The place wasn’t full, but it wasn’t empty either considering it was Tuesday around 1 o’clock. All the customers were eating lunch solo and some people were waiting for their orders to go. The restaurant is small and there are only about 10 tables in the room.

The combo meals come with a drink, biscuit, side order and sliced pickles on the side. The options for combo meals range from a two-piece meal, a side order and a biscuit to a chicken sandwich with fries. You can also select the large fries and large drink with the combo meal for an extra 99 cents. The prices for the combo meals are decent, the most affordable is about $4 and it goes up to $13.99, depending on what you choose.

The restaurant also offers “Meal Deals” which consist of options like four-piece or eight-piece meals with side dishes and biscuits.

Side dishes include fries, potato salad, macaroni salad, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, red beans and rice, greens and mashed potatoes. Their biscuits didn’t seem like typical biscuits to me. They tasted like corn bread. The tops of the biscuits were crunchy, yet the inside was soft, chewy and very satisfying.

They also offer salads, garden salads and chicken salads.

My friend and I decided to get a two-piece combo meal. I ordered fries as my side and my friend decided on the potato salad. The fries are good. They looked and tasted seasoned, with black pepper perhaps. It gave them a nice twist in flavor. My friend enjoyed the potato salad, he said it tasted fresh and was not too heavy.

The chicken was also good. I’m not big on fried chicken and I don’t eat it very often. In fact, I can’t remember when the last time I had eaten fried chicken was before trying this place.

However, I was pleased with Golden Bird. The chicken was very crispy, yet it didn’t seem to be coated with too much flower, which I think was a plus since fried chicken is not exactly a heart-healthy choice. I will admit it was greasy, but again, that is expected from fried chicken, right?

This place has a wide selection of drinks, too. Aside from the typical Coke, Diet Coke and Sprite, I found it interesting they offered drinks from other countries as well. Among these drinks I noticed a cream soda called Reggae Style from Jamaica, fruit punch also of the same brand and a Salvadorian soda called Kolashampan.

They also carry a wide variety of desserts. In the refrigerated section where the drinks were, I noticed small cakes like red velvet, German chocolate and lemon cake. In their non-refrigerated section, on a plastic case on top of the counter I saw all kinds of pies, pecan pie, walnut, lemon cheesecake, lemon coconut pie and pumpkin pie. I’m a big fan of pumpkin pie so that’s what I chose. It had a nice homemade taste that I really liked.

Overall, this place was good. I enjoyed my lunch and especially enjoyed seeing the wide variety of drinks and desserts they had. The desserts alone are worth checking this place out. Clearly, a fried chicken joint isn’t the healthiest option, but if you’re looking to indulge in warm, seasoned fries, crispy chicken and rich desserts, Golden Bird may just be the place to go to!

This dish was called Lomo Saltado. The meat was little strips of rib eye steak served with onions, tomatoes and french fries, also served with white rice. Photo Credit: Geraldine Marquez / Staff Reporter

Coming from a Hispanic background I’m always excited to try food from other Latin American countries. I had only tried Peruvian food one other time, and that was on one of my trips to San Francisco.

Turns out it was a great experience because I loved the food. I didn’t know of many Peruvian restaurants nearby, so I jumped at the chance of trying out Puro Sabor, a local Peruvian bistro.

Puro Sabor is located in Van Nuys on Van Nuys Blvd., right off the 101-north freeway. It’s on a busy street, which made it hard to find parking in front of the restaurant, so I decided to drive around the back to see if it had a parking lot; it did.

I entered through the back door and walked down a short hallway where I was greeted by the owner, a friendly man who quickly let my party know we could sit anywhere we liked.

It was a Saturday afternoon and the place wasn’t too busy, there were only two other families eating there. However, the place seemed nice, not too small but not big either.

All the tables were clean and there was good Spanish music playing.

The menu has a wide variety of selections available. There were appetizers, soups, chicken, steaks, seafood, shrimps, ceviches, and saltados.

