La Caribeña (1704 S. Pearl St.) beckons diners to Latin American dining in an imaginative, casual setting. The menu of Puerto Rican, Colombian and Dominican food is served in an atmosphere resembling a Central American village reimagined as a nightclub.
Some booths resemble grass huts, while at least one has a wall equipped with aquaria where native fish swim. Latin rhythms fill the air, but the food is even more enticing than the music. Beef, chicken, pork, shrimp and fish can be had at most any type of ethnic eatery, but goat?
The chivo guisado is especially inviting. The Dominican stew features bone-in morsels of goat meat, some cut thin as fine brisket, simmering in their own slightly thickened, mildly spiced juices. Deliciously complementing the veggie-free concoction is a generous side of steamed cassava possessing a subtle, distinct flavor somewhere between white potato and turnip. A sprinkling of picked red onion rings add piquant crunch to the starchy side, rounding out a simple, soulfully hearty meal.
