I dined tonight at El Pedragal Azteca, which is the closest thing anywhere in Ecuador has to an authentic Mexican restaurant.
´Twas pretty good--actual papel picado on the walls, tamarind juice on offer, and a fairly tasty bowl of tortilla soup.
And, for entertainment value, the proprietors had made an endearing but hilarious attempt to translate the menu into English for the gringo clientele. Allowing would-be parents to order the ¨plate of children¨, and giving the rest of us oh so many chances to enjoy the ¨tortillas crispies¨. Very many dishes came with tortillas crispìes.
In fact, each meal began with a free plate of tortillas crispies, with salsa. It was truly amazing how much these laborously hand made chips tasted like Fritos--exactly, positively, like Fritos. If they hadn´t looked as they did (first, they hand make the tortilla, then they cut it into random, jagged semi-rectangles, then they fry the living hell out of it and arrange it on a platter), I would have been fooled.
It´s a better option, anyway, than the Colombian cafe which seems to import actual, orange Doritos for their $1.25 guacamole platter.
Who´s taking me out for Mexican food when I get home?
An aquaintence said she found an awesome Mexican place in Seattle. If you aren't "Mexican food'ed out" by the time you get here, you've got a date.
ReplyDeleteGot plenty of Mexican food in San Diego! Maybe no "crispies" listed on the menus, though.
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