Big, Fatty, Smokey Chicken - Pico Rico [Closed]

Once upon a time, Cathy2 and I discussed a possible talk for the Culinary Historians on "How to Chowhound." Perhaps one day. But I have a secret weapon that cannot necessarily be taught. The eagle eye of the Condiment Queen. We planned on going to Trader Joe's today (for their preternaturally good decaf coffee--I actually think that TJ's decaf is better than their caf, explain dat). Our lunch plan was to have no lunch plan. Drive east, probably to somewhere in Wicker Park or perhaps a cemita. Then, she spotted it. It's not really easy, the signage is small, a pollo a carbon place called Pico Rico. One deep breath when we entered, and we knew we where in the right spot.

Pico Rico cooks their chicken with a roitissere over smoldering piles on hardwood charcoal, the sweet smell of wood wafting around the room. We ordered the whole chicken plus three sides for $14.99. It is not the cheapest roast chicken deal in town, but these were huge, fatty birds. Birds that really stood up to the coals. For sides, we got white rice, red beans, yuca con mojo de ajo (and an extra order of patacones or fried green plaintains).

I've complained before that their is at times a reliance of photographs over words in the foodie world, but I SO wished I had my own digital camera when the food arrived. Two plates, one with chicken, one with rice/plaintains/yucca, plus the bowl of brick red beans, a narrow palate range, would have seen highly impressionist. The succulent fat would still glisten in the digital picture. We truly feasted with our eyes for a few minutes. Of course, the sensory experience was helped by aromas that would be hard to capture. The mojo from the yucca fought with the citrus-anniotte marinade for our olfactory attention. Believe me, it tasted just as good. Not just the chicken either. All of the sides, even the white rice tasted great.

Also, there were no secrets at Pico Rico. Salsa de aji, at least their salsa de aji, was described to us as chimichurri with jalepeno. He gave us the ingredients: parsley, cilantro, jalepeno, and olive oil. He said it was better when made my hand, but he needed to use a blender. The chicken marinade: orange juice, anchiotte, garlic and salt. The charcoal, Royal Oak, well that I learned because there were lots of bags laying around. Still, you can watch the chickens cook very easily. Go for the chicken and the lessons.

The owners are Ecuadorian, and there a a few other Ecuadorian items on the menu, goat stew, seco de chivo; some pork dishes, but we only had the chicken, and in fact may be hard pressed to ever NOT have the chicken.

Pico Rico
4107 W. North
Chicago, IL
773-252-Rico (7426)

PS

We never made it to Trader Joe's. A few doors down from Pico Rico is a thrift shop. As great as lunch was, it pales next to what I found at that thrift shop. Two sport coats once belonging to Kup--no joke! One cashmere (purchased for $2!), the other made by legendary Michigan Ave. tailor, Pucci (with a lining as nice as the jacket itself.). Hopefully, it was not the same Pucci suit Kup was buried in.

Hi VI and CQ,

thanks for finding and reporting on this place: it sounds wonderful. Rob, how would you rank Pico Rico relative to other roast chicken places (Papa's, Mr. Pollo, etc.)?

Amata

Rob, that's good stuff.

And I'm glad you mentioned Pucci, apparently this country's oldest continuously operated bespoke tailor. Same prominent place on Michigan Ave since the 1920's.

No one should be surprised that there are fora like the instant one where any number of things are discussed and displayed passionately , including men's suits. Among these clothes aficianados, Pucci is revered. (The clothing industry legacy here remains: besides the more democratic Hartmarx, we are home to what many think is the best off the rack tailor in the country or world (Oxxford) in addition to Mr. Pucci.)

It's not about food, but this is worth a look, esp. the photos from the guy who cuts open a $5k+ suits to look at what's going on inside.

http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/Foru ... IC_ID=2748

Maybe, for something to read while wearing Kup’s Pucci jacket, you’d like one of his old food books. Powell’s on 57th has a copy of Vittles and Vice, dedicated to Irv Kupcinet by the author, Patricia Bronté. Not nearly the deal his jackets were, it’s forty bucks.

For those not familiar with the book, it’s a fairly interesting account of the Near North Side scene (especially Rush Street) in the early 1950s. The restaurants discussed are Adolph’s, Agostino’s, Armando’s, The Buttery, Café de Paris, Camelia House, Cape Cod Room, Caruso’s, Chez Paree, Chez Paul, Erie Café, Imperial House, Ireland’s, Isbell’s, Le Petit Gourmet, Mona Lisa, Normandy House, Pump Room, Radio Club, Red Star Inn, Riccardo’s, Singapore, Trade Winds, and the Wrigley Building Restaurant.

Amata wrote:Hi VI and CQ,

thanks for finding and reporting on this place: it sounds wonderful. Rob, how would you rank Pico Rico relative to other roast chicken places (Papa's, Mr. Pollo, etc.)?

