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| - Wow, not what we were expecting at all. But that's a good thing. The restaurant would qualify as a "Dive" in most circles, a tiny 20 seat affair with recycled refer units as cabinets located in the corner of a strip mall with a 99 cent store and a BigLots. Not exactly a high-end neighborhood.
But after having heard of this little cafe in The New Times and finding that Phoenix Magazine rated their Ceviche and Shrimp salad as one of the Valley's top 50 dishes, we decided that we must give it a try! The article in New Times raved about something called a Pupusa and description sounded familiar, once we were there I realized why.
Every culture on earth seems to have developed some form of stuffed hand pie. You know the formula, a regional bread or pastry dough, formed into a pocket and stuffed with savory or sweet fillings. Food on the go. Well in El Salvador it's called a Pupusa, and they were delicious!
A kind of thick corn tortilla type bread, filled with several different types of fillings, pork and cheese, beans, chicken and cheese, beef and cheese or beef, bean and cheese.
Now this is NOT your typical Arizona/Mexican food. The cheese is a freshly made cheese that is a Salvadoran tradition and is one of the best fresh cheeses I have ever had, smooth and soft yet very flavourful. The tortilla is not what you might be used to either, they are corn tortillas but they are not the course chip like corn tortillas so prevalent in Americanized Hispanic foods. They are thick, soft and delicious. It is this tortilla that is the basis of their Pupusas.
Don't expect to find the standard "Mexican Restaurant" re-fried beans here either. Spicy, flavourful and smooth, having been mashed right after cooking, they are among the best example of simple yet wonderful tastes you will experience here.
We had some of all of the different Pupusas offered on the menu which are priced very reasonable indeed, and were impressed with all of them, though the pork and cheese and the bean were my personal favorites.
We also had a corn tamale that was sweet and moist and tasty, rolled in a banana leaf instead of the corn husk we are used to. Perhaps that is why it was so much more moist than your average corn tamale.
To finish off our repast we enjoyed the fried plantains, actually an appetizer on the menu, they were crispy on the outside and starchy and tasty inside. Served with freshly made salsa and the Salvadoran version of Crème Fraîche that was also a hit.
The owner was our server and I am still not sure she spoke much English, but she was very nice to us and the orders were always right. As well as very very hot! I had to let my Pupusas sit a few minutes before they were cool enough to consume, and a word of warning, Plantains retain heat even better than potatoes do so proceed carefully.
As I've said the Ceviche and Shrimp salad is an award winner and the Carne Asada that the folks at the next table had ordered looked delicious. However I could not ask their opinion as they did not seem to speak English either and my Spanish is worse than terrible. But they seemed to be enjoying it, I'll give it a try next time.
They serve breakfast too and I can hardly wait to give that a try as well.
Stop in, you'll be glad you did.
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