BajaNomad - Finger Lickin' Good

Finger Lickin' Good

Don Alley - 1-27-2009 at 10:38 AM

Fried Chicken in Loreto

"El Pollo Loco" on Calle Juarez, across from the Iguana Inn. Manuel and Lupe Torres have just opened a fried chicken restaurant. Great big pieces of good ol' FRIED chicken! Served with mashed potatoes or fries. They are open until 6, eat in or take out.

Before this the closest fried chicken was the Ley in Constitution.

Whoa whoa whoa

Santiago - 1-27-2009 at 03:21 PM

Don: before we can take this seriously we're gonna have to know if you know what good fried chicken is:
1. Where did you grow up?
2. What did you eat after church on Sunday afternoons?
3. How was the gravy made?
4. Who prepared the chicken and the gravy?
5. Did you have apple pie for dessert and if so, was is tart or sweet?

Your answers will either confirm your review or expose you as a fraud - I'm sure TW will agree.

Lauriboats - 1-27-2009 at 04:12 PM

Thanks for the info Don, we pick friends up at the airport often, so we will give it a try.

Phil C - 1-27-2009 at 04:19 PM

Oh Boy! That's right around the corner. Can't wait to try it. BTW I grew up on my Grandmaws fried chicken in south east Texas. I'll let you know.

[Edited on 1-27-2009 by Phil C]

DianaT - 1-27-2009 at 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Phil C
Oh Boy! That's right around the corner. Can't wait to try it. BTW I grew up on my Grandmaws fried chicken in south east Texas. I'll let you know.

[Edited on 1-27-2009 by Phil C]

Lard, that is what my granny from the midwest used, pure lard to fry the chicken and for the country gravy---boy, it was good. :yes:

Always good to hear about a new good place to eat.

Thanks
Diane

tripledigitken - 1-27-2009 at 05:05 PM

Now if there double dipped in Buttermilk, that's the ticket!

Ken

Don Alley - 1-27-2009 at 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Santiago
Don: before we can take this seriously we're gonna have to know if you know what good fried chicken is:
1. Where did you grow up?
2. What did you eat after church on Sunday afternoons?
3. How was the gravy made?
4. Who prepared the chicken and the gravy?
5. Did you have apple pie for dessert and if so, was is tart or sweet?

Your answers will either confirm your review or expose you as a fraud - I'm sure TW will agree.

OK, I am TOTALLY UNQUALIFIED to review food here on the forum. My family and friends know me as the world's #1 food philistine. Really fine food and I don't mix. :biggrin:

However, I was raised on fried chicken cooked by a black woman from Oklahoma and Texas. (But not in Oklahoma and Texas. :biggrin:

) I have not had fried chicken that good since. Anywhere. Anytime.

I have never had decent fried chicken in Baja. This chicken is better than Ley's, and I don't like that grilled chicken at all the other local chicken places, but beyond that people just have to try it themselves.

Santiago - 1-27-2009 at 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Don Alley
However, I was raised on fried chicken cooked by a black woman from Oklahoma and Texas. (But not in Oklahoma and Texas. :biggrin:

) I have not had fried chicken that good since. Anywhere. Anytime.

You're so qualified.

Paula - 1-27-2009 at 08:49 PM

As a person who IS qualified to review food, fried chicken included, I can say that the chicken at Manuel and Lupe's is very good. The mashed potatoes are thinner than I might make them, but they and the gravy are good too. Don forgot to mention that salad (excellent cole slaw-- cabbage, carrots a a bit of pineaple), lots of tortillas, and nicely spicy fresh salsa come with your dinner. Two BIG pieces, all the trimmings, $55p.

vandenberg - 1-27-2009 at 08:59 PM

Isn't the one on the highway also called El Pollo Loco ? :?:

Never been in the place, but they seem to do a decent amount of business.

Woooosh - 1-27-2009 at 09:08 PM

Quote:

pie?! no cobbler? No bread pudding? No bisquits? blasphemy. :lol:

Udo - 1-27-2009 at 09:47 PM

Now all we need to do is add banana cream pie into the mix.

That's SOUTHERN.
And, I agree that Don Alley is qualified to judge fried chicken.

Chickatarians

djh - 1-27-2009 at 09:50 PM

Yup...

I'll bet Wooooooosh and Santiago are a couple of those alternative-lifestyle-type Chickatarians...!

:smug:

Taco de Baja - 1-28-2009 at 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Woooosh

Quote:

pie?! no cobbler? No bread pudding? No bisquits? blasphemy. :lol:

Don't forget the cornbread.
Should it be sweet and moist?
Or dry and tasteless? :lol:

flyfishinPam - 1-28-2009 at 08:49 AM

Gravy, mashed potatoes and real fried chicken! Wow you didn't say all that before. geeze they're right down the street and its only 0900

Santiago - 1-28-2009 at 09:57 AM

By the way - where do these chickens come from - I don't ever recall seeing a chicken ranch in Baja before? Free range, I presume?

Julie - 1-28-2009 at 10:49 AM

Since the Torres Family opened only two days ago, they have decided to keep the menu very basic to start with and see how business goes. So far it's going great and it's really nice to have something different. Living across the street from them is not great, I get to smell the aroma of frying chicken all day! They are currently open daily from 10am-6pm and are set up to do box lunches for fishermen etc... I will mention the bisquits, cornbread, apple pie and sweet tea to them and maybe they can incorporate your ideas into their menu. The cook is Emelda who is in my opinion one of the best cooks in Loreto.
We wish them great success.
Julie Ramos
Iguana Inn

DianaT - 1-28-2009 at 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Julie
Living across the street from them is not great, I get to smell the aroma of frying chicken all day!
Julie Ramos
Iguana Inn

That has to be pure torture! :lol:

Don, we now need pictures of the restaurant, the staff, and the food. :yes:

Diane

Bajahowodd - 1-28-2009 at 11:03 AM

Does anyone else see some irony in one of the best cooks in Loreto frying chicken?

