I heard from hearsay around the house (my mom) that this blog re comments is beginning to be treated like a bulletin board.
Anyway...Just because some well known people admire a restaurant doesn't mean its good. But if a writer likes it, I'll take their word for it--as I'm a writer myself.
The chicken sounds good, but the atmosphere seems unappetizing.

That article is just so, so funny. Like the Lesser Times' Hot Properties column stretched to two pages. All those quoted should be put on a Scientology bus and go on a field trip to a McDonald's down the street.

As for the chicken, at Zankou for $4.50 or so you get two dark pieces. White meat is probably over $5 after tax. The hummous and garlic paste aren't that bad but I wouldn't drive out of my way for them. If you want lettuce instead of pickles, but you do want chiles, they'll usually skip the chiles. So, you have to tell them to give you lettuce too if you want chiles.

On the other hand, at Sevan Chicken, for $5.50 after tax you get one half of a chicken, a very large amount of rice, hummous, garlic sauce, pita(s), and sometimes they throw in some pickles. They only have pepperocinis, not the same type of chiles at Zankou. But, the darn thing weighs about 2 pounds for only a dollar more than at Z.

But let's hear what Gawker thinks of that chicken. Maybe that it's made with too much wicker.

My own comments (which somewhat mirror Kevin's) on the article can be found where the real experts weigh in:

http://www.chowhound.com/california/boards/losangeles/losangeles.html

Of the places mentioned, a few I haven't been to, one caters to hipsters with food at twice the price of what it should be, and the rest are very good and (perhaps not coincidentally) very well known. The places themselves might be a good intro to a certain part of LA ethnic dining to NY'ers... unfortunately the rest of it feeds right into the stereotypes that NY'ers just love to hear...

"It's fun to eat without pretensions in a city that has so many," Jeffrey Lieber, 34, a screenwriter said. "It's a relief: no valet parking, no dress code," adding, "and a Slurpee 15 steps away."

It would probably be even more pleasant without the company of so many "cool" people!

The NYT story forgets Zankou's recent, and ultimate L.A.-style, claim to fame: The murder-suicide involving the restaurant's founder.
Meanwhile, everyone always quotes Beck's Zankou namecheck in "Debra," but they never mention that the singer/songwriter actually plans to take Debra's sister Jenny to Glendale, "for a real good meal."
I've been trying to figure out for years where he's going. Dinah's Chicken? Max's? California Pizza Kitchen?

If Beck's going to Glendale for a real good meal, he could actually be going to the Zankou on Colorado.

Well, Lonewacko's entitled to his opinion, but I'd go out of my way for the garlic sauce at Zankou's -- and have!

I was just glad they also featured Alegria, though for some reason Zankou captured everyone's imagination--I suppose because of that so fake white garlic sauce. You can do garlic at HOME, people. Just crush it up. Alegria, however, has bona fide Mexico City cuisine.

Umm this discussion is gay.

Gay or not, Zankou IS good and I WOULD drive out of my way for the garlic paste. Alegria,however, I would NOT. I found it to be overpriced and only mediocre (sp?).