Don't pass up the papusas here
| Wednesday, Jun 10 2009 05:25 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Jun 10 2009 05:25 PM
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3819 Ming Ave.
835-7872
Hours: 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Prices: Breakfast $6.99-$12.99, house specialties $10.99-$12.99, seafood $10.99-$14.99, papusas $2.50, appetizers $1-$6.99, soups $9.99-$12.99. Child's plate not available.
Payment: MasterCard, VISA and American Express accepted. Does not accept Discover, personal checks or The Californian's Press Pass.
Dress: Casual.
Amenities: Wheelchair accessible; beer and wine served; some vegetarian options.
Food: HHH
Atmosphere: HHH
Service: HHH1/2
Value: HHH
Next week: Fred's Barbecue Factory
LOS CABOS THE PAPUSA HOUSE
Like Thai food before it, Salvadoran food is gradually expanding into the greater Bakersfield area. We've already written about the Happy Rooster, and now another papusa restaurant has located in the southwest, Los Cabos The Papusa House, on Ming Avenue in the shopping center with Office Max and Ross.
This is a keeper, folks, though I realize that a restaurant by the same name (same owners) has been open on the east side near Union Cemetery for some time. The food is solid, authentic, a decent value in these tough economic times and yet another restaurant in our fair city that doesn't just offer more of the same.
I sometimes feel foolish trying to explain Salvadoran food to people who think, oh, yeah, it's just like Mexican. To begin with, the papusa ($2.50) is the key difference. Think of it as a stuffed corn tortilla. I have long loved the simple bean and cheese variety, but at Los Cabos the stuffings include just cheese, ground pork, cheese and zucchini, just beans and pork rinds. That last one is the only disgusting one that I would refuse to eat. My companion ordered cheese with zucchini and it was marvelous, as was my bean and cheese, with some of the cheese leaking out and burning on the edges. Slightly burned cheese is a delicacy, I'm telling you.
Now, if you're not hungry you can order a couple of these and create your own personal tapas feast, or you can go to the rest of the menu, but it is my best advice not to go to a Salvadoran restaurant without ordering at least one papusa. On this visit we also ordered a chicken burrito ($5.99), the grilled shrimp ($10.99) and the onion chicken ($10.99). I know I just went on a rant about this being different than Mexican, but that large burrito had guacamole, still-crisp lettuce and salsa mixed in. It had a more startling contrast of textures than most burritos.
The chicken was saffron-yellow, and baked almost to the point of being too dry, but the mound of lightly-grilled onions on top (not quite caramelized) made up for anything.
Both my companion and I were entranced by the puddle of pureed black beans on our platters surrounded by a yellow rice that had small bits of carrot mixed in for flavor. Her six shrimp were butterflied and grilled in their shells with a sweet, nutty flavor. Simple, but I'd order them again. Both dinners were garnished with vegetables that included a lime wedge.
There's a six-stool bar near the door to the kitchen, and a lot of booths around the room, with two flat-screen TVs tuned to the NBA playoffs. Our metal knives and forks were wrapped in small white paper bags. One other note: they serve Coca-Cola bottled in Mexico, where it is still made with cane sugar and is superior to our variety.
Service at this family-run restaurant was friendly and efficient. They have that just-open, eager-to-please attitude.
