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Attention chicken lovers:
Skewers restaurant offers fast, fresh food

Sandwiched between Subway and State Farm Insurance in a line of shops near Halsey and 103rd is a tasty morsel: Skewers Restaurant. A neon sign proclaiming "char broiled chicken" gives the hungry customer a hint of the food inside.



The atmosphere:

Upon entering the small, narrow room, you will encounter a huge sign proclaiming the menu.

You don't have to be inside long to realize that Skewers has a steady flow of customers. They come and go with their take-out meals, which lends the restaurant a deli stop atmosphere.

However, diners with time to sit can settle into their choice of four tables and (between bites of chicken) sing along with oldies playing in the background.

One family of four sat at a table eating their meals out of the black plastic containers the food is served in. Another woman looked content as she ate her chicken and rice while reading one of the many newspapers provided. Two men sat alone, eating and reading.

The most appealing aspect of the atmosphere isn't the interior decorating but the warmth and happiness that comes from behind the counter.



The service:

At dinner time, regulars approach the counter and stop and chat with owner Jeff Maxwell, who is smiling from behind the register.

If it's your first time inside Skewers, Mr. Maxwell will know you're new. However, as a newcomer, you get a full explanation of the menu along with friendly chitchat as you ponder which dish to try. You can peek over the counter at the grill that barbecues your chicken, and Mr. Maxwell will show you the fresh pot stickers waiting to be prepared for your dish.

Once you make your choice, the food is ready so quickly that most customers wait off to the side.

If you are dining in, by the time you get your napkins, straw and plastic fork or chopsticks, your food is ready. Mr. Maxwell will bring it out to your table.

If you can't finish the whole dish, you just snap a clear top on the plastic bowl and go on your way.



The food:

The selection includes mainly chicken skewers, pot stickers and a newer option, salmon.

Skewers' five-ounce chicken skewer is served hot off the grill and onto a bowl of rice for $4.25.

Pot stickers or Gyoza are another Skewers specialty. Pot stickers are large pasta half circles filled with chicken and vegetables. They come with rice and drenched in sauce for $4.25.

Skewers' most popular meal is the combo meal: a chicken skewer, rice, sauce and fresh celery, broccoli, carrots and other steamed vegetables. The combo meal is $5.25.

For the seafood lover, salmon with chutney mango barbecue sauce and a choice of rice or vegetables is $6.95.

Four people can share a group meal of skewers and pot stickers for $14.99.

Meals come with a choice of five sauces, including sweet hot chili, teriyaki, barbecue, peanut and kung pao. You also have a choice of white or brown rice.

Single skewers, pot stickers, rice with sauce and steamed vegetables can also be purchased separately.

Mr. Maxwell said Skewers uses only white chicken breast and 100 percent fresh foods. The restaurant has also updated its equipment with a searing grill. The grill cuts cooking time in half while locking the juices into the meat as it cooks.

For the health conscious, five of Skewers' meals qualify for the healthy heart symbol.

Before you sit down or grab your take-out, don't forget to check out the condiment bar.

On the bar you can find treats such as pickled ginger, lemon juice and chopsticks to enhance your dining experience. The lemon juice was probably for the salmon, but it tastes great in the ice water, which is also available at the condiment bar.

Make sure you bring cash, a Visa card or a MasterCard because checks are not accepted.



The mission:

Mr. Maxwell has been in the restaurant business for 25 years and said he is excited to own the first of the four Skewers Restaurants in the area.

The four-year-old restaurant is a family affair. On Sunday afternoons, Maxwell's twin daughters come in and work in the store. His wife works at the restaurant in the afternoons, and he spends evenings at the restaurant.

Mr. Maxwell hopes to eventually open a sister store to Skewers at 181st and Glisan. Maxwell is also planning to sell Skewers' lunches in school cafeterias.





Reprinted by permission from East County News.