GOING BONANO'S YOU'D BE CRAZY TO PASS ON THE WOOD-FIRED ROTISSERIE CHICKEN AT NORTHRIDGE EATERY.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

ROTISSERIE cooking isn't easy.

It's a matter of timing as much as anything.

Sure, you need a good, tasty product to begin with, but the moment it's been cooked on the rotisserie past a certain point, dryness starts to set in.

Bonano's, a small Peruvian cafe in Northridge, has its chicken rotisserie cooking down pat.

Crispy skin, moist and delectable flesh with good flavor, is the consistent result.

Credit it to a wood-fired rotisserie oven that gives a slight hint of smokiness to the chicken, which is well-marinated before the flame hits it, another reason for its superior taste and texture.

And Bonano's price is right.

A whole chicken with two sides (we chose fries and salad) sells for $11.80; if you want to skip the sides and buy the chicken with tortillas and salsa, it's only $7.99. A quarter chicken with two sides is a mere $3.99.

Of course, this being a Peruvian kitchen, there are other chicken dishes ($7.99 each) on the menu like the expected saltado (strips sauteed with onions and tomatoes), tallarin (same as saltado with spaghetti added) and chaufa (Chinese-influenced mixture with rice, egg and green onions).

But my preference is the bright yellow shredded chicken dish called aji de gallina ($5.99) in a mildly spicy and nutty sauce mixed with potato and served with Bonano's excellent white rice.

Chicken, which is definitely the star here, comes as a most satisfying starter in Peruvian ``tamal'' form ($3.50), soft and moist, unwrapped, quite unlike Mexican tamales.

Incidentally, for those who seek ceviche and other traditional Peruvian seafood items, Bonano's only makes them available on weekends.

Forget the slightly chewy lomo saltado ($7.99) with beef strips. Of the beef opportunities, my recommendation is an appetizer, the ``antichucho de corazon'' plate ($6.99) of vinegared, tender, juicy, beef heart chunks on skewers delivered with potato and corn.

Deep bowls of steaming hot soup, both chicken and beef recipes, can be had here, with the most recommendable being ``sopa a la minuta'' ($4.99), with noodles, plenty of small pieces of beef and a milky broth.

However, it's lamb that wins a supporting role as one of the house specialties. Homey boiled lamb ($7.99) called ``seco de cordero'' provides a comforting winter dish, brought forth on the bone, generously portioned, topped with a cilantro sauce and accompanied by that fine white rice and simply cooked beans.

For finales, a chocolate flavored condensed milk creation titled ``suspiro la Limena'' ($2) provides an enjoyable sweet ending as does the orange-toned lucuma ice cream ($2.50), made with the unusual Peruvian lucuma fruit.

But remember, it would be criminal to visit Bonano's without trying its rotisserie chicken.

Believe me.

Larry Lipson, [phone]

larry.lipson(at)dailynews.com

BONANO'S CHICKEN

Food: Three stars - Service: Three stars

Where: 8363 Reseda Blvd., Northridge.

Hours: Open for lunch and dinner 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, for Peruvian breakfast-brunch 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday, for lunch and dinner 12:30 to 8 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday. .

Recommended items: Rotisserie chicken, skewered beef heart, tamal de pollo, aji de gallina, chicha morada (purple corn drink), helado de lucuma (ice cream).

How much: Starters from $3.50 to $8, entrees from $4 to $16, desserts $2 and $2.50. No alcohol. AE, MC, V.

Reservations: Not taken. First come, first served. Information and takeout orders: [phone].

CAPTION(S):

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Photo:

Dante Balarezo, owner of Bonano's Chicken in Northridge, shows off a whole rotisserie chicken with fries and a salad.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer