We had dinner this evening with my in-laws, grand mom and stepdaughter at Gloria’s to celebrate my Mother-in-Law’s birthday.
I always enjoy seeing the family, and this evening was no exception.
My wife had spent the day with her mother whom appeared to have had a great time and was quite happy - and was equally thrilled with the end-of-meal “Happy Birthday” song from all the staff at Gloria’s (plus a kiss on the cheek from our waiter I might add 
) and the World Famous Chocolate Flan complete with birthday candle probably didn’t go astray either.
For those of you unfamiliar with Gloria’s, they specialize in Salvadorian food (with secondary Tex-Mex fallback just incase you turn your nose up at the principal offerings).
Being my first real exposure to Salvadorian fare, I opted for the Gloria’s Super Special: a sample platter of their “para empezar” (appetizers), which were perfect for me because I enjoy exploring new flavors when possible.
Including:
- Chicken Tamale: I have certainly had tamales before. This was quite good. I enjoyed that the casing for the chicken was significantly less firm that I have experienced in the past (almost Jell-O-like), and very tasty.
- Cheese Pupusa: Which is a hand-made tortilla stuffed with cheese. I expected not to like this, but it was more tasty than I thought it would be though still a little bland. They have pork as well as pork and cheese variations that I am sure would have much more flavor.
- Fried Yuca: I have never had Yuca before, and it tasted similar to fried potato. Quite good.
- Fried Plantain: Surprisingly, these had much more flavor (and color) than I was expecting. Quite rich and quite tasty.
I had a great time with the new tastes. However, I was most impressed with the samples of outside skirt steak that I got to taste from my mother-in-law’s order (Churrasco Tipico, if I remember correctly). That, dipped in the side of Chimichurri Sauce sent waves of pleasure from my taste buds to my brain.
What a wonderful way to spend an evening, with family, exploring new foods.
Thanks for stopping by and remember: You’re driving a car. It isn’t a telephone booth, a beauty parlor or a restaurant.
Comments
Ooo! Pupusa’s. Mmmmm. The tortilla should be VERY thick and almost bread-y. Did you like it? The pork ones are different because the filling is more like pork rinds than shredded meat. Well, traditionally anyways.
And the casing on the outside of a tamale is called masa. But the jell-o like description makes me nervous.
I think the skirt steak was the outstanding menu item. And even though I was up until 2 because of the spices, it was a fun meal. and don’t forget the mango marguerita, yummm (wait..was that Rachel!?) The flan was delicioso. and the waiter who gave me the kiss was cute, too. 4 stars out of five. lol
Kelly (Crickie): The tortilla was quite thick and looked significantly bread-y, which was why I was very hesitant about the whole thing, but upon tasting, I didn’t feel the need to be sick. In fact, it wasn’t half bad. Whaddaya know! Huh. The pork ones are more like pork rinds??? Oh my, I may need to make a special re-visit Glorias!
I’ve heard from Anthony Bordain twice now, that anything jello-like (besides, well, jello, I am guessing), in texture scares Americans away. Heh. It was actually quite good and I found the texture pleasing.
Mom: Definitely, the skirt steak. If I end up there again, that’s what I am ordering. Though, apparently, according to Crickie, the pork pupusa’s filling is similar to pork rinds… which has got me curious to try that as well.
I never did try the mango margherita, which has me stumped as to why I didn’t, as I love both mangoes and margheritas. Hmph!
You’ve received your first Rachel Ray warning. Be careful…..