A quick queston; Is the chicken amenable to a fairly quick meal? Or should I keep this in mind for a less time constrained occaision? I'm thinking of arriving before 6PM if that helps.
mcg wrote:I often stop by around 6pm on my way home from work for takeout. The place is generally empty and I receive my chicken in 5-10 minutes. I'm sure you can get in and out in less than 30 minutes around that time.
Habibi wrote:I'm a fan of both, but if you want chicken, D'Candela is definitely the place to go.
EvA wrote:Had another very good weeknight dinner last night at a nearly empty D'Candela. We had the whole of the new room to ourselves. It was our first time in the new room, and we really liked the space. The three of us enjoyed empanadas and the papa rellena (how do they get the potato so wonderfully light, even fluffy, but still tasting like real potato?) plus a whole chicken with maduros and fries. Despite H_S's praise of the desserts in the back of my mind, we were too full to have any. D'Candela definitely fits in that category of places that I would not have found without LTH, so thanks, LTHForum, again!
happy_stomach wrote:EvA wrote:Had another very good weeknight dinner last night at a nearly empty D'Candela. We had the whole of the new room to ourselves. It was our first time in the new room, and we really liked the space. The three of us enjoyed empanadas and the papa rellena (how do they get the potato so wonderfully light, even fluffy, but still tasting like real potato?) plus a whole chicken with maduros and fries. Despite H_S's praise of the desserts in the back of my mind, we were too full to have any. D'Candela definitely fits in that category of places that I would not have found without LTH, so thanks, LTHForum, again!
We had the whole place (including the original room) to ourselves on Wednesday, too. Again, it seems the perfect setting for a family gathering or party. Parking is easy, and it's a straight shot on bike given the Kedzie bike lane.
EvA wrote:the papa rellena (how do they get the potato so wonderfully light, even fluffy, but still tasting like real potato?)
Santander wrote:The chicken actually did feature crackly skin this time.
turkob wrote:Santander wrote:The chicken actually did feature crackly skin this time.
This was the first time I'd ever had crispy skin at D'Candela, and it was terrific. Best version I've had there.
happy_stomach wrote:Friends and I had a really nice, extremely filling dinner in the new room tonight. The three of us inhaled two tamales, an order of anticuchos, a whole chicken, yucca and, after declaring the side of maduros the perfect dessert, we ordered all three actual desserts on the menu.
The flan was too cold for me to appreciate, but the rice pudding with heavy cinnamon and raisins made me very happy. One friend would not share the giant alfajor; she liked it that much. The new room (and two dozen alfajores) seems like it would make the perfect setting for a birthday party.
We ate so much that one friend, who's due to have a baby in August, experienced pregnancy indigestion for the first time tonight. After D'Candela, we hit the Walgreens at Irving Park and Kedzie for Tums. "Of course this would happen at a meal with Sharon," they said (with affection, I'd like to think). Moment of kind of twisted pride for me.
Then we dropped off pregnant friend and enjoyed a few cocktails at Leopold on the way home. Even with indigestion, not a bad night at all.
Got it mostly right, remembered seafood fried rice instead of fish. Same puffy egg, abundance of squid rings/legs, scattered shrimp, brace of mussels and clams and plenty of bright crunchy scallion. Surprisingly large portion, one of those dishes that don't seem to diminish no matter how much you eat, we were happy we opted for 1/2 chicken instead of whole.Santander wrote:My other favorite was the fish fried rice - I could eat a platter of that, with its toasted sesame dimension and ribbons of puffy-crisp fried egg.
Jonah wrote:We visited for the first time last night. At 6:00 on a Saturday, only two other tables were taken. When we left around 6:30, only one other table was taken. There were quite a few "to go" orders being prepared. Perhaps we were just early for a south american place, but I hope this place is thriving.
KajmacJohnson wrote:Jonah wrote:We visited for the first time last night. At 6:00 on a Saturday, only two other tables were taken. When we left around 6:30, only one other table was taken. There were quite a few "to go" orders being prepared. Perhaps we were just early for a south american place, but I hope this place is thriving.
I have been driving past D"Candela for years and I see it occupied more times than not but not completely full. Usually this is during the day, maybe at night it is a different story. My stepdaughter has been here and she raved about the flavorful chicken. It's on my list to try out but my husband is not a big fan of rotisserie chicken so it will take some arm twisting but one of these days I hope to check it out.
boudreaulicious wrote:They have a large menu with several dishes noted above that are definitely as worthwhile as the chicken. I'd be surprised if he couldn't find something.