Young & Hungry » chicken

Gut Reaction: Red Palace’s ‘Burporken’ Is One Meat Over The Top

Chris Shott — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:00:07 +0000

Forget the turducken, that notorious chicken stuffed inside duck stuffed inside turkey stuffed inside sportscaster John Madden, among other meat aficionados. The latest triple threat to hit the carnivore scene veers beyond mere nesting birds. I'm referring, of course, to the signature Burporken sandwich at the Red Palace. Just one of eight protein-packed options on a bun offered as part of the H Street NE boîte's the brand-spankin' new menu, the $13 bur-hemoth combines beef, pork and chicken into one jaw-stretcher of a sammie that should probably come with a warning label: "Temporomandibular problems may occur." Unlike the turducken, there is no engastration involved in the sandwich's construction. Just meat piled upon meat piled upon meat. All on a buttery bun. No special sauce. Just the combined juices of all that meat.

Initial impressions: the thick burger patty arrived strongly seasoned with black pepper, which I dig, though the beef came a tad overcooked for my taste. I asked for medium rare (the beef part, anyway). But no trace of pink inside this charred ground matter during my visit. The patty came topped with some tender pulled pork which tasted neither terribly smoky nor too sweet. The part that proved most puzzling was the Burporken's penultimate protein topping: a thin layer of seared chicken breast, which added virtually no flavor to the mix, only more bulk. Thankfully, the tricked-out burger also comes served with a side of spicy ketchup (likely Heinz infused with added spices) that helped ease the massive thing down the gullet.

Now, I'm no Adam Richman. But I was able to finish the thing. Bland slab of bird and all.

Did WaPo Salmonella Report Incite an Organic Chicken Scare at Local Farmers Markets?

Chris Shott — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:30:37 +0000

The blog Greater Greater Washington is blaming a recent article in the Washington Post for scaring customers of local farmers markets about the safety of organic chickens and prompting some vendors to stop selling the poultry. The report, written by journalism students at the University of Maryland and reprinted by the Post, found pathogens on raw chickens sold at a farmers market right outside the U.S. Department of Agriculture building. Report critic Ken Archer, who calls the WaPo article "poorly researched," says there's an easy explanation for that: "A lab paid by the writers found salmonella in chicken from one of the vendors. This is not surprising, as salmonella is not uncommon in chicken. That's why you're not supposed to eat raw chicken."

Photo by AgnosticPreachersKid/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

Señor Chicken Opens an Outlet in Columbia Heights

Tim Carman — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:12:49 +0000

The latest outlet of Señor Chicken opened about two months ago in a sterile, high-ceiling space in Columbia Heights, an environment far removed from the smoky little dens of Northern Virginia. Best I could tell, this Peruvian chicken parlor was run by a lone señor, who fetched my order of pollo a la brasa from a holding unit that (I swear!) looked like a plastic trash can.

I could have ordered a number of other items at Señor Chicken since its menu ranges deeper and wider than your typical rotisserie chicken outlet. There are gyros (including a chicken version), a steak and cheese sandwich, grilled steaks (including something called marucha, which is top round with a white-wine sauce), and mixed grill salads.

But I went with the house special of pollo a la brasa. It wasn't a good first experience, I'm afraid. The bird performed a magic trick of sorts: It was simultaneously dry and soggy. The breast meat went down like cotton while some sections of the thigh had hardened into projectiles. I'd like to blame the holding unit/trash can for this.

But the spice rub/grease had also caramelized into something resembling a thick syrup. It coated my bird's limp skin like motor oil on pistons. Even worse, it was decidedly sweet, the flavor of cinnamon strong on my palate.

Obviously I need to try Señor Chicken's birds fresh from the rotisserie next time. The problem was, none of the chickens roasting away were ready for the chopping block this time around.

The Nando’s “Where’s My Chips?” Commercial

Tim Carman — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:39:06 +0000

There seems to be a difference in the way Nando's markets itself in the states vs. Down Under, where this commercial aired. Is it because America's more uptight about sex...or we have better taste?

Joking Aside, Free Sandwiches Tomorrow at Pollo Campero

Tim Carman — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:29:21 +0000

Y&H will happily play the corporate shill when it comes to free food. Hey, with this economy, I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you about an opportunity to dine for nothing.

The latest to throw sweet (spicy, actually) nothings at us is Pollo Campero, the Latin American chicken chain with the mascot who's only too happy to have you gnaw on his leg. As part of its national roll-out for a new sandwich line, Pollo Campero will be giving away sammies all day tomorrow, April 2. You can get either a grilled chicken sandwich (the grill products are relatively new additions, too, a smart concession to American Fattyism) or one loaded down with the original Fried Death Bird.

One sandwich per person. You can find the list of participating D.C. area outlets after the jump.

Pollo Campero Langley Park
1355 E. University Blvd.
Adelphi, MD 20783

Pollo Campero Wheaton
11420 Georgia Ave.
Wheaton, MD 20902

Pollo Campero Gaithersburg
Located in Lake Forest Mall
701 Russell Ave.
Gaithersburg, MD 20877

Pollo Campero Bailey’s
5852 Columbia Pike
Falls Church, VA 22041-2000

Pollo Campero Herndon
496 Elden St.
Herndon, VA 20170-4513

Pollo Campero Massaponax/Spotsylvania
9625 Jefferson Davis Highway
Fredericksburg, VA 22407

Pollo Campero Columbia Heights
3229 14th St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20010

Photo courtesy of Pollo Campero