The drinks consist of fountain drinks and a popular Peruvian drink called Chicha Morada, which is a juice made from purple corn. They don’t offer any alcoholic beverages.

When we were seated we were given menus right away and before we were ready to order, we were brought out bread and butter.

I was with two other people, so we made sure we each ordered something different. We ordered the Lomo Saltado which is strips of rib eye steak marinated in onions, tomatoes, and French fries, the Lomo Saltado Puro Sabor which came with rib eye steak, chicken, and shrimp which was also marinated with onions, tomatoes, and French fries, and the Pechuga de Pollo a la Parrilla (grilled chicken breast) which was served over a bed of lettuce, tomatoes, and olive-oil-drizzled avocadoes.

Each of these dishes was also served with white rice.

Most of the items on the menu range from about $9 to $25.

We were surprised and pleased to see how quickly the server (which was the owner himself) brought out our food, perhaps because there weren’t many clients in there.

Nonetheless, we were all happy with our food. The meats were tasty, well marinated and it was interesting to see that the saltados were cooked with French fries; it gave the food an interesting look. The portions were generous and the taste was great.

Another thing that made the restaurant eye-catchy and interesting were the pictures hanging on the walls of the restaurant. They all revolved around popular Peruvian sites, like Machu Picchu, a well-known symbol of the Inca Empire.

I also noticed that the sign at the front of the restaurant was red with white, bold letters, which are the colors of the Peruvian flag.

I would absolutely recommend Puro Sabor to other friends and family.

The experience was great and it reminded me how much I liked Peruvian food. The broad selection of food has something to satisfy anyone and I felt like it had a homemade taste to it, which is always nice. I think others will be happy with the service, like we were.

It was nice to see that once we were leaving, the owner asked us if we liked the food. It’s not everyday you leave a restaurant and are asked if the food was to your liking. Overall I was content with my experience at Puro Sabor and would recommend it.

Bistro Provence's sea bass entree, though artfully presented, left the palate wanting more. Photo Credit: Alexandra Brell / Staff Reporter

In a strip mall off the 134 highway, nestled between a nail salon and a dry cleaner, is Bistro Provence, a quaint restaurant that claims to specialize in the foods from the French Provence region.

I have never been to the south of France, but I am confident the food does not taste like what is served at Bistro. If so, the French must be starving.

I invited a friend to have dinner with me; we both were looking forward to the experience. I ate lightly that day in anticipation of a pre-meditated pig-out; I was ready.
When we arrived to the warm and inviting restaurant, we were the only two patrons. There was no need for the reservation I made earlier that day (In all fairness, it was in the middle of the horrific storms Los Angeles experienced a few weeks ago).

The menu was a three-course, prix fixe (French for “fixed price” for a multi-course meal. This is common in Europe as well as at stateside European establishments).

We began with two appetizers. The first seemed full of promise: mushroom ravioli with shrimp, spinach, leeks and porcini sauce. The ravioli was not bad and the sauce had a decent flavor at first, but it was thick and heavy. As it cooled, it became gelatinous. The two small shrimp the dish included were tough and did not have a lot of flavor.

The second appetizer left me speechless: Roasted beet Napoleon with herbed goat cheese, toasted almond, yellow frisée. I’m a big vegetable fan. I love all of them; especially roasted, root vegetables. I adore cheese; can’t live without it. Unfortunately, I can live without ever eating this particular salad again.

The presentation was odd: three dark burgundy beet slices, layered with pink goat cheese with yellow frisse tossed around the plate. The beets may have been from a can; they were not fleshy like a roasted vegetable.

The goat cheese was mixed with beet juice, giving it the unappetizing pink hue. The consistency was that of light whipped cream cheese and with much less flavor. Goat cheese, in its original state, is not whipped nor pink, but white and crumbly, yet malleable. This didn’t fit the bill.

