Photograph by Paul Myers
Owners of Chicken Salsa, Ann and Alex Chen, feature low-fat specialties on their menu.
Chicken Salsa serves up its namesake and much more
By Suzanne Cristallo
Cyclists cruise down from Stevens Creek Park to nourish their strained bodies at Chicken Salsa. It's the first restaurant visitors encounter in Saratoga, situated on the west side of Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road at Prospect Avenue--the gateway to town.
The unassuming exterior of the place belies the happy discovery that health-conscious and physically active folks have made: the chicken served there is low-cal--comparatively, that is.
While "low-fat" mesquite-broiled Chicken Salsa is the main feature, along with south-of-the-border favorites like tacos and burritos served as fast food, the eatery also offers sit-down family dining where oakwood barbecued beef and pork ribs may be enjoyed in a colorfully decorated dining area.
"We serve the healthiest food in town," claims Alex Chen, new owner of the restaurant with his wife, Anna, since last October.
Alex outlines his low-fat assertions in his menu. It states a whole fried chicken caked in batter, then deep-fried in fat, results in 1,698 calories, 85 grams of fat and 740 milligrams of cholesterol. A whole Chicken Salsa chicken, on the other hand, is marinated in lemon and vegetable juices, herbs and spices and is rotisserie-roasted slowly so that the fat drips away. The result is 898 calories, 33 grams of fat and 327 milligrams of cholesterol.
"The heart of our restaurant is our open-chimney rotisserie," notes Alex. "Everything is fresh and either grilled or barbecued."
The Chens have been careful to maintain the taste established over the 12 years Chicken Salsa operated under former owners Cindy and Yu T. Wong. The Wongs are longtime friends of the Chens, and when they retired last year the timing was perfect for Alex, who was taking early retirement from his job as general manager of operations at Yankee Gas, a Connecticut utility.
"I had always said that when I retired, I'd open a restaurant," says Alex, who likes to dabble in the kitchen, experimenting with Italian sauces when he's not restoring old Corvettes.
The menu and the staff have remained intact in the changeover. Chicken Salsa comes in quarter, half and whole sections with salsa, flour tortillas and a choice of two side dishes of rice, beans, coleslaw, potato salad and green salad for $4.95, $6.85 and $13, respectively.
There are also enchiladas with chicken or cheese, chili relleno, and quesadillas with steak, chicken or cheese. Taco salads--vegetarian or with meat--and tostadas run in the $2-$6.85 range. An under-$6 baked potato is served with chicken or steak, butter and sour cream. The oakwood barbecue dinners include chicken, pork and beef ribs with tortillas and a choice of two sides for around $10. Beer, wine and assorted soft drinks are available. Daily lunch specials run from $4.95-$6.50.
What has changed, however, is the interior decor. Walls, floors and counters are surfaced in ceramic tiles. Bright artwork, Mexican sombreros and painted parrots add color. A mural by a former Saratoga High School student, Owen Lou, covers one wall. "I had to get an OK from my customers to make changes," jokes Alex, who says the majority of his customers are Saratogans and Los Gatans who have been dining there for years.
On weekends, one of the Chens' three children, 16-year-old Homestead High School student Christina, is an all-around helper in the restaurant. "It's one of the few places where she'll eat all of the food, all of the time," say her mom, Anna. "She's very picky."
Chicken Salsa, 12019 Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road, Saratoga. Open for lunch and dinner, daily 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Call 408.253.5667 for more information.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
