Apr 11, 2008  |  By: GREG HAMM  | COMMENTS     

All the ingredients are there:  the corny credos (“Chix is not just about serving chicken, it’s about creating a way of life”), the earnest mission statement (“Chix is committed to providing natural, healthy, delicious, affordable, quick, Latin-flavored meals in a casual environment”), and the self-serious back-story (“In life you have to take a chance to pursue your dream”). Chix has only been open a few months, but it’s a wonder that the place hasn’t caved under the weight of its own ingenuousness.

The likely reason for its survival so far is that Chix actually makes good on its ambitions. Chix represents a new breed of restaurant, on display from the moment you walk in the door. The cool green interior hints at its eco-friendly focus. For example, the chicken that figures into most of the menu items is of the free-range, antibiotic and hormone-free variety. The materials — cutlery, napkins, plates, cleaning products, bamboo countertops and cork floors — are sustainable. The cups, inexplicably, are made from biodegradable corn.

No amount of responsible environmental stewardship substitutes for good food, however. Fortunately, Chix delivers on the truism about healthier ingredients making tastier food.

Three chicken recipes headline the menu — “chix chicken,” seasoned with a house blend of spices, Peruvian chicken and Colombian chicken, coated with a marinade of coffee and organic coconut milk. The marinades lack the zest and punch of a perfect recipe, but the roasting process preserves enough juice and flavor to make for a yummy bird indeed. Each order comes with a side of dipping sauce — roasted red salsa, spicy salsa or Caribbean curry mustard — for those who require an extra kick.

The rest of the menu riffs on the chicken theme. There are chicken wraps (Caribbean curry or the “deluxe,” a kind of dressed-up chicken burrito), chopped chicken bowls (Cuban or Mexican, served on rice, as well as a smaller bowl for kids) and chicken and rice soup.

STRICT VEGETARIANS NEED not despair: Chix offers a range of chicken-free dishes, among them a black bean hummus and veggie wrap, a Spanish salad with manchego cheese and a hearty organic lentil soup. Side dishes like black beans and rice, chickpea salad and roasted sweet potatoes suggest more than mere afterthought. The rare misfire is the noodles and cheese, proof that cheddar and vermicelli do not a delicious pairing make.

What heightens the pleasure of eating at Chix (besides the smug satisfaction you derive from going green in the process) is the visible enthusiasm and dedication of the owners, the boyfriend-and-girlfriend team of Victoria Garcia and Lukas Umana. Laboring merrily behind the counter, they’ll tell you which sauce complements which chicken recipe and extol the virtues of the natural fruit-infused waters and teas they sell.

In a way, Chix is foil to Ben’s Chili Bowl, the venerable U Street institution just a few blocks away. Ben’s has history; Chix looks to a future of greener, more sustainable consumption. Ben’s whisks you in and out in the time it takes to scarf down a chili dog; Chix treats you like family. At Ben’s, your eyes say “yes” but your stomach says “no”; Chix invites you to feel good about the food you eat.

Eating well costs less, too. For a half chicken, big enough for the hungriest eater, together with two sides and dipping sauce, Chix charges $11.99. All that’s missing is the healthful dessert.

Chix operates until 10 p.m. every day except Sunday and offers take-out and delivery.