The Manhattan Times

El Pollo Provocon reopens after fire

by Adam Garrett-Clark

After two months of rapid renovations, El Pollo Provocon, the wood-fired rotisserie chicken restaurant on St. Nicholas Avenue and W.185th Street, reopened on Sat., Oct. 31.

Following an electrical fire during off hours on Aug. 26, the restaurant closed after nearly everything in the dining area, where the spark took flame, was destroyed. The only thing that wasn’t broken was the front glass, owner Coral Peralta said.

But during reconstruction, while workers brought in an engine for the exhaust system, the front glass was shattered as well, she said with a laugh.

At the time Peralta and her husband Jose Luis Peralta were devastated by the accident. Many of their loyal customers, who had grown addicted to their specially spiced chicken, assumed they went out of business.

Despite a neighborhood saturated in rotisserie chicken restaurants, El Pollo Provocon remains unique in that its chicken is cooked over a wood fire rather than gas. This and its trademarked seasoning create a distinctive flavor which is coupled with its signature crispy skin. Some say its smell and taste remind them of bacon.

The kitchen in the backroom where the restaurant prepares traditional Dominican sides – rice, beans, fried yucca, stewed peas in coconut sauce and sweet plantains – was un-singed by the fire. The same goes for the second floor prep-room where hundreds of chickens are seasoned and prepared daily.

In a small room, Jose demonstrated the process.

The chickens are first doused in a vinegar and hot water solution to kill any bacteria it may have picked up. They are then dunked in a tub of secret liquid seasoning – brown in color – which Jose would only say included wine and “other herbs and spices.”

Then the chickens are promptly stacked on a spike five at a time. Each chicken is wrapped with string so that the legs and wings are compressed towards the center. Jose explains that this contains the juices within the meat.

The spiked birds are then brought downstairs to the wood oven on the ground floor, where they are placed in a rotator in the oven. Special baskets in the back of the oven hold logs of apple wood and hickory. 

These particular varieties of wood, he explains, have very low levels of water inside of them which produce less smoke and are ideal for achieving the desired crispy skin that waters the mouths of many.

The restaurant’s concept is a modern, if not Americanized, version of a wood fire rotisserie chicken restaurant chain prevalent in the Dominican Republic, of the same name.

El Pollo Provocon is essentially the king of rotisserie chicken on the island, Coral explained. It’s hard to find anyone from the country who hasn’t heard of it. She described the restaurants as very informal places, usually with outdoor seating, that are cheap, open late and located all over the country.

The Peraltas, who owned a multi-service business on Sherman Avenue a few years ago, noticed that the chain hadn’t yet made it to the D.R.’s 32nd province – Washington Heights – and said to each other: “You know what, a Provocon would be good here,” Coral said.

Coral, who studied marketing in the D.R., began testing the idea with street surveys in Washington Heights. Once the response was convincing enough she and her husband began researching wood fire ovens, working to secure the right location and registering with the Dominican business chain. They opened their restaurant in January of 2007.

Set back by the fire, the two have swiftly rebounded, re-opening with a number of new improvements.

To accommodate large lunch crowds, a new ordering process has been instated to improve efficiency. A number of recession friendly lunch combos have been designed allowing a full meal for under $5. The couple received a beer and wine license and created happy hour specials.

Thinking about the neighborhood’s growing Mexican population, Jose designed new sauces based on the chipotle pepper, mushrooming the number of complementary sauces to 20 different varieties. But of course, there remains the tried and true signature Wasakaka sauce. The citrus herb flavored sauce normally served in tiny plastic cups with the chicken is also a trademarked secret of El Pollo Provocon.

Click here to see a video of the restaurant's cooking process.