Out Latin Food

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I go here for lunch from time to time. The lunch special is reasonable, coming in under eight bucks, and filling. I currently take a class twice a week after work, so I need a large lunch to sate my appetite. This works. I have yet to try the mexican offerings, but the latin lunch platter is pretty good. I suppose my taste buds are nostalgic for these flavors since leaving Washington Heights for Queens. Rice, beans, beef stew, hot sauce you can’t go wrong.

Los Portales

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Los Portales is a great Mexican place on Broadway near the train in Astoria. The cemitas and tortas are so good, and if its your first time ordering from here I have to recommend getting the suadero cemita. They marinate the meat for a long time, so its nice and tender. The suadero with avocado, rehydrated peppers and Mexican cheese between a seeded bun makes for a satisfactory sandwich. This is my favorite, but all the sandwiches are delicious.

Taco’s are good to order here as well. They have your typical choices of beef and chicken, but also have some other interesting options as well. You can order Lengua, tongue for non Spanish speakers such as my self, and pig ear are some interesting selections. I like the pig ear taco, and would recommend this to anyone feeling adventurous. Fried plantains are always enjoyable, and they cut them thick. The only thing I’m not a huge fan of would be the burrito, its good, but I think you’ll find the other menu items more to your liking. Beyond this, Los Portales is open well into the night, so its a perfect place to order from after 12.

La Palma

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La Palma Mexicatessen sits in the myriad blocks that make up the Mission District in San Francisco. My first time in SF, I’d heard over the years that the Mexican food in the Western part o f the Country is that much better. And while I can’t attest to that, and will likely never cede to this argument, La Palma would make a great case and point.

Wondering off the cool street into this Mexican Deli I was immediately aware of the vast array of authentic Mexican goods. Past the counter the back looks to stretch on forever, though it is limited by square footage I’m sure. The store not only sell tasty Mexican staples but also produces products on site. The most stand out would be the stacks of tortillas.

I ordered a couple of items after quickly deliberating. I decided I wanted a taco, and something I had yet to try. I went with the pupusa…. is this the same as the Salvadoran food that shares its name? I wondered… and then looked it up on Google… it is.

It took about ten minutes for my food to be prepared, I believe to prep the pupusa mostly. As I waited I noticed they also had an item that I probably would have ordered had I noticed. It was a torta, where the bun is submerged in salsa, giving it a completely red color. Pambazos its called, and I have to admit I had some degree of regret not ordering this, however, c’est la vie.

I finally got my order, and made way to the outdoor seating area. The pupusa was rich and delicious, and the taco with pork soaked in salsa, was milder, and the same. I’ll definitely be back.