Restaurants: El Pollo Inka

It's not a fast food chain; this is a bonafide restaurant (chain).

Food: 9/10
Atmosphere: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Overall: 24/30 = 80%

Details:
23705 Hawthorne Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90505
310-373-0062
http://www.elpolloinka.com/

I decided to begin my reviews with El Pollo Inka, a small chain of Peruvian restaurants that I rarely get to go to (as it's not Azu's favorite) and thus think about often. This is my first stab at creating scoring criteria. I want to give you some easily interpretable scores, but I also feel I should give at least one example for each field so you have some perspective on where I'm coming from. Any suggestions?

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Food: 9/10

• Hands down, the food is the main reason to come to El Pollo Inka. Peruvian food reminds me of Caribbean food in some ways: the use of plantains, yucca, skirt steaks, and a savory flavor that I can't help but attribute to lard. The menu may appear a bit exotic for some at first (they serve tripe, ceviche & chicken hearts, for instance), and there are certainly misses in the lot, but their rotisserie chicken is fairly conventional. If you're willing to do some exploring you may find a match. I especially recommend their skirt steaks; I have a few favorites that keep me coming back for more (see below).

Atmosphere: 7/10

• Considering that they're a chain, I suppose they've made a decent effort at decorating the place. They have a number of faux artifacts on the walls, a mural-clad section towards the back, and stained glass windows. They also host dance lessons and have bands in at certain times. My lower score reflects more (or less) practical elements of their setting: their single common room is dimly lit, there is little privacy between the tables & booths, and some of the booths are somewhat smaller than is comfortable for a party larger than two. It's a comfortable place to eat, but it's probably not a place to woo one's date.

Service: 7/10

• We usually don't have to wait to be seated, and the initial service is prompt and courteous. My only complaint is that you may not see your waiter as often as you like after the initial seating. I'm a big drinker, and left to my own devices I'll get my water refilled a half dozen times at a sitting... I've learned to ration my water here. Also, I almost always order a side of fried yucca, and they almost always forget to bring it out.

Overall: 23/30 = 77%

• This was my first scoring attempt... I may end up tweaking it more as I go. I really do like El Pollo Inka, so I was a little shocked at the score I came up with once I saw it. I guess it's up to you, the reader, to determine your needs. If you're looking for novelty, large servings, and excellent food then El Pollo Inka is a good choice. It's just not a jaw-dropper for entertaining purposes.

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Eating El Pollo Inka:

Bistek Montado: One of my two favorite dishes at El Pollo Inka. Working from the bottom of the plate up, Bistek Montado begins with a healthy heap of white rice ringed with fried plantain slices. I'm not sure how they prepare their rice, but it's slick with a patina of the oil they cook it with. Because of the oil, the rice has a pleasant savory flavor. Not the usual plate filler, it actually makes a solid contribution to the dish. A substantial skirt steak is then laid across the rice and plantains. Skirt steak is one of my favorite cuts to begin with, but theirs is helped along with another generous helping of the oily seasoning found on the rice (needless to say, this isn't a dish for the health conscious). The final touch? A pair of fried eggs. As a kid I was always a fan of having breakfast for dinner, and the addition of bananas and rice in this dish somehow makes it seem like an acceptably adult compromise.

I'd also recommend trying the fried yucca. They're what young french fries dream of growing up to become. They have the satisfying oiliness and crispness of a french fry, but rather than having the soft, textureless potato mash innards of a french fry, yucca fries have a satisfyingly crunchy inner texture that makes them infinitely more enjoyable.

"Ugh, I had the tripe at El Pollo Inka yesterday. That had to have been the worst fish ever!"

-Quote from one of my brothers