El Salvador Restaurant is located in the shadows ofthe landmark St. Josaphat’s Basilica, in a building that once housed PolonezRestaurant. The interior has changed since then, featuring one front diningroom with tile floors and a large painting of street vendors. They are shownserving pupusas, which could be considered the national dish of El Salvador.
Pupusa is handmade corn cake with a filling in thecenter. It is round and about the size of a tortilla, but as thick as a sope.When prepared well, as they are at El Salvador Restaurant, they are a specialtreat. Every table with a first-time visitor should order a pupusa($1.99-$2.29), as this also includes curtido, a cabbage slaw with carrot, driedred chiles and marinated onion. Cabbage and radishes appear frequently.
The menu is filled with other Salvadoran specialtiesas well. Many have Mexican-sounding names such as carne asada and chicharrón,but the preparation can be quite different here. You’ll also find a pagedevoted to Mexican fare, but those options can be found at dozens of nearbyrestaurants.
Diners first receive a basket of tortilla chips andgood red salsa, mostly tomato with some onion and just enough chile pepper. Itwould be perfectly acceptable at a Mexican restaurant.
Chicharrón, minced pork that is nearly as spicy aschorizo but nowhere near as fatty, is one of the starters. In Mexico,chicharrón usually refers to pork rindsnot the case here. A vegetarian one isfilled with mild cheese and locoro, a flower bud said to be similar to a squashblossom. It is finely minced. Another decent starter is pasteles. The pastelescon pollo ($4) are like small empanadas, pastries filled with mildly spicedchicken. The serving of three means there is enough to share. Anothervegetarian starter is the tamale with elote ($1.99), fresh kernels of corn thatare mixed with masa dough before steaming. The tamale is a tad sweet and servedwith crema.
The entrees are about half meat and half seafood, sovegetarians will have to settle for pupusas and a few side dishes. The El Salvadorspecialties are listed prominently. Salpicon con carne de res ($8.95) isminced, cooked beef served at room temperature. It is mildly spiced andprepared with onion. What appears to be cilantro is actually mint that providesa flavor with hints of Southeast Asia. It isserved with casamiento, rice with red beans, plus a simple salad with a wedgeof lime. This comes with a side of tortillas that are made here. The tortillasare thicker than their Mexican counterparts and have a wonderful corn flavor,just like the pupusas.
Yuca con chicharrón ($8.95) is diced pork servedover yuca mixed with curtido. The pork, quite unlike the pupusa filling, isfried to a crisp and crunchy to the bite. The yuca, also called cassava, is aroot tuber very similar to white potato. It is more starch than flavor, but itworks as a counterpoint to the chicharrón. Sprigs of watercress top the dish.
Carne asada ($8.95) in Mexico would be small slices ofbeef that have been marinated and grilled. Here it is a large piece of skirtsteak with little hint of any marinade. It is also on the tough sidea raredisappointment on this menu. The Mexican portion of the menu contains tacoswith carne asada (with Mexican-style tortillas). The carne asada is obviouslymarinated and the meat is chopped, making this an excellent item to order.
All entrees arrive with squeeze bottles of salsa.Both are mild: The green salsa is made of tomatillos, while the Salvadoran redsalsa is made with tomato herbs and olive oil.
The setting is very casual and the music can beloud. There is no bar in this tiny place, but Central American beers andmargaritas are available. The friendly and helpful wait staff seems to enjoyseeing new customers enjoy their homeland favorites.
El Salvador Restaurant
2316 S. Sixth St.
(414) 645-1768
$-$$
Credit Cards: All Major
Smoke-Free
