I don't know...even with the sauce, I wasn't a fan of the yucca. I think it was the texture and the bland starchiness of it. I much prefer the plaintains

Maracuya is the common name for passion fruit. Pacha and granadilla are others. they are all the same, AFAIK.

The citrus is naranjilla. Ecuadorian places have some very interesting fruit, including tomate de arbol.

Fritada con mote is the deep-fried pork with hominy. The potato cake is a llapingacho. A corn souffle is pudin de choclo. Could have been either, I guess.

Ecuador has a very interesting cuisine that deserves more attention. I'm a broken record on this. It's largely very approachable for Americans, with exceptions such as cuy, chicha, tronquito, and caldo de manguera (!).

Again, I'll commend Mi Ciudad/Cuenca to LTHer's especially for the seafood such as the Bahia-like "encocado" and "chupe" dishes, and for the seco de chivo. The steak and other meats are relatively good here, and the fries are tremendous. As at any Ecuadorano place, if you don't get aji (the hot sauce) you are getting gringoed. Ask for it.

Another interesting dish comes from the apparently ubiquitous Chinese restaurants in Ecuador/Peru, the chifas. A fried rice meets mariscada/paella dish is chaulafán. Mi Ciudad's is my favorite fried rice in Chicago. Spoon, TAC, LTH, move over. Loaded with small bits of shellfish and vienna sausages (common enough in Latin America, esp. Cuba), it is a great dish. I would highly recommend splitting one with an ecocado/enconca'o. Hold the yuCa.

On the subject of Ecquadorian food, another great choice is the El Condor market visited on last spring's Mil-Walk-ee ( http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:wOOD ... k-ee&hl=en ). Worth a visit for the great staff, the roast pork dinners, the 5 kindsa strawberry pop and, especially, the homemade popsicles.

2349 N. Milwaukee

I've often been disappointed by South American roast chicken in Chicago. There are many places that are just OK and never really make me want to come back for more: too oily or fatty, flat-flavored, or just kinda "eh". I'm never terribly excited when Ms. EC gets one of her frequent cravings to go out for chicken.

VI and the Condiment Queen have found my salvation in Pico Rico.

I knew that the next time Ms. EC had a craving for a bird, I'd throw Pico Rico into the mix. Last night was that night. We were the only ones there for an early dinner on a friday night. We ordered a whole bird + 3 sides: yuca con mojo de ajo, frijoles, y platanos fritos.

The chicken was everything I want in a roast chicken. As others have described earlier, it's big, plump, juicy, and with the perfect amount of smoky flavor. I usually go for leg, thigh, or wing while Ms. EC goes for the breast which she described as "never-ending". She found the breast slightly dry, but I didn't find it off-putting at all. A dollop of their outstanding homemade aji masks any dryness (almost unavoidable in these huge birds) and lifts the meat to a whole new level. This aji is one of the finest condiments in town, in my book. Carla, the owner's daughter, talked about how much she loves it and how she has tried to make it, but can never match what her father produces.

The soft, garlicy yuca was rich and pungent, with garlic flavor that matches the bird better than any side of garlic potatoes could. Rich beans & perfect plantains also didn't last long on our plates. We took almost half of our bird home for leftovers and added an order of arroz con gandules and as much aji as they would give us. At right around twenty bucks, we'll get two dinners for two from this meal. Quite a deal, considering the quality.

Everyone at Pico Rico was very friendly and accomodating. I will be returning with regularity, no doubt. A five-star LTH find.

My complements to the eagle eye of the Condiment Queen, and to VI for marrying so astutely.

Best,
Michael / EC

I wanted to float this subject momentarily...

I have been to Pico Rico a few times in recent weeks and I am saddened to report that my party has been the only party in the establishment for the duration of our meal(s).

If you have not yet been to Pico Rico I would encourage you to give them a try. I have never been disappointed with the chicken, the stewed beans, the fried yuca, or the yuca with garlic sauce.

If you require more incentive still, have a look at the pictures on the first page of this thread.

E.M.

Thanks for bumping this up. I very much enjoyed my trip to Pico Rico when this thread was new, but I had forgotten about it. I'll be back for more soon.

Thanks Erik.

