April 23, 2011

Heart attack goodness on a plate...

I had this for lunch Friday afternoon from Max's Ricas in Lawrenceville. It is a Colombian restaurant with traditional Colombian fare.

The plate is a Bandeja Paisa, a very traditional large meal found throughout Colombia. While there are many regional variations, the true Bandeja Paisa was started in the paisa regions of Colombia, which traditionally encompasses the state of Antioquia (city of Medellin) and Valle de Cacua (city of Cali).

This particular bandeja was a regional variation. It had red beans (cooked with pork), rice, ChicharrĂ³n (fried pork rinds), Colombian chorizo, carne asada (marinated/grilled thin flank steak), fried plaintain (oh, so sweet and good!), an arepa (think of an unleavened biscuit), a nice big slice of avocado, all topped with a fried egg.

I washed it down with jugo de lulo (Lulo Juice). Lulo is a tropical fruit that I have never been able to find here because the restaurants buy them up so quickly. It is also known as a naranjilla in some areas. It has a sweet taste with a slightly tart aftertaste, and is very refreshing.

Bandeja Paisa has been featured on No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain recently. IF you get the opportunity, I would highly encourage you to try one. Max's Ricas in Lawrenceville and La Casona in Doraville are two very good, authentic Colombian restaurants. Also try the sancocho, which is available on the weekends. I will review sancocho next week.


April 02, 2011

Final Four Chicken Nachos

This was about as simple as it gets to make but it tasted like I slaved away all day on this dish. I diced up a couple organic chicken breasts and cooked them off with some green peppers, garlic, and taco seasoning. While that was going on I heated up a can of refried beans and brought the cement mixture to temperature. I then spread out a layer of Tostitos onto a cookie sheet and then topped them with cheese, the chicken mixture, and the refried beans. I then covered everything in more cheese and some fresh jalapenos. Bake until all the cheese has melted and the chips get super crispy. Finish with a little sour cream and some salsa and this dish is ready to be eaten.