My friend chose the bouillabaisse- scallops, sea bass, clams, shrimp, and mussels in a lobster broth. This wasn’t the best I had ever tasted but certainly wasn’t the worst. The broth was flavorful and the scallops were surprisingly tender. It looked good on arrival and tasted OK.

Per the waiter’s suggestion, I ordered the  sea bass roulade, crab, burnoise vegetable, fennel, zucchini and orange sauce (“I eat it, like, four times a week,” he said). When he brought it to the table, I was thrilled. It looked great: two large portions of fish with a big pile of steaming vegetables. The bass appeared to have been sauteed as the outside was golden.

I took one bite and was not thrilled. Hoping that my taste buds were being uncooperative, I tried it again. The bass was rubbery and didn’t seem fresh. The lobster, or maybe it was the crab, had a fishy taste to it and could have been from a can as well.

When I asked the waiter if the sea bass was fresh, he said it could not be more than “two or three days old.” Fish is best when it is only a day, maybe two days old. This is what history has taught me.

In addition, it was saltier than movie theater popcorn, beyond salty.

I sent it back and the waiter kindly removed the charge from our bill. It was then that he came clean and said that the assistant chef was at the helm that evening. Truly, it may as well have been the bartender cooking blindfolded.

My friend and I laughed at our poor misfortune and thought that salvation may come with dessert. No such luck. The chocolate cake couldn’t even pass for a tasty store-bought version and the crème brûlée was flavorless.

There is a bright spot. If a person is willing to pay $32.50 for nicely toasted, chewy, crusty bread with butter, this is the place. No reservation needed.

Patrons can order their meat and cook it to their liking, all while sitting at the table. BBQ sliced spencer steak, BBQ chicken, and BBQ shortribs are seen here. Photo Credit: Stephanie Bermudec / Staff Reporter

For any avid Korean BBQ-er,   Soot Bull Jeep may just be the best place to go. Located in the heart of Korea Town, you will leave Soot Bull Jeep wanting more, in a good way.

After driving a good 10 minutes off the 101 Vermont exit, I finally found W. 8th Street. On my left side I couldn’t miss the huge Soot Bull Jeep sign written in big black Korean letters and in English underneath. Simple, yet catchy.

I parked in the lot right next to the building that was designated only for Soot Bull Jeep customers.

It was a Saturday afternoon and the place was practically empty. Upon entering I quickly noticed that every table had a built in charcoal grill.

The tables consisted mainly of four place settings, but since we were a party of five, we were given a larger table that sat eight people. The good thing was it had two grills so we all had ample cooking space.

The beverage options were very limited, only offering three soft drinks and five beers. The entrée selection, however, was full of different choices all of which were some kind of BBQ meat.

This included short ribs, different types of steak, tongue, pork, chicken, squid, eel, and shrimp.

Before we even ordered the waitress brought us side dishes, also called banchan. Some of the side dishes consisted of vegetables, glass noodles, a cold vegetable soup, garlic, lettuce pieces, and different pastes for dipping.

We were also each brought a hot soup and a small salad which was a bit spicy; all before we even ordered.

Assuming that the portions would be generous we ordered BBQ marinated short ribs, BBQ chicken, and BBQ marinated sliced Spencer steak priced at about $20 a dish. We also got an order of noodles with seasoning for $10.

As we waited for our food, the waitress turned on the grills. I must say that it was a bit disturbing to have embers flying around, even burning me a couple of times.

When the food arrived, being burned by embers was definitely worth it.

The portions were more than enough and all of the meat was marinated to perfection. It was nice to be able to cook my meat just the way I like it and those charcoal grills did a great job getting it just right.

Each of us also received our own portion of steamed rice

The noodles were the only thing that I didn’t enjoy too much. I think it’s because it was not what I expected.

They were more like a cold noodle soup, served in a bowl. The waitress cut them into small pieces when she dropped them off. They had a good taste, they just were not what I was expecting.

In between our meal, we all needed refills but our waitress was nowhere in sight. Impatiently one of my guests stood up to ask for her refill and found her huddled up in the back talking to another employee.

