#108: Pollo Loco & Bakery

Date Visited: 13 February 2011

Meal: Lunch

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: Pollo Loco & Bakery (not to be confused with the El Pollo Loco chain) is one of our newest locally-owned restaurants in Leesburg, serving up delicious Peruvian-style chicken dishes, along with a a full bakery operation. Pollo Loco is located in the Bellewood Commons shopping center (along with Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, Quiznos, Josefina Market, and Red Kabob). There used to be a bakery named Panaderia in the same location, but it closed before I could review it, and it's not affiliated with the current owners of Pollo Loco. Among all the Mexican/South American restaurants in Leesburg, Pollo Loco is most similar to La Chocita and Wishbone Rotisserie. Full-service Mexican restaurants include Del Rio, Anita's, and Casa Gonzales (closed), and our fast(er) food options are Moe's, California Tortilla, and Taco Bell.

Pollo Loco has a full menu of grilled items, burritos, rotisserie chicken, sandwiches, soups, salads, various side dishes, desserts (slice of cake from the bakery!), and beverages. On this visit I got the Pollo Saltado ("Tender chicken sauteed in olive oil with onion and tomatoes served over french fries and rice"). The chicken was indeed tender and juicy, and being served over french fries (large home fries) and rice (with some corn kernels mixed in) was a unique combination for me. Wendy got the Burrito Bowl with chicken ("Served with lettuce, cheese, rice, beans, pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole"). Her chicken seemed to have a char-broiled taste, and she said it was moist and flavorful, a perfect combination of ingredients.



While we were waiting for our lunch to be prepared, we were mesmerized by the vast array of bakery items on display, so we bought a sampling of some giant almond cookies, a churro, and a concha (round, sweet bread); all yummy.

Give Pollo Loco & Bakery a try!

Location: 525-E E. Market St., Leesburg, VA 20176, 703-669-2896

Web site: none

Total bill: $19.42 + $5.00 = $24.42

#107: Flame Kabob

Date Visited: 4 February 2011

Meal: Dinner

Diners: 2 - Me & Wendy

Experience: One of the first restaurants to open in the Village at Leesburg, Flame Kabob had it's official ribbon-cutting ceremony with Leesburg town officials on 31 July 2010. Flame Kabob is a family-owned restaurant serving delicious Afghan food. They also have locations in Springfield and Fairfax. The new Leesburg location was recently reviewed very favorably in the Loudoun Times-Mirror. We were fortunate enough to be served by the owner, Marai Naimi, who was quite friendly and made us feel very welcome.

On this visit, I got the Flame Combo #1 ("A combination of boneless chicken breast and chunks of tender beef cooked to its perfection, served with rice, salad, a side your choice and fresh homemade bread with spicy yogurt sauce on the side"). I chose the chickpeas for my side. Wendy got the Tikka (Steak) Kabob ("Chunks of tender beef marinated in spices and herbs, charbroiled to its perfection, served with rice, salad, a side of your choice and a fresh homemade bread and spicy yogurt sauce on the side"). Wendy chose black beans for her side. We were delighted to be served the homemade bread and spicy yogurt sauce as an appetizer, before the rest of the meal - a nice touch. I especially liked the spicy yogurt sauce; it was just spicy enough to give a kick that complemented the homemade pita bread. We were also surprised to be served small bowls of vegetable soup along with the appetizer - an unexpected treat on the cold night we visited. The kabobs were excellent; each meat was marinated in its own unique blend of herbs, the rice was great, the salad had a tasty cool yogurt dressing, and the sides tasted home-cooked too. We finished dinner by sharing a Firnee (a sweet custard with a bit of rosewater added) - Yum!

We can highly recommend Flame Kabob and will be sure to visit again. This brings the total of Leesburg's kabob restaurants to six: Flame Kabob (Afghan), Kabob & Falafel (Lebanese), Zara Kebab (Turkish), Red Kabob (Jordanian), Hamburg Doner (German), and Mama Lucci's (Italian/Greek/Middle Eastern). This review also marks the third of six restaurants at the Village of Leesburg: Flame Kabob, Faang Thai, and Noodles & Company. Still to go are Wegmans (yeah, it's technically a restaurant), Travinia Italian Kitchen (open now), and Eggspectations (scheduled to open sometime in February).

Location: 1601 Village Market Blvd., Suite 108, Leesburg, VA 20175, 703-779-7799

Web site: http://flamekabob.us/

Total bill: $27.83 + $5.00 tip = $32.83