Long Island Restaurants

Pollos El Paisa

In his tell-all book "Kitchen Confidential," contrarian chef Anthony Bourdain taunts that people who order chicken don't know beans about food. Clearly, the man has never eaten at Pollos El Paisa, a Westbury Colombian restaurant whose name loosely translates as "national chicken."

Truly, this is chicken that would do any nation proud: one bite would handily dismiss Bourdain's wrongheaded claim.

Behind the counter, birds turn on a rotisserie, their skins slowly bronzing to a crisp. Prick one with a knife and the spice-tinged juices run yellow. Underneath, the meat is moist, permeated with flavor. Not surprisingly, the place does a huge chicken takeout business.

But you also can take a seat in the handsome butterscotch- hued dining room and, for the ridiculously low price of $7.55, get the multicourse meal known as bandeja de pollo. Included is a large bowl of savory chicken soup sprinkled with fresh cilantro, loaded with poultry (giblets included) and vegetables. It's soup you'll want to turn to during rough weather or rough times.

The humdrum salad and French fries that accompany, along with rice and beans, are beside the point. There's more than chicken to recommend this cheerful place. Lengua a la criolla, tongue, is tender and succulent, blanketed with a dark, rich tomato sauce. Big eaters may want to get the bandeja paisa, or mountain platter, which consists of a slab of grilled beef, a fried egg, beans, pork rinds, sweet plantain, rice, avocado and an arepa (corn cake.) Everything but the dense, bland arepa can be recommended.

Carne asada, an enormous grilled beef steak, was a bit chewy but nonetheless satisfying. I liked the lomo de cerdo, grilled loin of pork infused with a pleasant smokiness. If organ meat is what you crave, the higado a la criolla, liver cooked in tomato sauce, is a hearty and elemental choice.

One evening, I ordered a large bowl of fish soup, planning to make it my meal. And I could have, for the rich and slightly creamy brew was brimming with big pieces of fish. Perhaps it was because the waiter brought the soup too early -- along with the salads everyone else at the table was getting with dinner -- but he later presented me with two pieces of crisp, breaded fried fish, along with rice and beans. "They come with the soup," he said.

A friend's shrimp with rice proved truly delicious, a kind of South American pilaf replete with shellfish and bits of vegetables. Camarones al ajillo featured shrimp in a heady garlic sauce. If you're a lover of flan, know that the version served here is creamy and delicious. Rice pudding is lush and neither too runny nor too rice-y. Or go for something different, like figs with cheese. The contrast of the sweet and the salty works well, putting just the right punctuation mark on a dinner you won't easily forget.

Reviewed by Joan Reminick, 9/10/04.

Hours

Assessment

Cuisine

Price Range

Wheelchair Access