Maybe it’s because the restaurant was so empty that, besides us, there was not much to do.

When we finished our meals the waitress brought us our check along with five pieces of melon gum. The total cost of our check was nearly $90. With tip, we each spent a little over $20 a person.

Not bad for all of the food we ate and for how satisfied we were.

By the time we left, the place was a little more busy. I asked the waitress if the dinner menu was different from the lunch menu but she informed me that it stays the same.

My experience at Soot Bull Jeep was definitely an A. I would have given them a “plus,” but the service could have been better, however, the food was excellent.

The prices are fair considering all the food you get.

A few words of advice if you’re planning a visit to Soot Bull Jeep: Don’t come on a date and don’t dress to impress because you will end up smelling like you just spent the day at a bonfire.

Golden Lion MongolÕs BBQ, an all-you-can-eat buffet, is located in Pasadena on E. Colorado Blvd. Photo Credit: Geraldine Marquez / Staff Reporter

If you’re looking for a welcoming place to hang out with family or friends while enjoying a variety of tasty foods at an all you can eat buffet, Golden Lion Mongol’s BBQ, formerly Golden Palace Mongolian BBQ, is exactly what you’re looking for.

This Mongolian BBQ joint is located just off the 210 Freeway, between E. Colorado and Rosemead Boulevard. If you go for dinner, the place is all you can eat for only $11.95 for adults and $6.95 for kids.  The lunchtime special runs just around $8.  Unfortunately, drinks are not included in the price.

Golden Lion offers in-restaurant dining, as well as a to-go service. If you decide to get food to go, you can load up a bowl for just $8. The parking is free, which is always a plus.
The process of preparing your meal is the same as most other Mongolian BBQ restaurants.

First, you choose your meat, vegetables, noodles and the sauce or marinade to have it cooked in.  After you choose what you’d like to pile onto your plate, a cook  prepares your BBQ on the grill. After your food has been cooked, they place it on a new plate and they also include steamed rice, so if you’re not into noodles, you can skip them because rice is available. There’s a salad section and dessert section as well.

The food selection is very broad, especially since each customer can mix and match what they’d like. Their meats selection includes beef, chicken, lamb, turkey and pork. Their vegetables consist of zucchinis, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, onions, green onions and cabbage.

The sauces, that can be combined any number of ways, include chopped garlic, curry sauce, oyster sauce, BBQ sauce and sesame oil. They also offer hot sauce and jalapenos for those of you who enjoy spicy condiments in your food.

Their dessert selection wasn’t much, only offering green and red Jell-O, and orange slices.
The meal also comes with free appetizers that are brought to the table. The starters include a cup of soup, hot tea, fried wontons, egg roles, pita chips and pocket bread, which is perfect for stuffing your meat and vegetables in if you enjoy eating them all together. At the end of your meal, you also get fortune cookies.

The waitresses are very friendly and welcoming, which makes it an enjoyable atmosphere to have lunch or dinner.
It was my first time trying Mongolian BBQ and I must say, I was very satisfied. I also noticed that not only were the waitresses friendly, but they are very attentive, very good at refilling your drinks. Another pleasant thing to see as a customer of a restaurant is that the staff was very good at maintaining the place. They were constantly cleaning and wiping down tables.

The customers are made up of a wide variety of people, from families,to an elderly couple, to groups of teenagers. It was pretty busy in my opinion, and one of the reasons I think so is because there aren’t many Mongolian BBQ places around that aren’t inside malls.

A few tips for those of you who have never tried Mongolian BBQ before, add a lot of sauce to your meat so it doesn’t taste so bland. Remember, you’re adding it before it hits the grill so you should add enough to make it soak through your meat selection.

Outside of one restaurant, a man was singing in Amharic – a language I’ve never heard before.

Welcome to the Little Ethiopia district of Los Angeles. A fairly new enclave in Los Angeles, Little Ethiopia started growing in the 1990s as more shops, markets and restaurants opened to welcome new arrivals.

