As part of an ongoing series, I will regularly be reviewing local restaurants of note-mostly in Koreatown, of course, but with the occasional venture into the far reaches of our metropolis...
Because I have often have a jones for both a)Peruvian chicken and b)local hole-in-the-wall establishments, Pollo a la Brassa is an ideal spot to begin our restaurant reviews. After all, what's more natural than Peruvian chicken in the heart of....Koreatown.
Located at 8th and Western, Pollo a la Brassa represents a splendid Peruvian response to the ever-popular, yet always a bit too-hyped, Zankou chicken chain. At Zankou, it's the garlic sauce we're pretty much paying eight bucks for. Not so with Pollo a la Brassa, where the wood-burned chicken itself stands on its own, supplemented by a fantastically spicy aji sauce. They serve the sauce in ketchup bottles here, thereby increasing the temptation to lather the entire meal in green saucy deliciousness. With or without sauce, however, there's a reason for all that firewood outside the door; this is definitely chicken with a strong, smoky personality. Five dollars gets you a quarter of moist, tender chicken and your choice of either french fries or rice and beans. Eight dollars gets you the whole bird. The perfect takeout chicken deal. Sweet.
Pollo a la Brassa also features beef anticuchos and Peruvian soup, all at inexpensive prices, but, come on, we're all here for the chicken.
Also, there is a small patio-like area for dining-in which may be your delight if you enjoy hearing the blaring sounds of Spanish television announcing futbol standings and novelas. For this particular visitor, it all adds to the divey ambience of the place, perfect for the odd Tuesday evening when there's nothing to do except eating pollo and people watching.
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