1403 Maple Ave, Santa Rosa CA
(707) 544-3141
Parking: in parking lot
Last Visited: December 28, 2006
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$
I had never heard of a pupusa until recently. Working in a company with a lot of folks with Hispanic origin has allowed me to enjoy a number or new feasts for the eyes when it comes to the cafeteria and watching what everyone eats for lunch. It’s especially fun watching what everyone brings for potluck days. As you drive on Highway 12 from Farmers Lane towards Sebastopol, you’ll see the business off to the right side next to 7-Eleven. I knew I needed to stop in there one of these days, and having my coworker tell me what a pupusa is really made it that much more appealing.
A pupusa is often described as two corn tortillas sandwiched together and stuffed with pork, cheese, squash, beans, or the like. It has a comfort food feeling about it with the warm dough reminding me a lot of Chinese green onion pancakes, though less fried and not as glutinous.
When I arrived, I seated myself and was quickly brought a menu. The place is painted a bright blue with three booths with red benches on both sides of the restaurant. Tables fill in the center. Around the room, you see pictures of El Salvador. It’s a casual place, and from what I’ve heard, the owner used to make the same pupusas for her friends to eat and decided to start her own business. It’s great to know you’re supporting small business owners.
The waitress was friendly and asked me if I was ready to order and wanted anything to drink. Since I was waiting for friends, I told her I would have some water and wait to order. She was very kind, checking in on me until friends got there, and when we had questions about how we should order, she made recommendations about how many pupusas to get and that we should consider our empanada as dessert rather than a main dish.
Each item is plated separately, and she announced the food upon arrival. We were given salsa (in a container that you would normally see containing maple syrup) and a bowl of curtido to share. The curtido is pickled cabbage, carrots, and some chili flakes. It’s fairly mild in flavor. I started to think about how the curtido seems like a less spicy version of kim chee, though for the curtido, the cabbage is sliced thin.
- Pupusa Revuelta – Pork – This pupusa is filled with ground pork. It’s juicy on the inside, though not bursting, and is lightly grilled on the outside. Very good. $1.75
- Pupusas de Ayote con Queso – My coworker suggested I try this one out. It contains squash (zucchini perhaps?) which provides a nice texture contrast compared to the cheese with which it is paired. It’s got a slightly more al dente mouth feel than the pupusa revuelta. $1.75
I had originally ordered a pupusa containing rice and beans, but when I made the switch to the squash and cheese pupusa, the waitress smiled told me that this one was a better choice.
- Empanada Plantanos con Leche – This is a fried plantain with cream inside. It’s an interesting texture since the outside is crispy, then it’s softer, and the center is even softer. The cream was different than what I expected, but it wasn’t too sweet. Good. $1.50
The salsa helps flavor the pupusa and the curtido gives it a nice balance so that the grilled food is balanced with something vinegar in flavor. This is common in Asian cooking as well, not to mention German with their sauerkraut.
Prices at Pupusa Salvadorena are outrageously low. You can hear the making of the pupusas in the back from the sound of the dough being slapped between someone’s hands as it is formed. It’s home style cooking in a low key environment, and it’s comfort food. The simple menu provides some great treats. Check this place out.
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