La Rosa Chicken & Grill

The food at La Rosa is pretty tasty, but the in-store dining experience (if I can use that highfalutin phrase) leaves much to be desired. Your meal is served on small, slippery plastic plates and is eaten with flimsy plastic utensils. Try to get a booth in the back. If you sit at one up front directly across from the cafeteria-style serving line, you tend to be stared at by the kitchen staff as you awkwardly and self consciously pick at your chicken with your fingers and try to corral your fixins as they slip-slide off the aforementioned plate into your lap.

La Rosa's invites comparison to Boston Market, which offers a menu and prices that are essentially the same. Boston Market recently upgraded its in-store dining, though -- your food is now brought to your table and it's served on real plates with real (metal) utensils.

And what about the food? The main draw at both places is of course the rotisserie chicken, served on the bone in several portion sizes (quarter, half, or whole). For me, La Rosa's chicken was perfectly seasoned and very flavorful, if a bit dry. I think it tastes better than the chicken at Boston Market, which is saltier and has an undertone of soy that I'm not crazy about. On the other hand, Boston Market's chickens are juicier and somewhat plumper. Sides at La Rosa are on a par with those at Boston Market in terms of selection and portion size. I like La Rosa's red skin potatoes better than Boston's -- the latter are often undercooked, but La Rosa's are tender, creamy, and nicely seasoned. La Rosa's mac and cheese tastes less as if it came out of a blue box and their tomato salad is delicious -- lots of fresh garlic. The little cornbread muffin that comes with your meal at La Rosa's is rather crumbly and dry and also quite sweet -- Boston's cornbread wins out here.

I guess if I had to pick between the two, I'd do so on the basis of proximity -- if I were closer to La Rosa's and in the mood for chicken, I'd go there. Ditto for Boston Market.

I was dying for a burrito and did a search on Yelp for the closest place to me. This came up. I walked in and saw the extensive "chicken" menu. They have a decent menu. Chicken (duh), ribs, burgers and steaks. Its a casual order at the counter and sit down place. They have a lot of sides. I ordered the Chicken Burrito. Big mistake. They nuked the ingredients. The chicken was dry and the rice was like an hour overcooked. The beans were crumbling (not good). Only saving grace was the mac and cheese which was excellent. Would have been 1 star but the m&c stole the show. Not going back anytime soon. Still on a quest to find the great burrito...striking out left and right...ugh!

I want to like this place, I really do, but I find myself unable to muster much enthusiasm for the place.  That said, its not bad for lunch, you pay a little more than Boston Market, but its much closer to where I work.  The chicken's decent, but nothing to write home about.  Their burgers and gyros are mediocre, but I don't mind it every once in a while.