I, too, have always been the only table at Pico Rico when dining there.

I'm on my own for dinner tonight and I think you just figured out what I'm doing? Anyone want to join me?

This is so weird!!!!!!

(Something about that phrase makes you want to say it like a Valley Girl)

The boys and I almost went last night, as it rose to the top of the "places I've been meaning to go" list. But I decided it was too far at that moment and thought of something closer (to be posted on anon).

So sure, we'll be there tonight. We tend toward the early side, though-- 6ish.

Gosh people. This is a place we cannot let die. The food is so good and the family that runs it so nice.

I admit, I haven't been there in a while myself -- its not exactly in the most convenient location. I will be sure to show my support within the coming week.

-ramon

Mike G wrote:So sure, we'll be there tonight. We tend toward the early side, though-- 6ish.

I rarely go before 7 or 7.30 and, at that hour, the rotisserie has usu. been turned off, cleaned up, and shuttered, so I am most frequently served rewarmed chicken.*

If you would like to be served chicken straight from the rotisserie get there early.

Noon would be a good bet.

E.M.

* It is still delicious, mind you.

(This is a continuation of a serial post from here.)



So the boys and I did indeed meet Eatchicago at Pico Rico Friday night and enjoyed it. The chicken, though rewarmed, was flavorful and generous; I think I will try to go back at lunch sometime soon and get one straight off the rotisserie to see if I get that crispy skin effect described above. We also ordered a jibarito, just to give the kids something else to try. It was pretty good, gloppy with fakey cheese, decent if not you-need-to-drive-way-out-west-on-Fullerton-for-this lechon in it. The chicken's the star, though.



Had three of the sides, the kids ate all the plantains, Eatchicago and I ate all the yucca in garlicy butter sauce which was pretty wonderful, certainly the best yucca I've had. Oh, and the kids had shakes, including for Myles a lulo shake, which is an interesting idea. I don't normally think of citrus fruits in shakes but it wasn't bad.

Happily there was decent business on Friday night. Also I noticed that they have El Yucateco on the tables, so we had to take some pictures with that. It's like it's the Travelocity gnome or something!



Posting odyssey continues with the fourth Mexican here.

LTH,

Pico Rico has legs in a couple of meanings. Legs in the sense that crisp skinned, moist tender flavorful chicken legs are delicious and legs in the sense that it's been equally as good each time I've been. Where Pico Rico does not seem to have legs is in customer base. It would be a shame to add a terrific place like Pico Rico to the ever growing list of places that closed.

Amata, Antonius, Mike G and I did our best to perk up business earlier this week, though the chickens are so generously proportioned we could barely finish 1, of the 1-1/2, we ordered. Lucky Pico Rico's chicken makes for great leftovers.

Pico Rico


Amata surgically removing a Pico Rico chicken leg


I immediately went for the thigh


I've always enjoyed the sides at Pico Rico, and our lunch was no exception, if anything they seem to be getting even better as time goes on.

A few of Pico Rico's Side Dishes


Carla with the newest addition to the Pico Rico family.


Enjoy,
Gary

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

I agree with Gary about the side dishes: all of them were up to the quality of the chicken and the quality of the chicken was excellent. Also most enjoyable were the garlic and green ají sauces. This place is great and I certainly look forward to getting back there on as regular a basis as possible; the location is a little out of the way for us, but if time at all permits, the detour is worthwhile, especially if one considers how reasonable the prices are.

Though I imagine it will be hard to visit Pico Rico and pass up the chicken, the guatita and seco de chivo and fritada de puerco all sound like they're delicious.

And, Gary, thanks for the Oranjeboom!

Antonius

Andean-Puerto Rican. Only in Chicago (yep, not even in LA, where you'll not find an Jibarito nor much in the way of arroces con gandules...).

The sides, 100% coqui, do look good. The meal depicted could have been purchased at Papa's (apart from the salsa de aji). So is any one willing to compare the two? This might be a situation where everyone is a winner, it seems. But perhaps the chix is better at Pico than Papa's these days?

Let us know how the Ecuadorian stuff stands up. Mmmm, gautita.

