s Barber Shop in Providence, had extolled the virtues of Ma Glockner’s chicken to me. He rhapsodized about the tender, moist chicken and the crispy skin created by Ma’s special secret recipe that had kept generations coming back to her restaurant in Bellingham, Mass., since 1937. Chicken served with a salad, a heaping plate of French fries, and the best cinnamon rolls this side of heaven were the only items on Ma’s menu for years. Although the place later changed hands and other things were added to the menu, chicken still took center plate.

Then — horrors! — last September Ma Glockner’s closed. Perhaps it was a sign of the times, tastes having grown too sophisticated for just chicken and fries. I was sorry I’d never taken the opportunity to sample Ma’s chicken.

But then — surprise! — River Falls Restaurant, in a beautifully restored old mill building overlooking the Blackstone River, was given Ma Glockner’s secret chicken recipe by the final owners of the place. At last I could sample the celebrated chicken I’d heard about for years but only on Sundays. I couldn’t wait to tell Ed. But, of course, he’d already been and reported that the chicken was just as tasty as he remembered it being in Bellingham.

It must be pointed out that River Falls is much more than chicken. It bills itself as “Northern Rhode Island’s No. 1 Steak and Seafood Restaurant” and the menu includes a 28-ounce bone-in prime rib, Alaskan King Crab legs, “Pastabilities” Tuesdays when you can create more than 400 combinations of pasta for $9.99 each, Wacky Wednesdays with a $30 complete dinner for two, the $12.99 “All-U-Can-Eat Shrimp Lollapalooza” on Thursdays, a children-under-10-eat-free-

from-the-kids-menu Sundays, plus Thursday karaoke, Friday DJ dancing and live bands Saturdays in the lounge. And summer is “Lobster Fest,” featuring everything from a baked stuffed lobster to a lobster roll and a lobster pot pie. When you add it all up, do you really have to go anywhere else?

River Falls itself is elegant and sophisticated. Despite ultramodern touches, they’ve kept the old mill’s stone and brickwork around the windows from which you can see, if you stand up anyway, the swirling Blackstone below. There’s an inviting wraparound bar, comfy booths and spacious black lacquered tables with deep-padded off-white chairs.

This being summer — at least technically on the rainy day we were there — the Grape Kool-Aid ($6.50) was inviting, at least for those with a sweet tooth. A refreshing blend of Blue Curaçao, sloe gin, watermelon schnapps, wild berry schnapps, Sprite and a splash of pineapple juice, it had a solid grape flavor. A little headier was the Pama-Granite Margarita ($7) — white tequila, pomegranate liqueur, triple sec, sour mix and a splash of orange juice. It was easy to go down but had a salty spritz because of the salt rim (optional) ordered.

The River Falls Combo Appetizer ($10.99) had the best of the best on one big plate — sweet teriyaki-glazed potato skins topped with tender slices of sirloin, crumbled bacon and melted cheese with sour cream on the side; crispy boneless chicken wings with a tangy orange citrus dressing; and sweet coconut fried shrimp. On the side, celery and carrot slices for dipping in a blue cheese sauce. I couldn’t decide which I liked best.

Also winning praise was the Margherita Pizza ($8.99). One of six kinds of grilled pizza, it had a thick crust loaded with mozzarella, rich marinara sauce, thin slices of tomatoes, garlic and ground basil. Delicious.

The Backyard Barbeque ($18.99) also had the best of three choices — a generous serving of a meaty half rack of ribs, a half pound of tender steak tips and a moist rosemary chicken breast — that would satisfy the hungriest appetite.

And, ah yes, Ma Glockner’s famous “berched chicken.” I asked our helpful and knowledgeable server, Shannon, if there was such a word as “berched.” She didn’t think so, but whatever it is, the chicken made by this method of cooking lived up to expectations. A “specially seasoned” half chicken is steamed for several hours, then taken hot and seared on a grill for seven minutes. That’s what gives it its crispy outside and its juicy inside.

Actually, the grilling process left it rather flattened. But the skin was crispy and the meat tender and juicy. Just don’t expect exotic flavors. If you’ve grown up on the Colonel’s recipe, you might find the taste a little ordinary. But it’s a bargain at $10.99 (Ma charged 50 cents in 1937), as it also includes a crisp mixed greens salad with sweet French dressing, cranberry sauce, that luscious cinnamon roll which is deserving of all the accolades it has received for generations and either French fries or the baked sweet potato I chose that was topped with butter and melting small marshmallows. It was a dessert in itself.

At this point you might think an actual dessert would be one plate too many. Yet a cinnamon apple doughboy ($4.99) proved irresistible. Hot out of the fryer with cinnamon and sugar topped by cinnamon apples, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and caramel sauce, it almost made one forget the cinnamon roll. But not quite.

River Falls Restaurant, 74 South Main St., Woonsocket. (401) 235-9026; riverfallscomplex.com. Dressy casual. Wheelchair accessible. Reservations. AE, MC, V. Small parking lot and municipal lot across the street. Dinner 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday; 3 to 10 p.m. Wednesday; 4 to 10 p.m. Thursday to Saturday; noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. Appetizers $7.99 to $10.99. Entrees $8.99 to $27.99. Wines are $5 to $7.95 by the glass; $20 to $94 for a bottle.BILL OF FARE

Dinner for two at River Falls Restaurant might look something like this:

Grape Kool-Aid…$6.50

Pama-Granite Margarita…$7.00

River Falls Combo…$10.99

Backyard Barbeque…$18.99

Ma Glockner’s Chicken…$10.99

Cinnamon doughboy…$4.99

Total food and drink…$59.46

Tax…$4.76

Tip…$12.00

Total bill…$76.22

mjanuson@projo.com