One restaurant, sandwiched between a coffee shop and a thrift shop, has been serving Injera bread since 1985.

Messob, a cozy, homey restaurant, reminds me of going to grandma’s house. But instead of pictures of all the grandchildren lining the walls, there are framed pictures of famous people, maps, awards, and restaurant reviews.

Unlike in grandma’s house, you get to eat with your hands.

Gursha, or feeding your friends or loved ones with your hands, is a tradition in Ethiopian culture. I felt right at home eating with my hands, and I wondered why more restaurants don’t follow suit.

My friends, however, felt as if they were violating some sort of social norms, and preferred to sit and observe the other patrons before diving into their dinner.

I started with Harar, an Ethiopian pale lager. It was very smooth, but not light, despite its color. If I could find this beer in stores, it would definitely be a staple in my refrigerator.

Wanting to sample one of the most popular dishes, I ordered Siga Wot – strips of beef simmered in a bright red pepper sauce.

Upon the recommendation of the server, my friends ordered Tipps, – beef served with sautéed onions, green and yellow bell peppers.

The server asked if it was OK if the food arrived on one dish. Perplexed, we agreed, not knowing what to expect. What arrived on the table was something I would have never imagined.

A huge silver platter lined with injera bread, a spongy, porous dough arrived. The server then brought out our dishes and scooped them on the platter, explaining what each dish.

A basket filled with more injera wrapped in wax paper was placed on the table.

The spread looked like a feast fit for royalty.

I immediately tore into the bread and scooped up the Siga Wot, a dish I was waiting for with much anticipation.

With strips of beef in a peppery, slightly spicy stew with a hint of cinnamon soaked into the injera bread. It was a dish that I felt I have had before, somewhere in a distant past. However, I knew that wasn’t possible, because I would have remembered a dish as tasty as this.

The Tipps was just as appetizing and reminded me of fajitas, but instead of tortillas, you have injera bread.

The portions were generous, but you don’t leave with feeling overstuffed and bloated.

Following our meals, my friends and I ordered espresso. I not a big fan of espresso, but this one was an exception in my book.

The espresso was rich with a somewhat sweet flavor, and it definitely gave me a jolt for the ride home.
After dinner, restaurant owner, Getahun Asfaw, came by to chat with us. Recognizing that we were not one of the regulars, he asked how the meal was, what we thought of the restaurant, and invited us back again to try the Continental coffee – a ceremonial coffee service that he highly recommended.
Dining at Messob was a wonderful experience, one that made me almost homesick for a land I’ve never been to. I will be returning again to mingle with the friendly locals and to try the Continental coffee.

Jaclyn Rymer / Staff Photographer

An authentic meal is not always a satisfying meal.

Barrio Fiesta of Manila offers a large menu of authentic Filipino delicacies served family-style from Kare-Kare (beef, ox-tail, tripe and vegetables in a peanut gravy) to fried bananas with Filipino ice cream. The lively ambience throughout the restaurant and reasonably priced menu has Barrio Fiesta appealing to many different crowds. However, the execution of the food lacks what the menu and environment suggests.

Pancit Malabon, according to the menu explanation, is “a Filipino noodle dish with tidbits of shrimp, pork and squid garnished with peanuts and tofu sauce.” This dish, which is only $14.70, comes on a large plate intended to serve three to four people. Unfortunately, most of the noodles were left on the plate and untouched. It arrived hot and smelling fresh, but the first bite revealed noodles that weren’t cooked through spoiling the whole plate. It was difficult to taste the flavor of the pork or tofu sauce while trying to choke down chewy noodles.

It’s hard to go wrong with an old-time favorite, so an order of Pinakbet for $11.95 seemed like a good choice to allow Barrio Fiesta a chance for redemption from the Pancit Malabon. The Baboy at Hipon Pinakbet consists of mixed vegetables and pieces of pork and shrimp slathered in shrimp sauce. This is a heavy dish, but the flavor is strong. The vegetables offer a unique pairing with the pork and shrimp that brings out the flavor in each individual element, but nothing overpowers any one food component.

