Last weekend, after months negotiating around personal schedules, I flew to Raleigh, North Carolina to visit siblings, nieces and nephew. Once checked into my hotel, I started looking for nearby lunch spots and found the usual suspects: McDonalds, Panera, Subway, burger dives, breakfast bistros. BORING!
Farther down the list was Alpaca which serves Peruvian food, focused on marinated, slow-cooked chicken. Sounding more promising than anything else found, so off I go!
In the back there is a kitchen where large rotisseries are roasting dozens of chickens, while at the counter someone is constantly cutting chickens into halves and quarters to take home. Very friendly staff and lots of locals ordering their favorite.
After checking the menu and targeting two possible entrees, I asked for help: the staff loved both choices and insisted I come back to try whichever I didn’t choose on my first trip. Which I did.
Arroz Chaufa
I asked for the cilantro dressing which I mixed into the stir-fry rice. The flavors were distinct but didn’t overwhelm, the chicken tender and moist, everything mixed together very nicely. Very enjoyable and reasonably-sized, just enough to satiate my hunger without having waste. Overall an excellent entree that would be a go-to if I lived nearby.
Pollo Saltado
As suggested, I returned for the Pollo Saltado. Unfortunately, no where near as enjoyable: the sautéed onions overwhelmed the chicken (and everything else) whose drippings made the french fries soggy. Mixing the rice is did not moderate the onions’ impact. I find the base of french fries confusing, in my opinion a rice base would have been preferable. Oh well.
Final Thoughts
Very promising with other entrées to try on my next visit, maybe even just going a la carte with quarter chicken and some sides. Unfortunately – for me – they are currently North Carolina only, mostly in the Research Triangle and not local. Bummer!
