“Oh Lorde! Oh My God! *slurp* GOD!”

No. Those are not the sounds of an illicit affair flagrante delicto. It’s the sounds of an obscenely fantastic meal flagrante deliciouso!

My co-workers took me to a place called Chicken Rico, or as they like to put it “Crack Chicken”, for lunch today. This Peruvian Rotisserie chicken joint just East of Patterson Park is deceptively simple looking compared to the unique flavors and choices available. From pesce frito (fried fish) to plantains and beef stew to burritos, the smells of the food is so very very bewitching. and WELL worth the lines. But what really brings the people in is the chicken. Crusted in a spice mixture of cumin and. . . something else, and cooked over what I could have sworn was wood chip embers, the juices just drip off the crusty browned edges. Heaven!

We arrived around 12:30 and the place was surprisingly free of too many people. Lynn offered to buy my lunch for me. “First taste of Crack Chicken is free,” apparently. I opted for a half rotisserie chicken, white meat, the fried plantains and fried yucca. There was also a beef stew that nobody had seen there before. Yale couldn’t wait and asked for a taste of it. One bite and he was reenacting the Meg Ryan orgasm scene in When Harry Met Sally. Only it’s a little disturbing when it’s a black man behind you doing it. I’m pretty sure he sold about three bowls of that stew though. You can’t fake that kind of reaction to food. Sex maybe. Not food.

We got our food to go and took it back to work. People who had politely turned down our offer to bring back Crack Chicken were lured to our working area by the aromas. It was like a shark swarm. Oh well, they’ll know better next time.

And how about the taste? I cannot even begin to describe how juicy and fall-off-da-bone tender this chicken was; and it was all white meat. My first reaction was yet another Meg Ryan impersonation. Lynn and Yale laughed because that’s the reaction everyone has their first time, without fail. The yucca was a bit on the dry side, but that’s normal. It was lightly fried and good and firm. The plantains were phenomenal. Sticky, sweet, and crispy in places. Mandie’s a big plantain person. If we can figure out when they have the fried fish (their menu rotates), I’ll have to get her out there.

As for the name “Crack Chicken.” Does it stand up to that label? ¡Usted lo cree mejor!

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