Local Flavor

[Guest]

News from Montebello in the Times Community Newspapers

 

Local flavor

Uncanny varieties of chicken at Ani's

 

By DON EDWARDS

 

 

Living in Montebello for 52 years, I guess I've eaten in virtually every local

restaurant at least once. Some, dozens of times. I've passed Ani's Chicken Restaurant

on North Montebello Boulevard many times, but only in the past several years have I

actually dined there. I was pleasantly surprised.

You don't have to label this fine cuisine Middle Eastern or Greek or Armenian,

though it salutes and weaves its magic from those rich culinary traditions. The two

knowledgeable young entrepreneurs who greeted me from behind the counter made me

feel very welcome. And the proprietor of Ani's Chicken Restaurant for the past five and

a half years, Sarkis Saakyan, is a man of modest temperament yet impeccable taste.

Saakyan will tell you only that his special cuts of poultry, beef, lamb and other meats

are prepared in a 2,000-year-old natural flame method that came from the mountains of

Ararat.

On my most recent visit to Ani's, I ordered the whole rotisserie chicken ($5.99),

and that includes two fresh pieces of pita bread, two cups of a smooth garlic sauce (a

little too garlicky for my taste) and a large serving of pickled turnip cuts with lots of

sunny pickled peppers.

This is one of the tastiest chicken dinners I've ever enjoyed.

Only one dessert, sadly, is featured at Ani's, and that's baklava (89 cents), a

delightful treat made of filo dough, walnuts, honey and cinnamon.

If you'd like a healthy salad to go with your first-class chicken feast, there are

several to choose from. I recommend the Greek salad ($4.29) that I enjoyed on a

previous visit. It features crunchy lettuce tears, lots of tomato wedges and large black

olives, all crowned and anointed with feta cheese and a lively vinegar dressing.

There's a large potato salad ($2.79). A mushroom and kidney bean salad ($2.79) is

a favorite of a friend of mine. And the Stolichy salad ($2.89) is a tasty and unique

combination of carrots, eggs, peas, seasonings, different meats and a mayo dressing.

You might like to sample some of the appetizers and side dishes at Ani's, most

priced under $3. For $2.89, you can get five stuffed grape leaves, very nicely filled with

rice and minutely chopped tomatoes simmered with mild spices and lemon juice.

You can enjoy the delicacy called babaghanouj, a paste made of blended eggplant

combined with sesame sauce, fresh garlic and drizzled with a subtle olive oil. The

famous hummus is especially delectable and imaginative, a smooth paste or dip made of

blended garbanzo beans, sesame sauce, garlic and topped with olive oil.

Tabbouleh is a lively side of finely chopped parsley, tomatoes, onions and crushed

wheat marinated with lemon juice and olive oil. Hardly any restaurants feature borscht

anymore, but Ani's does. I enjoy it best with dollops of sinful sour cream, with a dash of

paprika and salt, but I'm just persnickety.

Lentil soup is also featured at Ani's. If it's uniquely done seafood you're after, try the

mahi-mahi ($6.49), marinated in Saakyan's special potpourri of spices, then kissed

briefly with flame.

On my next visit to Ani's, I think I'll try the sturgeon ($6.99), also flame-broiled, and

served with a pomegranate sauce.

Or, try one of the many shish kebab plates, all served with salad, rice, broiled

tomatoes or hummus, and all priced under $6.50. With cuisine like this, the mountains

of Ararat are smiling.

FYI

Ani's Chicken Restaurant

WHERE: 528 N. Montebello Blvd., Montebello

CALL: (323) 888-0750

HOURS: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week

Edwards' Report Card: Food A; Value A; Attitude and Service A; Overall A.