Alpaca’s Peruvian chicken should be part of your (takeout) gastronomic adventure
The pandemic has made me, if anything, more grateful than ever to live in a culturally diverse area with a wide variety of cuisines to choose from. Even limiting my restaurant meals to delivery and contact-free takeout, I’ve been able to explore the world, from Mexican taqueria to Turkish kebab house, all at my own dining room table.
Judging by the feedback I’ve gotten to these weekly entries in my Coronavirus Diary, and by your own Takeout Tales, it’s clear many others are eager to join me on the gastronomic adventure. I felt a little guilty, then, when I looked back over the list of restaurants I’ve written about and realized that I have yet to tell you about Alpaca.
The restaurant’s specialty, Peruvian-style rotisserie-roasted chicken, has pretty much everything going for it. It’s healthy. It’s inexpensive. And, since there are five locations of this local family-owned chain in the Triangle, chances are you live within delivery distance of one.
I’ve had food delivered multiple times from the Morrisville location, and was a regular at the takeout counter in pre-coronavirus days. Over the years, the chicken has been consistently juicy with a subtle smoky note (the rotisserie is the real charcoal-fired deal) and a well-browned skin glistening with a marinade of tropical juices and spices.
You can get a quarter (light or dark meat) or half-chicken, but my go-to order is the whole bird, which comes with your choice of two sides and the traditional mild yellow and spicy green sauces on the side. For $21.99, it’s a bargain meal for a family of four — or in the case of my two-person family, a meal plus leftovers to turn into chicken salad or a pasta dish. Or, I confess this has happened on more than one occasion, it becomes a not-in-the-mood-to-cook snack straight from the fridge.
I can never limit myself to just two sides, so my order typically includes tostones (savory twice-fried plantains), black beans and rice, fried yuca (I like to dip those crispy batons in the green sauce), and — because I always crave something green in my meal — a side of crunchy, creamy coleslaw.
Oh, and maduros (sweet plantains) are a must — because they’re a caramelized candy-sweet treat, and because my wife would kill me if I didn’t order them. Sweet as they are, though, maduros still count as a side in my book. That way, I can give myself permission to order a couple of alfajores (traditional Peruvian butter cookie sandwiches filled with dulce de leche and dusted with powdered sugar) for dessert.
I recently ventured beyond the rotisserie chicken for the first time and tried lomo saltado, a contribution of Peru’s immigrant Chinese population to the country’s culinary repertoire. I’d happily order Alpaca’s rendition again — a soy-tinged stir-fry of tender steak strips with tomatoes and onions, served over French fries (that soak up all those savory juices), with rice on the side.
But just so we’re clear, I’d order the lomo saltado in addition to the whole chicken. Not instead of.
Alpaca
Five Triangle locations; see alpacachicken.com/ for details.
Takeout Tales
Send me your experiences with restaurant delivery and curbside pickup at ggcox55@gmail.com. I’ll publish as many as I can in this space — edited as needed for brevity and clarity.
Squid’s
Lorraine W. nets a bountiful seafood catch at Squid’s in Chapel Hill.
“Squid’s in Chapel Hill always has been a favorite of ours, and now my husband and I find ourselves actually ordering more often from their menu than when we would go there in person. We’ve used Squid’s curbside pickup for five dinners over the past six weeks.
“The takeout is consistently excellent, starting with fast, friendly, accurate ordering over the phone. You specify the time you will pick up the meal, and on arrival it’s promptly delivered into your vehicle.
“Amazingly enough, the to-go food quality and even temperature are every bit as good as when enjoyed inside the restaurant. Our favorites are the seafood chowder and horseradish-crusted tilapia, accompanied by delicious hushpuppies. We are hoping that Squid’s will see fit to continue their current takeout option, even after the pandemic has subsided.”
Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe
tazikis.com, with three Triangle locations
Peggy H. can’t resist the Greek salad with blackened shrimp at Taziki’s in Cary.
“I’ve had great luck with curbside pickup at Taziki’s at Waverly Place in Cary. Delicious food for reasonable price with very good curbside service. I’ve heard everything on the menu is good, but the Greek salad with blackened shrimp is so good, I get it every time.”