Always Read the Walls Before Ordering

If you ask someone what to order at Slavko’s Harbor Poultry, they might think it’s the setup for a joke. We are talking about a restaurant with a giant chicken on the roof and a smaller one on the weather vane, either of which might be presumed to answer all questions regarding the specialty of the house.

And indeed, Slavko’s is best known for chicken, either rotisserie or fried. Order chicken and potatoes along with some macaroni salad and you’ve probably duplicated the order of the last five people who came in and the next five who are in line behind you. I tend to get the fried rather than rotisserie unless I’m in a hurry. They fry to order and it can take 15 to 20 minutes to be served during busy hours. I prefer to dine in because I want to enjoy that seasoned crust at the peak of freshness. While waiting, I’ll spend a few minutes looking at their old pictures of San Pedro before settling in at one of the worn but clean booths. Once the chicken arrives I am faced with a situation that tries my patience: I’ll burn my fingers and tongue if I try to dig in too soon. I could start by eating the coleslaw that I get on the side, but I’ll need that to cool things down when I succumb to impatience, which I always do.

For those who tire of chicken (hey, it could happen), or crave other experiences, there are other options. The braised pork ribs are very tender, but rather mildly seasoned. If you like peppery spices and hanker for a culinary connection to local culture, you should try the cevapcici.

There are endless varieties of this casing-free sausage across the Balkan region. The version here is made with a mixture of beef and pork as well as a healthy shot of garlic, pepper and herbs. Think of gyros or an exuberantly spiced meatloaf that is pan-fried and you’re in the ballpark. They serve the meat on top of a substantial heap of breaded and deep-fried potatoes with raw onions, pieces of thick flatbread and a spicy red pepper sauce. The portion is so sufficiently filling that even people who don’t usually hibernate after meals may feel inclined to do so.

The cevapcici is available with no notice, but the most interesting items Slavko’s serves require you to order as much as a day in advance. They offer duck, goose and quail, but another item grabbed my attention: whole rabbit that is first marinated, then pan-browned, coated in seasoned breadcrumbs, moist braised and then baked. It’s a lot of trouble to go through but it’s necessary because rabbit is an extremely lean meat, and low-fat meats get tough when cooked quickly. The moist braising infuses the meat so it’s extremely tender and flavorful, and the final bake toasts the breadcrumb crust to perfection.

Rabbit meat is often compared to chicken breast, which is inevitable because every unusual pale meat, including rattlesnake and iguana, gets that comparison. There is a difference that you can see when you have both at the same meal: the rabbit has a finer grain and is as moist but less greasy. One thing to note is that Slavko’s includes some of the organ meats, like the heart and the liver. Depending on your preference, you can fight over these or avoid them. My wife and I like the richer-flavored dark meats and split these, while others at the table are happy that there’s more of the white meat for them. A note for those with children or childlike adults: there are four drumsticks, so you don’t have to race for those.

A whole bunny runs $34.50 and feeds  four to six people, and it’s a remarkable deal for an unusual meal. It pairs well with merlots and other medium-body, low-tannin red wines, and Slavko’s sells some Croatian reds that would probably do the job nicely.

The all-American fried chicken is what made them famous. But the more arcane items on Slavko’s menu are a link to another era when many restaurants in town featured food from coastal Croatia. If you have a large group you could order a picnic that offers the best of both worlds and celebrate cultural diversity through finger foods, but be sure to have lots of napkins handy.

Slavko’s is at 1224 S. Pacific Ave. in San Pedro. It is open from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sundays, closed on Mondays. Wine and beer are served; dine-in or take out.

Details: (310) 832-5723