Amata

I tried to find the write-ups to last years mini-roast chickenathon, but I could not. I think it happened during the CH/LTH cusp. People's opinions on roast chicken wildly vary, and on that day of tasting, there was little uniformity of opinion.

I am certainly less enamored than many of Pollo Chon. Which does not mean that I do not like it. I do think their chicken is good. But I find that chicken is one of the most ideal vehicles for live fire, and the marriage of smoke and meat at places like Mr. Pollo and Pico Rico just cannot be equaled. To me, the chicken at Pollon Chon tastes slightly flatter, more special for its crisp skin than its meat within. The chicken at Pico Rico, especially, but also Mr. Pollo, is plumper, juicier, the skin intense but not crisp. I also admit that I am much more partial to the green sauces at the South American places. Mr. Pollo had been my favorite, but Pico Rico on one visit was at least as good (if not better).

The other thing about Mr. Pollo, the sides are pretty poor--unless you like mixes boiled frozen vegetables. All of the side we had yesterday were excelllent.

I AM interested in conducting a few more roast chicken tastings. Let me know who else is interested.

Rob

Mr. Pollo
3000 W. Belmont Avenue
773-509-1208

Pollo Chon/Papa's Cache Sabroso
2517 W. Division
Chicago, IL
773-862-8313

Rob

Great find! Had an excellent dinner last night at Pico Rico. My buddy Tom and I had the chicken with beans, yucca and plantains. Nice big perfectly roasted bird with fresh and tasty sides, I could have made a meal out of the beans alone.

Pico Rico is a great little place, clean as a whistle and run by folks who really take pride in what they do. I asked Carlos the owner if it was ok to BYOB and and was told no problem. When I returned from the "no cervesa para llevar" bar across the street empty handed Carlos immediatly recoginized my plight, and gifted me with a beer from his personal stash in the kitchen.

During our dinner I kept hearing what sounded like marbles being tossed in a bucket. Looking into the kitchen I discovered Mrs. Carlos pan roasting large kernels of corn. Carlos informed me that these would be going in a batch of ceviche. Definatly more here than chicken !

Also had the pleasure of meeting Trixie pea and pigman, the only other people in the place last night.

JSM

The chicken here really is incredible. I took pictures, but they really don't do it justice. VI's description of the "succulent fat" beading off the burnished chicken skin was spot on. The yucca con mojo de ajo was pungent and soft. The beans were unbelievable, and as VI said, even the rice tasted great.

The chicken itself was moist and flavorful (brined?) all the way down to the bone in both the breast and the thigh quarters. If it was brined, it was expertly done because it did not change the overall texture of the meat, which brining sometimes does.

I did find it funny (but not surprising) that when pigmon and I walked through the door the only other party present were fellow LTHers. (It was nice to meet you JSM! )

This place is a real find. Thanks to VI and CQ for the discovery.

trixie-pea

I'm not the language police, far from it. I might misspell more than any regular poster here. But this thread reminds me that some food words have fallen into a commonly accepted misuse that can be easily corrected. Brooshetta is the old chestnut here. This is a site about food knowledge, after all.

Viz, the thing that is mandioca, aipim, macaxera, manioc, tapioca and cassava is yuca (like Lucca). Yucca (like sucka') is a spiny, often ornamental, plant native to the Southwest. They are quite different plants.

Oh, and a person or pepper from La Habana is an Habanero. I don't know how to make an "enye" on my computer, but it doesn't matter because there isn't one in Habanero. Somebody tell Bobby Flay, Emeril, and Whole Foods, among others who should know better. It does make them sound cool, though.

OK, I feel better. (And Trixie, this wasn't directed at you, your post just happened to remind me and I saw that everybody was spelling it that way.)

JeffB wrote:I don't know how to make an "enye" on my computer, but it doesn't matter because there isn't one in Habanero.

In Windows, you hold down the ALT key & type 164 on the numeric keypad on the right of the keyboard (for a lower case "enye")

This Chart has the codes for all the Spanish language characters.

JeffB wrote:Oh, and a person or pepper from La Habana is an Habanero. I don't know how to make an "enye" on my computer, but it doesn't matter because there isn't one in Habanero. Somebody tell Bobby Flay, Emeril, and Whole Foods, among others who should know better. It does make them sound cool, though.

Bobby Flay is a hopeless case. He can't even pronounce chipotle. ("chipotele")

Flay can't pronounce a lot of things. He sounds as though he has marbles in his mouth. A few years back, FN had a show called "Grillin' and Chillin"" featuring Flay and a chef (whose name I can't remember) with a strong deep southern accent. Flay always used to make fun of the way the guy talked. But, I always found him easier to understand than marble mouth Flay.

