I want to like this place.  I'm a fan of Peruvian food, and was delighted when this place opened in Oakland back in 2009.  However, the disappointment I experienced during the first visit surged again during the visit today.\n\nBoth times I ordered the 1/4 chicken combo, which comes with two sides.  I don't recall the sides I ordered the first visit, but the ones today (the sweet potato fries and pinto beans) were the saving grace of the visit.  Fries were fresh and crispy (although somewhat less so by the time I got them back  to my office); pinto beans were well-seasoned and savory.\n\nBut the chicken, the main reason I went to AJ's?  In contrast to other reviewers' experience, the chicken was terribly dry and not particularly flavorful on both trips.  On my first visit in 2009, I chalked it up to the expected hiccups of a place that had just opened. Two years later, that excuse no longer holds any water.  The 1/4 chicken portion today was from a small bird, and composed of a wing and breast. Perhaps because of the small size, the little meat on the wing was so dry as to be crunchy...and not in a pleasurable way.  The skinny breast was also dry and fibrous.   My side order of aji pollero sauce, while piquant and delicious, could not save the chicken.  \n\nPerhaps there's something different about the chicken at lunch (left over from the day before?), but I'm not likely to rush back.  My last complaint about the place...again one that I initially chalked up to just-opened hiccups...is how long it took to get my order. Both times I was the only person there.  Both times it took 15-20 minutes to prepare my order.  Odd.\n\nTo avoid ending on a sour note, besides the delicious sides and aji pollero sauce, the other clear positive at AJ's are the employees, who were friendly and welcoming both visits. Makes it that much harder to leave this negative review....