FIRST TIME VISIT!
So…read morea friend and I decided to try this place out for the very first time. I LOVE Latin flavors so I was very excited to try some comida Nicaragüense.
THE SPACE: The location is in a very small strip mall. Finding parking right up front wasn't an issue. From the outside, it looks like we are about to experience something very authentic! Iykyk! From the inside, I KNEW I was going to get some genuine Nicaraguan food and drink. This place is very hole-in-the-wall, and may even be family run. A small child ran out from the kitchen area and sat herself at our table for like 20 mins.
THE MENU: yielded a selection of foods that I was familiar with and dishes and beverages that I had never heard of. Fun!!! The server did not speak ANY English. Not a big problem for me, I speak Spanish well enough to get me some grub, but my friend struggled some. So heads up to you non-Spanish speakers! Luckily the menu has many pictures, so as long as you don't have questions or concerns about an item, pointing should get food on your table and in your belly.
THE FOOD: I opted to order some Papas Rellenas to start us off. I'm very familiar with the Cuban version, so I was curious. They were out. I order a nacatamal for my friend to try. I already know the texture is squishy, as it is much like a salvadorean nacatamal, which isn't my fave, but my friend enjoyed it. She broke it up before I had a chance to photograph it whole, but I love when a tamal is steamed in banana leaves.
I asked to order the drink called semillas de jicaro. Sounded a lot like a salvadorean horchata, which I love. They were out. Ugh. The server talks me into ordering the arroz con piña. It is NOT what I was expecting. Tastes nothing like pineapple, in fact it tastes like watered down fresh strawberry water, is even colored pink! and not very sweet, COOKED rice at the bottom and a tiny bit thick, might be from the starch of the rice. Wasn't BAD, just not what I was expecting. I really wanted to try another beverage but our server didn't come back for a while. Which was fine, didn't really want to spend another $7 on a drink... a non-alcoholic one at that.
I ordered the cerda frita for my meal. Large strips of pork that tasted like it was marinated in something acidic like vinegar or citrus. Lots of fat but I didn't care, I sliced right into it. Lol! It wasn't very flavorful. The fried cheese was good and I wish I had noticed that I could have ordered bananas cooked a different style. I also wished I'd noticed MUCH earlier that my meal came without the rice and beans it was supposed to. I would've been much happier as my meal would've been much more balanced. Another bummer is that our server brought out one dish every 10 minutes or so which was kind of inconvenient as we weren't able to eat our meal at the same time.
OVERALL: I don't regret the experience, but I wish I was a lot more impressed with the service and items I ordered. If you're curious, try it for yourself and hopefully they'll knock it out of the park for you.