Westside Cock Fight: Zankou vs. Koo Koo Roo

Zankou Chicken’s first Westside location at Sepulveda and Santa Monica is thriving in its first few months of business and is sure to siphon off a fair amount of nearby Koo Koo Roo’s action. A recent Sunday night saw ZK packed with a lively mix of olive-skinned extended families, yuppies in workout gear and J.Lo velours (no doubt coming from the nearby Sports Club L.A.), and a few Persian entrepreneurs. There is still that new restaurant chaos of workers-in-training behind the counter, slowing down the take out but this is sure to tighten up.

While the Santa Monica-founded Koo Koo Roo led the way with So Cal step-above-fast-food healthy eating, with its famous skinless chicken, it now seems to be a chain in search of its soul. Down to 17 So Cal locations, the ‘Roo menu has in recent years mutated to include trendy items such as wraps and rice bowls, with some locations now even serving hamburgers (supplied by Fuddrucker’s). They’ve also brought in this strange pseudo-tropical colorful interior decoration that for some reason darkens the restaurants. Perhaps not coincidental to these constant shifts for marketshare, the chain was bought out by Texas-based Magic Restaurants (Fuddruckers’ parent co. as well) in 2003.

You also have to wonder if the trending of SoCal tastes away from skinless Koo Koo Roo to skin-on Zankou can be attributed to the cult of Atkins that doesn’t shy away from the grease. (The ‘Roo started offering a skin-on “rotisserie” version of their chicken, but it was more of a bastard stepchild to the skinless “original.” It usually disappointed with pinky legs and dried out breasts.) Being name-checked by Beck didn’t hurt ZK either.

At this 6th Zankou location (#7 due in Burbank shortly), the Middle Eastern-based menu is as reliable a meal you can expect in the sub-$10 range. The shawerma pita sandwiches may have been rebranded as “wraps” for the Westside ZK’s menu, but they are unchanged: tasty garlicky tri-tip rolled with a sesame dressing. If only they would use a thicker flatbread that doesn’t disintegrate, they’d be even better. But this is quibbling. The chicken, of course, is their star and it did not disappoint. Their ovens get it just right, drying the wings out to twigs while keeping the breast moist. Koo Koo Roo’s rotisserie spits seem more and more like a visual prop when you compare the output. The Zankou chicken ovens are like iron lungs, hiding their secret business within. Which brings us to The Sauce–a whipped buttery-garlic concoction, which is doled out sparingly in amounts specified on the menu at other locations (“1 Whole Chicken, 3 garlics”), flows freely at the Westside ZK. A recent order of a whole chicken, a “wrap,” and a side of hummus, netted 5 cups of garlic sauce. I masked my excitement at the bounty of garlic sauce (no doubt somewhat ashamed that this minor treat should bring any kind of excitement). Surely this is a new restaurant attempting to get a new clientele addicted. 12-Step Zankou programs are sure to sprout up along the Westside.