A notable flavor in the Pinakbet is what the waiter referred to as bitter melon. The pieces of the bitter melon didn’t taste like a melon at all, but rather a perfectly cooked sweet potato. Overall, the Pinakbet delivered a true traditional Filipino taste.

For $11.95 Barrio Fiesta has a seafood dish that contains mixed seafood in a coconut spicy sauce called Bicol Express. Simply by looking at the dish it is impressive and an obvious delicacy to Filipino cuisine. It comes in a deep, round medal plate displaying exposed mussels sitting in their open shells, cooked shrimp that still have their heads and tails attached and chucks of squid, all soaking a yellow-brown spicy coconut sauce.

All of the seafood was well-cooked, but the spicy coconut sauce turned out to have a disappointing bland flavor lacking any sort of kick. The Bicol Express is very pleasing to the eye, but eating it calls for patience. It requires some work to take the mussels out of their shells and prep the shrimp for eating, but once that is accomplished the Bicol Express is a one of a kind Filipino speciality.

For dessert, the Halo-Halo comes in a tall glass cup layered with mixed fruit, crushed ice, purple Filipino ice cream and topped with a handful of rice crispies for $5.25. It’s difficult to tell the pieces of fruit apart as they don’t contain much tang, but it didn’t really matter because the ice cream was rich and the rice crispies and the layer of ice make for a rare crunchy dessert.

The best dish of the night goes to the fried bananas with ice cream. The bananas, which are sliced into about 10 bite-sized pieces, were served warm and soft on the inside and a crispy golden-brown texture on the outside, making a perfect complement to the smooth ice cream. The simplicity is what makes it delicious. This dish strips the mouth from tasting any of the leftover chewy noodles and leaves an ideal sweet taste for the ride home.

Photo Credit: Aprile Sumague / Staff Reporter

Get ready for an exotic experience once you enter the two red doors of Marrakesh restaurant in Studio City. The intimate atmosphere inside sets the mood for a romantic Moroccan dinner date with décors like oil lamps, tasseled curtains, plush pillows and mosaic tables.

Marrakesh is by far the most unique restaurant that I have ever been to. Paper menus are not available, instead the servers recite the courses in detail.

The dinner starts off with washing your hands with warm rosemary water. There are five five-course meals to choose from. My date and I opted for the Fassi Dinner ($26.95), which includes chicken with lemon & olives, and the Marrakesh Mixed Grill ($32.95), which includes shrimp, lamb and chicken kabobs served on top of warm couscous vegetables. Each dinner is served with soup, salad, appetizer and dessert.

The soup Harira consists of lentils, celery, garbanzo beans and tomatoes. This is by far my favorite item from the restaurant. The soup was served warm and well-spiced. I wished they served it in bigger bowls.

The Moroccan Salad came in next, which consists of marinated and smashed eggplant, cucumbers, tomatoes and carrots. I hesitated to take a bite of the eggplant because I never liked the taste of it, but my date encouraged me to try it and said that “you cannot even taste the eggplant.” I did, and he was right; I had a few bites after that.

I thought the server made a mistake by serving the dessert first before the main course. Bastilla, the appetizer which is stuffed dough with chicken, scrambled eggs and almonds topped with powdered sugar and cinnamon was set on our table. I am not a big fan of the stuffing, but I loved the flaky dough.

At this point, my date and I were already full. While resting our tummies and waiting for the next course, loud Moroccan music blasted the entire restaurant. A belly dancer came out and started entertaining the guests. First, she danced in the middle of the room and danced her way to each table. She also encouraged guests to dance with her. The belly dancer was highly entertaining and is also a good workout in the middle of the meal if you participate. I would have joined her in dancing, if I were with a large group.

