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Steve Yoon cooks up chicken and peppers for the lunch crowd at El Pollo Picante restaurant. (Jim Thompson/Journal)
In the Journal Marketplace Center off Jefferson, lunch places abound whether you want Italian or sandwiches. Even the Starbucks closes at the strangely early hour of 3 p.m. But gaining traction as a reliable dinner spot is a new place run by the Korean brother-sister team of Steve Yoon and Cindy Lee featuring grilled spicy chicken and not much else.
El Pollo Picante is serving fantastic poultry with Asian dishes on the side to keep the teriyaki fans sated.
Late this spring El Pollo Picante opened in a space formerly occupied by an Asian cafe and mere yards from the breakfast- and lunch-only spots Twisters and Hello Deli. What that could mean for the customer base is extremely important – if you live or work nearby, you are well aware that this neighborhood primarily serves the day working crowd and is practically a dinner desert. To get an evening meal during the week one must venture south to San Mateo and Osuna or eastward on Paseo del Norte, where chains abound.
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El Pollo Picante LOCATION: 7600 Jefferson NE, Suite 5 (Journal Marketplace Center), 797-1288 HOURS: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. daily NO ALCOHOL |
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Luckily for Yoon and Lee, their expertise on the grill is equal to the hordes of hungry diners that ought to be pounding down the doors – once they know this place exists.
Let’s take a gander at the Asian bowls first: They’re good, even if they appear out of place next to your companion’s plate of chicken, beans and tortillas. If you truly are not in the mood for plain grilled chicken, the $5.99 specials will fill your belly with either beef or chicken teriyaki or chicken curry. For reasons that are hopefully obvious, the chicken is recommended over the beef. Without overt spiciness, the curry was silky smooth and studded with tons of potatoes.
But the chicken is really why one visits El Pollo Picante – it must be experienced to appreciate how few great chicken places Albuquerque currently supports. Steve works the grill, turning bird by bird and chopping the fully cooked chickens into meal portions.
Ordering the one-fourth chicken plate will be enough food for a smaller appetite, and the half chicken ($8.99) is a satisfying splurge. I downed the entire half without much problem – though it should be noted that I did not give any stomach room to the beans or rice, both well-prepared and mild next to the seasoned meat.
You can kick up the heat a bit by taking bites from the roasted jalapeños that garnish the plate, or dipping chicken bites into a tiny cup of piquant red sauce.
Dessert? Not here. Better you stop that oncoming nap by ducking into the coffee shop next door, or the locally owned tea and pastry cafe a few doors south.
