Lincoln Lunch: Zankou Chicken

(my actual lunch!) I hit the famed Zankou Chicken in Van Nuys for a Lincoln Lunch recently and found a bustling eatery that served meat-packed meals.

The line moved fairly quickly and I placed my order for a tri-tip shawerma wrap. Later it occurred to me that ordering beef at a chicken place was not very wise. Too late now.

I grabbed a small table and noticed few other tables were open. A loud, mostly white collar lunch crowd was filling their bellies. Zankou is not the prettiest restaurant - clear glass panels section off peach-colored booths - which meant with this many customers the food must be good.

It certainly was cheap. My tri-tip wrap was one of three meals priced at $5 plus tax, including a chicken tarna wrap and a falafel wrap. A roasted chicken wrap was $4.29. Side orders range from $.60 to $4.

When my number was called another lady sprang to the counter to pick up the food. We had the same number but sorted it out and both got our grub.

My wrap was warm and tightly wrapped in a piece of lined foil. I was surprised to find it made almost entirely of meat, with a few tomatoes thrown in for good measure. This is so unusual for a Lincoln Lunch, which are usually light on meat or vegetarian, that I thought about the wrap's composition for some time. In the end I decided it was 80% meat, 17% pita bread, 2% tomatoes and 1% tahini sauce.

The type of food that satisfies meat lovers. Not very well balanced, but the guy who grabbed my seat as soon as I stood up didn't seem to care.

Visit Zankou Chicken at 5658 Sepulveda Blvd. just north of Bubank Blvd. in Van Nuys. (818) 781-0615.