Our main dish finally arrived, and it looked overwhelming. They were served in big portions, and I thought my date and I could have shared one dish. The chicken from the Fassi Dinner honestly tasted like a Rotisserie chicken from Costco, but served fancier. It was, though, well-cooked and the meat slid off the bone. The only good thing about the Marrakesh Mixed Grill is the shrimp kebobs. I thought it was seasoned to perfection with just enough spice to it. The lamb and the chicken were tough; we had to ask for a pair of carving knives. My date and I hardly touched the couscous, as it was bland and dry, and decided to eat the main dish with bread instead.

The dessert, Baklava, was served with mint tea. I really liked this combination although it wouldn’t hurt to add more syrup on top of the Baklava.

My overall experience at Marrakesh was satisfactory. Out of five stars, I give the food three silver stars and 5 golden stars for the experience and the entertainment. The ambiance and the belly dancer make up for the average food that is rather expensive.

Photo Credit: Michelle Nelson / Staff Reporter

L ala’s Grill is quintessential L.A. On a Wednesday night, the place was crowded. A film crew was filming just outside the restaurant, while the valet charged restaurant patrons $3.50 to park cars.

Lala’s offers both patio and inside seating. The tables inside the restaurant are so close together that you can’t help but eavesdrop on the conversations around you. However, the dimly lit restaurant and the orange glow radiating from the ceiling tiles distract you long enough to tune out the rest of the world.

To start the night, I ordered a mojito made with Jinro, a Korean rice wine. I’m not sure if this is a reflection of the diverse culture in Argentina, or a creative way to avoid having to pay for a full liquor license, but nonetheless it was refreshing. For $5.95, it came in a tall glass, which lasted throughout the course of the dinner.

Warm rolls with chimichurri sauce were served before the meal. The chimichurri sauce is most likely why the restaurant was so busy. It was an olive oil, garlic and minced herb mixture, and I became an instant fan.

Next came the appetizer. Empanadas are legendary in Argentina, and the combo appetizer ($11.95) lived up to its legacy. It comes with your choice of three empanadas, chorizo, and a tortilla de papa.

My friend and I chose a beef, a chicken, and a spinach empanada for the appetizer plate. The empanadas were the crowning glory of the plate and by far trumped the chorizo and tortilla de papa.

The empanadas were flaky and crusty on the outside, and each were served with sautéed onions on the inside. They were accompanied with a tomato salsa that resembled bruschetta. The chimichurri sauce was a perfect complement to the empanadas.

The chorizo tasted more like a breakfast sausage link. The tortilla de papa, a potato and cheese quiche, was more akin to a large, yellow baked potato. My friend and I tried it, then avoided it, not wanting to fill up before our main course arrived.

My friend ordered the Milanesa ($12.95), a breaded, thinly pounded fried steak – a popular dish in Argentina. The Milanesa arrived overlapping the plate, topped with marinara sauce and melted cheese, served with a side of mashed potatoes.

The Milanesa was not impressive. The steak was a little tough. It took some sawing to wrangle off a bite-sized piece.

I ordered the Arroz del Campo ($9.95), a rice dish served with sautéed garlic, onions, green and red bell peppers and mushrooms, a creamy tomato sauce and topped with feta cheese. For $2 more, you can add chicken or sausage, or salmon for $3. I decided to order the dish as is, and appreciate a vegetarian dish for a change.

The dish arrived in a huge bowl, one big enough to feed four people, or feed one person for four days.

The Arroz del Campo was creamy. The cheese melted on the yellow rice, while the garlic and onions gave the dish a full-bodied flavor. The sweet taste of the bell peppers and tomato sauce counteracted the strong flavors from the garlic and onions.

Overall, I was surprised at how well the ingredients of the dish complemented each other.

For dessert, we couldn’t resist the Flan con Dulce de Leche ($3.95). This custard dish was served chilled, drizzled with caramel sauce and served with whipped cream.

It’s not at all rich, like some desserts that make you wish you wore stretchy pants to dinner. If you couldn’t possibly eat another bite, this dessert would save well for the ride home if you decide to have a midnight snack later.