FWIW, did anyone see Iron Chef America last night where Flay beat Rick Bayless one on one? What a damn crock.

YourPalWill wrote:FWIW, did anyone see Iron Chef America last night where Flay beat Rick Bayless one on one? What a damn crock.

Yeah, but it was on presentation that he lost out. And if bobby flay knows one thing, it's food styling.

gleam wrote:

YourPalWill wrote:FWIW, did anyone see Iron Chef America last night where Flay beat Rick Bayless one on one? What a damn crock.

Yeah, but it was on presentation that he lost out. And if bobby flay knows one thing, it's food styling.

LOL, reminds me of when comedians get introduced as " . . . and now the comedy stylings of xxxxxxx", as if to say he's not all that funny but the floorshow is good.

Jeff(spelling)B wrote

Viz, the thing that is mandioca, aipim, macaxera, manioc, tapioca and cassava is yuca (like Lucca). Yucca (like sucka') is a spiny, often ornamental, plant native to the Southwest. They are quite different plants.

I stand corrected......and informed !

"Learn a word a day, keep ignorance at bay" Joe Danno

JeffB wrote:Viz, the thing that is mandioca, aipim, macaxera, manioc, tapioca and cassava is yuca (like Lucca). Yucca (like sucka') is a spiny, often ornamental, plant native to the Southwest. They are quite different plants.

Existing solely to irritate JeffB, the take-out menu for Pico Rico spells it "yuca" when describing it in spanish, but "yucca" in the english translation.

For example:

Yuca Frita ..... Fried Yucca ..... $1.75
Heads exploding in 3... 2.... 1.....

Oh, and I should say that our chicken was quite good. I imagine it would be significantly better, though, if it hadn't spent half an hour in styrofoam on the way to oak park.

To those who have been, where is the rotisserie? There was a big rotisserie right near the front of the kitchen area, but it was completely off. My chicken was warm and the place smelled like smoke, but it was unwrapped from an aluminum foil shell before they quartered it for my pleasure. So I can only assume they cooked it earlier and kept it in a low-heat oven...

Some time I want to make it there when they've got them coming fresh from the rotisserie.

Gleam, if my own experience eating at Mesa and Frontera are representative of cooking skills, Bayless would have blown Flay away on that score alone. Mesa isn't bad. As a matter of fact, it's pretty darn good though Flay has little to do with the kitchen there anymore. Frontera, however, is extrordinary, IMO.

LTH,

Pico Rico ~is~ Big, Fatty, Smokey Chicken, though I'd add juicy and delicious to the subject line. Pico Rico's chicken is also, as Rob mentioned, very photogenic.


It's Vogue magazine appeal only enhanced by a tablespoon or two of Pico Rico's frothy green salsa de aji.


Though, for my taste I'd prefer a higher ratio of jalapeno to cliantro.


Tostones were quite good, though I would have liked a garlic dipping sauce on the side, which I will ask for next time.


Rice w/Gandules was lightly studded with small chunks of soft, rich pig skin/fat. Hummmmm, pig fat.


Carla, the owner's daughter, is a friendly and efficient waitress. She offered that while her and her father are from Ecuador, by way of New Jersey, the chicken marinade has a bit of Columbian influence from extended family.


Pico Rico's rotisserie chicken is grilled with lump charcoal.


Resulting in "Big, Fatty, Smokey" chicken that is moist and flavorful.


Friendly, reasonably priced, good sides, clean, grill over live coals, pretty much everything one could want from rotisserie chicken.


As an aside, I snapped a picture of Rob's Kup's Pucci jacket mentioned in this thread last evening at Mandarin Kitchen. It's a very cool sport coat.


Enjoy,
Gary

Pico Rico
4107 W North Ave
Chicago, IL 60639
773-252-7426

Vital Info wrote:I've complained before that their is at times a reliance of photographs over words in the foodie world, but I SO wished I had my own digital camera when the food arrived.

Terrific pictures, Gary. Maybe Rob should check his pockets for Kup's digital camera.

Having just finished the last piece from the chicken Ed brought to the house on Monday, I'll add that it's very good cold as well. One note that needs to be emphasized though, is that although this chicken is more expensive than some others, at $11 for a whole chicken, it is HUGE. We're a bunch of big hungry eaters, as anyone who has seen us can attest, but none of us could eat more than a quarter of the bird. My guess is that they're starting with at least 5 or 6 pound chickens.

That looks like a great place. Can't wait to get there.

What's the Puerto Rican-Cuban angle? Arroz con gandules, Cuban sandwiches, medianoches, jibaritos, cafe Cubano? And the marinade seems a bit more PR than Ecuadorian, esp. the use of achiote.

