My Salvadorean Valentine

We are not very big into the Valentine holiday (we can't even remember what we did last year! and remember one time spending Vday dinner going out for pizza with BK!) so instead of fighting the crowds for an expensive, rushed, and forced-romantic meal, we headed up the street to Mi Chalateca, a Salvadorean restaurant we've been wanting to try.

It was perfect for us! The restaurant has a big neon sign and looks like an old converted Denny's, and we settled ourselves into a little booth. To start, we ordered 2 pupusas (revuelta and chicken/cheese), and they came out pipin' hot. The slaw that came with it was tangy and spicy and a nice way to cut the heaviness of the pupusa. These were quite filling, and after eating them, I wasn't very hungry for my entree.

But, out came our entrees and they looked so good we had to eat a few bites at least. Scott ordered the Bistec Encebollado, and he seemed to like it. For me, I was deciding between the Sopa De Res and Molcajete, and ended up with the Molcajete becuase a) I figured I could bring home any leftovers and b) I'm a sucker for anything with Nopales in it. I think I made a wise decision because the Molcajete turned out to satisfy both A and B! My dish was ginormous! It was beautifully presented though - slices of carne asada, a big flap of Nopal, two generous slabs of avocado, some queso fresco and a hunk of chorizo all swimming in a fiery tomato sauce on a big stone Molcajete. If that wasn't enough, my dish also came with a side of beans, rice and homemade Salvadorean tortillas. It was all good (though the meat was a bit too salty) and I have lots of leftovers for lunch today.

We don't know too much about Salvadorean food, having only gone a few times with Patrick, but we definitely liked this place. Staff was friendly, the food came out really fast, and was priced well - our Valentine's Day meal totaled $35! Next time, though, we'll know to share an entree!