The Versailles Sampler Plate ($16.95) with ham croquettes, stuffed fried yucca served with garlic, and a pork tamale. Photo Credit: Yazmin Cruz/ Staff Reporter

As the door opened, a sensual aroma of citrus and garlic called my name. We were welcomed by two gentleman dressed in typical Cuban shirts, Guayaveras, who lead us to our table. They were as authentically charismatic and welcoming as the food.

To start the evening, I ordered a Jupiña, an authentic pineapple soda, to quench my thirst. Sodas are not my favorite, but this one was fruity, lightly sweetened and tickled by tongue.

As an appetizer, the Versailles Sampler Plate ($16.95) gave us an opportunity to try the many tastes of Cuba. The dish came with ham croquettes, fried and stuffed yucca served with garlic, a pork tamale and fried chucks of pork.

The ham croquettes had a texture like mozzarella sticks, but were far superior in taste. They had a crunchy outside while the inside was soft. The fried yucca was one of my favorites. The flavor is similar to that of a fried potato, but the texture is a bit different. The yucca is more fibrous, but just as tasty.

The stuffed yucca was even more delectable. It looked like a small tamale and the aroma from the pork filling permeated through the yucca.

The fried chucks of pork tasted like Mexican carnitas. The meat was crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside and they were even better when combined with the complimentary warm buttered bread.

The Cuban tamale is not your typical tamale. This is a tamale with an attitude. The outside masa has the consistency of a Salvadorian tamale, but the inside adds a tangy kick to it. It is stuffed with pork marinated in Versailles’ famous garlic-citrus sauce.

Be forewarned. the sauce is divine but it is a total kiss-killer with its pungent garlic flavor. The sauce is used in almost all their popular dishes, which include Versailles Famous Garlic Chicken ($10.95) and Lechon Asado ($10.95).

I was not very fond of the combination of citrus and pork in the tamale and in the Cuban Style Roast Pork (Lechon Asado). The citrus at times overshadowed the delicate taste of the pork. However, the combination of garlic and citrus with chicken was finger-licking good.

Like most other entrees, Versailles’ Famous Garlic Chicken is served with white rice, black beans and fried plantain. The white rice had a delicate flavor while the beans were infused with the taste of flavorful herbs. The plantain was sweet and crispy.

Another popular Versailles dish is Ropa Vieja ($12.95), and it did not disappoint. Shredded beef with thin slices of bell pepper and onion were smothered in a tomato and wine sauce that enhanced the flavor of the white rice.

Versailles also has a variety of sandwiches but they are not your typical sandwiches. They are big enough that two people can share them. The chicken sandwich, El Sandwich de Pollo ($7.50), comes with a side of fries.

The thin grilled chicken breast was moist and was complimented by the fresh lettuce and tomato, and grilled onions.

Versailles does not have an extensive vegetarian menu. The two dishes they consider vegetarian include rice and beans, and fried plain. They do have salads but this is not the place you go to have a salad.

To end the meal, a Flan Cubano ($2.95), a custardy flan topped with guava and drizzled with a caramel sauce with a hint of cinnamon, was brought to the table. You must try the flan.

Cascos de Guayaba ($2.95), guava shells with cream cheese, is for those with a strong sweet tooth. The guava shells are drenched in syrup that when combined with the rich cream cheese becomes more palatable enough to taste.

At the time of our arrival to the Culver City location, the restaurant was not as full as I expected. The line, which I was warned about, began to form as we were leaving.

Because the food is not as expensive as other sit down restaurants, there tends to be a wait time to get in but once inside the food will be at the table in no time.

The Cuban music playing in the background and the wall full of black and white headshots of celebrities meshes into a casual yet boisterous ambiance that aims to welcome everyone from college students to native Cubans.

To enjoy a home cooked meal experience and a delectable taste of Cuba, head over to Versailles location near you.

CULVER CITY LOCATION
10319 Venice Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 558-3168
www.versaillescuban.com
Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.