LaTijereta - 1-28-2009 at 11:23 AM

"Does anyone else see some irony in one of the best cooks in Loreto frying chicken?"

Only if you did not live here in Loreto... :biggrin:

Woooosh - 1-28-2009 at 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by djh
Yup...

I'll bet Wooooooosh and Santiago are a couple of those alternative-lifestyle-type Chickatarians...!

:smug:

nope- I just lived in the south for a few years. Catfish, po-boys, hush-puppies, crawdads, pulled pork, bbq (wet or dry)-bring it ALL on. I can't believe sweet tea and cornbread missed my llist- yum.

But if someone is touting southern food as authentic- they'd better do the menu right.

There's a great cookbook called "some like it south" that the women's junior league of Memphis puts out every year. Full of recipes passed down from black cook/slave/houskeeper to theirs daughters andthen to the white folk. Fried chiciken originated in Africa/carribean and was brought to the southern US by slaves. yum.

[Edited on 1-28-2009 by Woooosh]

[Edited on 1-28-2009 by Woooosh]

Don Alley - 1-28-2009 at 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Does anyone else see some irony in one of the best cooks in Loreto frying chicken?

I don't see any irony. :biggrin:

ckiefer - 1-28-2009 at 03:25 PM

I'm a biscuits and gravy baby, born a southern belle, so I know good southern food! Don't forget the jalapeno, though! And how about the fried okra? Ya'll are making me hungry! :yes:

rhintransit - 2-4-2009 at 03:18 PM

a friend and I decided to check out the place yesterday. noon and restaurant empty. okay, early for lunch I guess. ordered six pieces to eat there. six pieces turned out to be three legs and three thighs. after peeling off the hard and almost inedible crust, the best I can saw was chicken itself was hot and thoroughly cooked. a disappointment as the crust LOOKED good. the coleslaw was excellent, the potatoes lukewarm and, well, masked potatoes. hard to mess those up anywhere. was not impressed, may try it again to see if yesterday was a fluke/bad day.

flyfishinPam - 5-11-2009 at 01:18 PM

Many thumbs UP!

I hate the other chicken places in town and when we order at the other places usually I don't eat it must be an acquired taste but this place is different.

I must have hit it on a good day and did all take out. Service was very quick as well and we were all hungry and impatient too. The chicken is excellent here and I'm looking forward to my next meal! Only leg/thigh pieces are available and the batter is definitely edible at least it was for us. Mashed potatoes with gravy were very good as was the cole slaw. We also ordered papas locos which are slices of potato batter dipped and deep fried with chili sprinkled on top. My only complaint was that they put those potatoes in a styro container and when I got to my destination they were a bit soggy. Next time I'm in there I'll explain this to her and suggest she just use brown paper bags instead.

Cypress - 5-11-2009 at 01:38 PM

Was born and raised down in Dixieland. No doubt about it, the best food in the USA is to be found there. It's mostly all about being fried, BBQ'ed, gumbo, corn bread, or fresh veggies. :bounce:

backninedan - 5-11-2009 at 05:51 PM

Just got back from My first trip to "El Pollo Loco", all I can say about it is "Closed Monday". sigh

Oso - 5-11-2009 at 07:18 PM

Quote:

1) North Carolina
2) Fried Chicken, of course.
3) After the chicken was fried and most of the excess grease was poured off, the chopped giblets and flour were added to the skillet and this was stirred over low flame until brown. (maybe a little milk added)
4) Aunt Stella, my grandmother's sister. She never used recipes (and sadly never left any). Whenever she had mail or anything that needed reading, she would grab one of us kids, saying she couldn't find her glasses (which were in her apron pocket). But, jeezus could she cook! I have never encountered fried chicken anywhere in the world that could compare with hers; thin, light, crisp crust, MOIST meat- never over or under cooked. I've tried unsuccessfully to re-create it. I do recall some of her secrets; she would soak the chicken overnight in milk or buttermilk. It's getting more difficult to find the next important "implement", a brown paper grocery bag. Aunt Stella would never think of dipping the chicken in a thick gooey batter. No, flour and maybe some secret seasoning went in the bag, then the chicken. This was then "shaken; not stirred". Then the chicken was set aside for "a while" while the big cast iron skillet heated up the lard. The bag was later spread on a tray to drain the chicken as it was done. (try that with a plastic bag) She never used a thermometer or timer but unerringly knew just how hot and just how long. Of course we always had mashed potatoes as well as collard greens and corn bread.
5) Peach Cobbler with hand cranked homemade ice cream (we'uns did the cranking)

Sweet iced tea: Why is it that only in the South do they understand that if you want your iced tea sweet, you have to put the sugar in when it's hot, before it cools down and you add the ice? Everywhere else in the country they serve it unsweetened, full of ice and ignore you while you pour sugar in and watch it sink directly to the bottom undissolved.

Far from Aunt Stella's wonderful pollo, in Californika 30 years ago, when Harlan Sanders was still alive and in charge, I actually found KFC edible and importantly, cheap. Then "they" bought him out and promptly fooked it up. I could tell the difference and so could Harlan and he said so in public. Then "they" sued him to STFU. Today, that crap is overcooked, overpriced, dried out and tateless. The only time I will set foot in a KFC is to use the restroom and leave without buying anything.

Santiago - 5-12-2009 at 05:21 AM

Heh - I forgot about this thread. Oso: I will over look the substitution of cobbler for apple pie and you must admit that N.C. is a tad too far north but hey, I'm being picky. You are so approved as an 'fried chicken place reviewer".