Well, I like Papa's, and I think their chicken has improved of late, but I thought Pico Rico was better. I loved the yuca at Pico Rico, something I've never been too excited about at Papa's. And the chicken at Pico Rico was, as everyone's been saying, just unreservedly fantastic.

I actually asked our waitress about the side dishes seeming so Puerto Rican. She answered that the same things are eaten elsewhere, including Ecuador. So I didn't pursue the point further. (By the way they also list on the menu cubano and medianoche sandwiches, Jeff.)

I'm not sure if this has already been mentioned but they offer a sampler of three of the Ecuadorian items: a ceviche, guatita (tripe in peanut sauce), and seco de chivo, for $9. I think an order of that and an order of fritada con mote may be in the cards for a future visit.

Amata

JeffB wrote: The meal depicted could have been purchased at Papa's (apart from the salsa de aji). So is any one willing to compare the two? This might be a situation where everyone is a winner, it seems. But perhaps the chix is better at Pico than Papa's these days?

Jeff:

We are fans of Papa's and get take-out from there with some regularity, eat-in less regularly. Papa's is a fairly short drive up Western for us so it's also relatively convenient. I hesitate to say this, since I've been to Pico Rico only once, but I suspect in the long run I'll end up giving the nod to Pico Rico. Papa's chicken is sometimes drier than it should be, whereas the chicken we had the other day -- according with reports above -- was quite moist, as well as flavourful.

Pending further visits to Pico Rico in order to have a better basis of comparison, I hesitate to make any bold claims about the sides, but I will say that what I had at Pico Rico's was all very tasty and hard to beat (though I thought the arroz con gandules was too dry -- luckily, that was easily fixed with the addition of some of the very tasty beans and their juice to the mix).

The sandwiches ultimately need to be compared too, since they offer some of the same things (well, at least the jibarito), but I can't do that, having only had the chicks-n-fixins at Pico Rico. We've had the lechon from Papa's and it was pretty good, good enough that we'll probably order it again sometime, if we're there on a Saturday.

So then, at the moment, I suspect the chicken may be better at Pico Rico (again, further basis of comparison needed) but, especially since Papa's is much nearer to us, as well as quite good, and since we've always enjoyed our interactions with the people at Papa's, I'm sure we will continue to go there.

Antonius

I think Pico Rico is a little better for chicken than Papa's, though a good piece at Papa's is mighty good. At Pico it's pretty much all good, though. Sides are, generally, very good at Pico too-- it's the only place where I actually ask for yucca on purpose. I'd be tempted to give the nod to Pico on both counts, though it partly depends on what you like and which sides you think are the ones that matter.

Jibarito a jibarito, however, Papa's genuine PR sandwich kicks Pico Rico's Ecuadoran butt. The Pico one, like the Salamera one, is perfectly okay, but the one at Papa's is sinful. Considering the 11,000 fat grams and 87 cholesterol points that a well-made jibarito will give you, you really ought to only eat something like that when it's fantastic. Papa's is.

Mike G wrote:Considering the 11,000 fat grams and 87 cholesterol points that a well-made jibarito will give you, you really ought to only eat something like that when it's fantastic. Papa's is.

I'm laughing now but cautiously...

There are more than 100 Papa-something restaurants in Chicagoland. Do you mean this one?

Papa's Cache Sabroso
773/862-8313
2517 W. Division St.
Chicago, IL 60622

. . . and only one that has been discussed here in the context of jibaritos and pollo chon. Yes, that one. Did not mean to appear exclusive. I am simply lazy.

JeffB wrote:. . . and only one that has been discussed here in the context of jibaritos and pollo chon. Yes, that one. Did not mean to appear exclusive. I am simply lazy.

Well, if I hadn't been too lazy to re-read the old posts on the previous page, I'd probably have figured it out with out asking.

like Erik,
we can't make it to P.R. before 7:30pm, so we were treated to reheated chicken, but it was still darned good chicken..

and like others, we were the only table. unlike Salamera which is for sale, seems this place still needs saving...

I stopped at Pico Rico for my first time a few weeks ago on my way home from the Loop to the NW 'burbs, and got there about 3:30 PM. There were a couple of locals ordering Cuban sandwiches to go, but it was otherwise empty, understandable for the time of day.

