The Accidental Ecuadorian
This is basically what we live for. We tried to go to Mixteco on Ashland and Montrose, and they told us it was going to be a 40 minute wait. So we walked a few blocks over and decided to try a place we passed so many times before, Taqueria La Sierra.
This wonderful little joint offers Mexican and Ecuadorian food, and it’s pretty damn good. They start you off with some excellent homemade chips and spicy-ass salsa (hiccups inducing). To complement the chips, we ordered some guacamole, which came in a giant dish — very fresh, very room temperature, very good.
I ordered the short rib (never had it prepared Ecuadorian style) and it was phenomenal. Extremely soft and tender, the meat cut like butter. The spices and seasonings were not overwhelming, just enough to keep the flavor of the meat itself. I would totally recommend ordering this. When ordering the steak, you get a choice of them cooking it Mexican or Ecuadorian style. I don’t know what the difference is yet, but I know the Mexican comes with beans, rice, and a side of lettuce and tomatoes; same with the Ecuadorian minus the beans.
Lois went with an Ecuadorian meal too — the carne frita con maduros (aka fried steak with plantains). This meat was amazing — tender, thin and well seasoned. The plantains, which she had been anticipating were so-so…at least to her. Lois is a fan of the thinner, more crisp plantains and these were plenty fat and squishy, which could well be the way they’re intended to be cooked and Lois is too much of a Midwest heathen to understand. The meal also came with some great rice (who knows how they make white rice so tasty, but they do) and some lettuce and tomatoes.
We spent about $40 here (a splurge for us but well worth it) and went home happy that Mixteco didn’t have room for us. One side note, as others have mentioned, the service here is kind of slow — especially considering there were only two other tables in the place at the time — so if you’re looking for a quick bite, save La Sierra for another day.
