A friend indeed

Authentic tastes of El Salvador at El Amigo

by SARAH MUSGRAVE

These days, Little Italy could just as well be known as Little Latinoville. Central and South American restaurants abound, catering to a growing community that expects nothing short of authentic homestyle food at modest prices. Ranking high among local eateries, El Amigo is a casual corner diner decorated in just about every shade of green imaginable. The food is far more colourful--in fact, the photos on the menu look just like what you get: great heaping platters of Hispanic favourites. The cuisine of El Salvador is the focus, but the menu extends through Central America and all the way to Spain.

There's enough variety on each plate to make appetizers unnecessary, but we really wanted to try pupusas. This Central American snack food is made of white corn flour hand-shaped into pancakes that are fried on the grill with various fillings like pork, beans and cheese. They're served with a big glass jar of pickled cabbage and a bottle of tangy salsa. From the four choices on offer, we ordered one with the works--pork, chicken and beans ($1.40) and another with plantains and cream ($4.95). The first had a very homemade, almost earthy flavour, if a little oily and heavy on the salt. The other turned out to be two intertwined plantains with beautifully blackened exteriors, accompanied by a large dollop of sour cream--no pancake in sight. The plantains were luscious. Slightly sweet, soothing and with a soft plump texture, they made an exquisite counterbalance to the heavier flavouring of some of the other dishes.

We also sampled a chicken tamale ($1.75), which arrived in a collapsed heap but tasted deliciously complex--dense but fluffy, spicy but creamy, familiar but foreign. There was a faint hint of jalapeños in the stuffing and the golden exterior was striated with a slightly sharp melted cheese.

Carne asada (grilled beef) is the centrepiece of two of the very manly Salvadorian house specialties. The plato tipico number two ($11.95) consisted of strips of pleasantly salty beef, broth-simmered rice topped with chorizo sausage, fresh tomato and onion salsa, a salad brimming with avocado slices, a pool of black beans and a chunk of feta-like cheese that tasted as mild as curds. The whole platter was a sight to behold.

Another house dish is pollo encebollado, a chicken leg topped with a tangy tomato sauce chock-full of translucent onion slices ($9.95). The meat was tender, the skin almost crispy. At first I tried to keep the various items on the plate separate, but the creamy salad dressing soon crept into the refried beans and the tomato sauce began to take over the rice where a few avocado slices had gotten lost. The resulting mix of flavours was just as fantastic as each of the elements on their own. The main courses were also served with tortillas, which we barely even looked at, except to ascertain that they were freshly made.

Other enticing items on the menu include seafood paella and other Spanish-style casseroles as well as a number of traditional Mexican dishes, including tacos, burritos and enchiladas, all under $10. Boiled or fired yucca root (also known as cassava) is also available.

First-time visitors should be aware that El Amigo is entirely non-smoking. The service is extremely friendly, although the waitress brought one main course before the appetizers, so that we soon had a table overflowing with a daunting amount food. You can always take a break and read a Spanish poem about friendship printed on green paper underneath the plastic tablecloths. Or just be a good friend by taking someone you care about here.

El Amigo

Address: 51 St-Zotique E.

Telephone: 278-4579

Hours: 11am-11pm every day

Best Features: enormous portions, authentic tastes

Vegetarian friendly: so-so

Wheelchair access: two steps up

Alcohol: yes

Credit cards: yes

Price: $14/person without tax, drinks or tip

Rating: HHH 1/2 out of HHHH