New Cartoon Chicken in Town

Latino fast food chicken is getting to be a crowded category around here. There’s Pollo Campero, Pollo Riko, Pollo Bravo, and now Pollo Feliz, The location at 9310 Westheimer looks like a slick fast food outlet and they have a pretty impressive cartoon character too. Evidently the chain originated in the Mexican state of Sinaloa with a secret marinade and a hardwood grilling method.

They grill the chicken whole, but serve it cut up. Eight pieces (a whole chicken) with corn on the cob (soggy) charro beans (excellent), a baked potato (too much cheese), tortillas (decent), salsa (muy picante), and rice pudding (gloppy) cost me $17. The white meat was a little dry, but the dark meat was very tasty. It’s a lot healthier than fried chicken and you don’t lose too much in the flavor department because of the strong woodsmoke flavor.

You can get smoky grilled chicken a little cheaper at the big blue taco truck on Gessner at Long Point, but the cartoon character there isn’t nearly as slick. -- Robb Walsh