I recently returned from a trip to Europe where I had the most exquisitely beautiful roast chicken of my life. It was the legendary Bresse chicken, from an exclusive farm in Eastern France, and it came on a silver platter, its legs arching upward to the heavens, in "half-mourning," laden with slivers of black truffles under its golden-brown skin.
Alongside was a tiny copper pan offering three perfect ravioli, each filled with foie gras and chopped truffle. For 115 euros, (about $165), it was easily the most expensive dish I have ever eaten; certainly the best chicken dish, and also one of the most elusive experiences I can remember having in a restaurant.
After the tuxedoed waiter sliced me a portion from the breast of skin, meat and truffle, the bird vanished, never to be seen again. Where's the rest of it, I asked him? He just gave me one of those Gallic shrugs and vanished himself. The next time I pay that much for a chicken, I'm going to make love to it before I eat it.
OK, so you won't get chicken like this in Vegas, but there are a few pretenders for far less money. One of the best places for roast chicken is the newly reopened Sonio's Café & Rotisserie, a cranked-up version of El Pollo Loco, except with more variety and better-tasting birds. Other than Bouchon in the Venetian, Thomas Keller's terrific bistro, there is no place in town to get better rotisserie chicken, and nothing close in this price category.
The restaurant belongs to Yiorgo Aretos, and it was sorely missed during the more than one and a half years it was closed because of a fire. Now it has resurfaced with a bang and an expanded (though ever so slightly) menu. And the food, which tasted quite good before, is even better now. Perhaps the adage is true: Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
The starting point for most meals here is the rotisserie chicken, the mother of all birds. There are several options, including quarters, halves, wholes and side dishes, so let's just say these are moist, crisp skinned pullets, liberally seasoned, and served piping hot. This being a Mexican-themed chicken place, you'll get a choice of flour or corn tortillas, side dishes such as a nice Spanish rice, pinto beans or a few others I'll describe shortly, and a few condiments, salsas and the like.
There's much here beyond chicken on the bone, though. Chinese chicken salad is good, too, with romaine, shards of juicy chicken meat, slivered almonds, deep-fried Chinese noodles, green onions and Mandarin orange slices, all tossed with a sweet and pungent dressing of sesame oil and vinegar.
And since Aretos isn't Latino, but rather a Greek-American, it's possible to have touches of the Mediterranean with sides like a romaine-based Greek salad, spinach-and-feta pasta salad, and my favorite, rotini Bolognese, with the delicious house meat sauce.
I like the Greek salad, but I prefer mine Greek village-style, minus the lettuce. Still, there is enough of the other stuff—Kalamata olives, feta cheese, a smattering of green onions and a tangy dressing—to keep the Greek in me happy, though I am still not sure why Aretos made the decision to omit the cucumbers. The Caesar is better with chicken, but just fine without, loaded with croutons and lots of Parmesan cheese.
At lunch, pita sandwiches, another mildly Greek touch, are hugely popular. Also known as wraps, they come in varieties such as Chinese (like the salad in a pita), original (basically chicken, lettuce, tomato and mayo) and chicken fajit. All of them are filling and satisfying.
Mexican dishes are fine, as well. One of the heartiest is a quesadilla with chicken, cheese and guacamole, crisp around the edges, drooling melted cheese, and enriched with the white meat of rotisserie chicken. Carne asada is basically thinly sliced, seasoned beef done on a grill. It is fine in a taco or on a plate with rice and beans.
But all restraint stops with the chile verde, essentially a rich pork stew with green chilies punctuated by fall-apart-tender chunks of meat. Chile verde also is fine on a plate, but the quintessential way to eat it is in a wet burrito. Sonio's serves enormous burritos—they have to be close to one and a half pounds.
The restaurant does not serve alcohol, but the iced coffee frappe is a treat, and there are several types of Snapple to go along with the requisite varieties of teas and soft drinks.
For dessert, there is banana cream pie, cookies and cream pie, lemon meringue pie and a few cheesecakes, but the best is probably a spumoni ice cream that Aretos buys especially for the restaurant.
At $7.95 to take out a whole chicken, I figure this place is about 20 times as economical as high-end restaurants in Europe. And they throw in the bones for free.