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When people start talking about Southern cooking, fried chicken is sure to come up. But, lately, my taste in chicken has been running a little farther South.

Every week or two, I like to stop by Las Brasas, a brightly painted hole-in-the-wall in Decatur, Georgia, and pick up one of their Peruvian-style rotisserie chickens to take home.

Las Brasas translates variously as “hot coals” or “flame-grilled,” and the chicken it serves has a distinctively smoky but juicy taste with hints of wonderfully mysterious spices. You can buy a whole bird for $9.99, a half for $6.99 or a quarter, which runs $3.99 for dark meat or $4.99 for light.

When you order and are asked whether you’d also like hot sauce, be sure to say yes. The salsa de huacatay, a green sauce made with peppers and a minty herb known as huacatay, is not burn-your-mouth hot but it has a little kick that grows on you.

Las Brasas offers an array of sides including mixed vegetables, corn on the cob, sweet potato fries, pinto beans and rice. My favorites are the the big, flaky homemade fried tortilla chips with avocado dip ($1.99 for a small order, $2.99 for a large) and the potatoes with huancaina sauce ($4.99). The potatoes are sliced and served over a bed of lettuce with hard-boiled egg and olives. The huancaina sauce is made with cheese and Peruvian pepper, but to me it tastes like a creamy mustard sauce.

Las Brasas also offers sandwiches (served with an avo-mayo dressing), tea and soft drinks, including the Inca Kola beloved by many Peruvians, and a flan dessert that many people rave about.

While the food is great, I also love going by the place because the owners, John and Maria Koechlin, always greet customers so warmly. Originally from Lima, Peru, they opened Las Brasas in September 2007 and work side by side there except when John is away at his “day job.” He is an Atlanta-based international flight attendant for Delta Air Lines and periodically jets off to Japan or Brazil or Chile.

And, yes, sometimes John does still fly back to Lima just to do a little shopping for spices. Once you’ve tasted the food at Las Brasas, you’ll be glad he does.

Las Brasas is located at 310 E. Howard Ave. in Decatur. Phone 404-377-9121.

http://lasbrasasdecatur.com/default.aspx

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6 Responses to “Going South … for chicken”

1. Billy Howard says:

   May 4, 2009 at 2:18 pm

   Yum, Yum, Yum! We were just talking with friends about Peruvian chicken! Now we know where to go! And the answer to hot sauce is always “Yes!”

   Reply
2. LikeTheDew (LikeTheDew) says:

   May 4, 2009 at 5:28 pm

   New blog post: Going South … for chicken http://tinyurl.com/d76efo

   Reply
3. Billy Howard says:

   May 4, 2009 at 10:17 pm

   On the Dew’s recommendation, we got some chicken, potatoes and avocado dip to go tonight and the Dew spoke truth to food! Excellent!

   Reply
4. Susan Puckett says:

   May 5, 2009 at 7:59 am

   Yes indeed, the Dew speaks the truth on Las Brasas…for all the reasons you sited! It’s one of my very favorite discoveries in Decatur but easy to miss because it’s tucked away on a side street. But it’s so worth the little detour. Plus it’s an incredible bargain …I like to load up on the chicken and sides so I’ll have leftovers for days…

   Reply
5. Mary Lee (aka Bootsie Lucas) says:

   May 5, 2009 at 9:13 am

   Keith! What a coincidence. I’ve been searching for a roast chicken place ever since we moved to Atlanta several months ago. Yesterday I did a web search and turned up Las Brasas. Even printed out a map so I could find it. Can’t wait until they open today. Yum.

   Reply
6. Michael Garbutt says:

   May 5, 2009 at 2:41 pm

   It sounds even better than El Pollo Loco on the Buford Highway! Keep that food coming, Keith!

   Reply

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