Surely, Ecuadorians are great cooks, and they work at lots of the best kitchens in Chicago and NYC. I assume that this is simply an acommodation to the neighborhood. Further north, the Ecuadorian places often have a Mexican side to the menu.

PS, seco de chivo is probably my favorite goat application. I'd have a hard time resisting it, no matter how good the chicken is.

JeffB wrote:That looks like a great place. Can't wait to get there.

What's the Puerto Rican-Cuban angle? Arroz con gandules, Cuban sandwiches, medianoches, jibaritos, cafe Cubano? And the marinade seems a bit more PR than Ecuadorian, esp. the use of achiote.

JeffB,

Only thing that comes to mind is 'Melting Pot' and I don't mean fondue.

Melting pot neighborhood, melting pot family, melting pot cooking. Geeeesh, now I have an image in my mind of a 9-10 year old Pepsi commercial where thousands of different age/shape/ethnicity/sex folks were on a hill singing something about harmony. Or was that Coke?

Enjoy,
Gary

Well, I wandered into Pico Rico for a late lunch today with a couple of co-workers. All I can say is wow-za! That's some really good marinated rotisserie chicken.

The sides of arroz con gandules was excellent and flavorful, the plantains were good, but I spent more time stealing crisp chunks of fried yucca from one of my dining companions that I did on the plantians.

I had half a chicken, which really was enough to feed two people. My only complaint- the chickens are so big that the breast tends to dry out just a bit.

I third, fourth, fifth this place!

My friend and I made a trip here for dinner last night based on the tasty reports from this forum, and we were not disappointed. Neither by the food nor the waitstaff.

Between the two of us, we cleaned up a half chicken order w/ beans, sweet plaintains, and yucca w/ mojo de ajo sauce (they threw in the plaintains for us on the house then brough another free platter later when I said how much I liked them) and an order of their roast pork platter. They were out of the roasted pork, so had to sub with fried pork from another dish.

We also split a "parcha" smoothie--which is some kind of citrus fruit reminiscent of "calamansi." We ordered ours mixed w/ milk, but then they gave us another one on the house mixed w/ water 'cause they said it tasted different and we might like to try it.

The pork dish had nice chunks of spare ribs lightly fried, some kind of bland hominy, a little side of avocado, tomato, onions, and a mound of a really creamy, yellow, starchy mix. I forgot to ask them what it was. It was kind of similar to mashed potatoes/polenta.

Chicken was nicely seasoned and very moist. I also think they probably do brine it. My friend thought the inside part of the breast was a bit dry, but just accepted it as something to expect w/ white meat.

I wasn't actually that fond of the yucca, but not b/c of the way they prepared it---I think I just don't like yucca. But I ate up the plaintains, for which they gave us extra garlic sauce on the side, and I liked the soupy beans as well.

All in all, it was a very pleasant meal and we were delighted with the generous and friendly service. Thanks LTH, for the recommendation!

Janet C. wrote:We also split a "parcha" smoothie--which is some kind of citrus fruit reminiscent of "calamansi." We ordered ours mixed w/ milk, but then they gave us another one on the house mixed w/ water 'cause they said it tasted different and we might like to try it.

I had the version made water the other day, while my dining companion had the version made with milk.

The kindly owner led us to believe that this is passionfruit.

At any rate, we found both versions to be delicious.

Regards,
Erik M.

Hi Erik,

It's a little hard to recall the exact taste now, but yeah, it may have been passionfruit after all....Her description of the fruit was a little vague, and somehow we came out thinking it was a citrus. But it may well have been passionfruit, now that I think about it.

In any case, you're right in that it was quite good and refreshing.

Parcha is a Latin-American Spanish word for passionfruit. Exceptions to this are the frozen pulp (Goya is readily available) which is called maracuya. I do not know if maracuya is used in Puerto Rico or Cuba, either or both or elsewhere, but in Brasil (portuguese) passionfruit is maracuja.

There are lots of these confusions around, especially, vegetables and fruit. When I visited Chile a few years ago, aguacate (almost everywhere else, including having been adopted in Brasil and Spain) was palta. And beets, which elsewere are rebolacha, there were betaraya. And in Brasil, they retain an indigenous word for pineapple, abacaxi.

You're right. I did a search on google for "parcha," and it said it was the word used in the Caribbeans for passionfruit. "Maracuya" is what they call it in Latin America

I thought that the yucca/yuca with mojo de ajo sauce was one of the great non-meat highlights of my meal there. The deep fried Yucca/Yuca was also some of the best I have had.

I agree... I am not a fan of yuca, but my yuca was garlicky and soft and very very good. My dining companion had the fried yuca and I liked it too, but it would be much better if that garlic sauce was served with it... IMO of course.

The arroz con grandules was very good... a little salty, but very good.

It looks like I have a new place to go for chicken now...