What a warm inviting place, though, especially in light of the neighborhood, which is a little tough-looking, even in daylight. To go, I ordered chicken, rice, beans, Cuban sandwiches, and fried yucca. While I waited, I sat at the counter and drank that good Cuban coffee while chatting with Carla, who would occasionally attend to the baby. Family-run operation through & through. After about 25 minutes of pleasant waiting (I'll call in ahead next time) I took my goods home. The tempting smells were driving me nuts in the car!

I found the chicken plump and juicy, definitely worth another trip. Rice, beans were authentic. Very good Cuban sandwich--the bread was just right & a steal at, what, $2.99? But the fried yucca, which tasted a little like cottage fries, were the huge hit with the family. I could've used some more of that green garlic/cilantro sauce shown above, so I'll note that for next trip.

It's definitely the location that's hurting this place, because the food is stellar. A parking lot would help, but that ain't gonna happen either. I guess increased business will just have to evolve from word-of-mouth; hey, that's how I heard about Pico Rico.

Antonius wrote:We are fans of Papa's and get take-out from there with some regularity, eat-in less regularly. Papa's is a fairly short drive up Western for us so it's also relatively convenient. I hesitate to say this, since I've been to Pico Rico only once, but I suspect in the long run I'll end up giving the nod to Pico Rico. Papa's chicken is sometimes drier than it should be, whereas the chicken we had the other day -- according with reports above -- was quite moist, as well as flavourful.

Pollo Chon/Papa's Cache Sobroso doesn't have its own thread, so I'll post this here, where there has been some discussion of this little Puerto Riqueño gem.

I was disappointed about the news concerning the change of ownership and surely to some degree at least the food served at Pico Rico but on the other hand, I would like to say that whatever (limited) complaints I had last year about Papa's chicken being a bit dry sometimes are apparently no longer applicable. The several times we've gotten take-out from Papa's of late the chicken has been outstanding. So too the yuca. All else is good and tasty and considering everything together, Papa's Cache Sabroso is one of my favourite little restaurants in this general part of the city... heck, in the whole city. I vaguely remember talk of them having had to replace their old rotisserie and that it was taking time for them to get used to the new contraption. If that was so, they've figured it out.

Antonius

Pollo Chon/Papa's Cache Sabroso
2517 W. Division
Chicago, IL
773.862.8313

I vaguely remember talk of them having had to replace their old rotisserie and that it was taking time for them to get used to the new contraption. If that was so, they've figured it out.

This is great news!

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:

I vaguely remember talk of them having had to replace their old rotisserie and that it was taking time for them to get used to the new contraption. If that was so, they've figured it out.

This is great news!

Regards,

The one thing that had gone awry, it seemed to me, was the dryness of the meat for a time (the seasoning was always consistently swell) but the last three or so chickens we've had have been very moist and really perfectly cooked. But we've had them as take-out; I'm sure they're even better eaten there, with the skin still crispy.

A

Antonius wrote:Pollo Chon/Papa's Cache Sobroso doesn't have its own thread, so I'll post this here, where there has been some discussion of this little Puerto Rique�o gem.

Antonius,

Had a quick no picture post Patrica Wells Culinary Historians talk lunch at Pollo Chon so I'll add a positive comment here and wait for a full-on post to start a new thread.

After reading year old down-hill reports of Pollo Chon I thought it pretty much back to speed Saturday. Place was hopping, Victor/Pappa was in residence, service friendly and efficient, takeout booming and food enjoyable.

Crisp, if slightly salty, tostones, tender garlicky yuca topped with lightly sauteed onions, maduros (pan fried sweet ripe plantain) and arroz con gandules accompanied our round of lunches. Chicken skin crisp, flesh flavorful with good penetration of mojo marinade and the weekend special of roast pork/lechon looked very good, though I did not taste.

Pollo Chon is one of the few places I order chicken tacos and my pair of flour tortilla encased beauts were good, if slightly marred by use of industrial tasting shredded cheese. Though a drizzle of house made jalapeno salsa made up for flavor deficiencies in the cheese.

I brought 1/2 bird home for my bide who thought the chicken back to speed and the yuca with onions and garlic sauce (mojo de ajo) delicious as always.

Enjoy,
Gary

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