Now, if only they tasted like chocolate...

Meet the Marans chicken, an uncommon European breed, named for the town in France in which it was developed. And now...

Meet its embryo.

That's right, the Marans chicken lays chocolate eggs. They vary in shade, from milk chocolate to dark, but are always some glossy shade of our favorite treat. Of course, they still taste like eggs, so the Cadbury bunny doesn't need to worry about finding a new job yet, but c'mon. Chocolate eggs. How cool is that?

This got me thinking--are the Marans chicken and Easter candy related in some way? The candy chocolate egg did originate in Europe, so...did someone see a glossy chocolate Marans egg and think, hey, I could do that with real candy? Or was the Marans bred to create a living imitation of a tasty chocolate craze?

In other words, what came first...the Marans chicken, or the Easter egg?

Jacquelyn Sylvan is the author of Surviving Serendipity, a YA fantasy novel. Click below to buy on Amazon!

El Pollo Rico

Going to El Pollo Rico with my friend E made it obvious that sometime soon--VERY soon--we need to have an Orange Line Chicken Showdown between El Pollo Rico, Pio Pio, and that place that smells ridiculously delicious across from the Ballston mall parking deck.

The menu at EPR is easy, just decide if you want a quarter, half, or a whole chicken. Or two. Accompanied by a seasoned pro, I ordered the quarter chicken "with everything" and got a can (yes!) of CAFFEINE FREE Diet Coke, which you usually just don't find anywhere. The Everything included really delicious and HOT steak fries, a pile of coleslaw, and two sauces--one mayonnaise-based and one that was green and spicy.

My chicken was flavorful and delicious--I'm not the biggest fan of bones and all, so in a perfect world someone else would deconstruct for my leisurely consumption, but I was mentally prepared to go the distance, and I did.

My can of soda, quarter of a chicken, fries, and coleslaw cost a grand total of...$5.45. Right. And I was so full after (seeing as I had cleaned my plate), that I barely even wanted any dessert later! What kind of crazy is that?

By the time we left EPR, the line was out the door. 1/3 of the line was made up of Arlington County police offers. EPR is fast, cheap, delicious, and safe, too!

I had an allergic reaction last week and didn't want to report on my latest adventure until it was figured out--luckily, it wasn't anything I ate at Liberty Tavern. That review, as well as Restaurant 3, is coming up soon!

El Pollo Rico
932 N. Kenmore Street (Across from GMU Law)
Metro: Orange Line to Virginia Square