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Published: April 16th 2005
Caldo de Calzado
Hello dear readers,
I've finally caught up to date with my journal entries and thus it is time for another edition of Caldo de Calzado, my attempt at a travel food column.
We've made our way down the northern coast of Honduras from Tela to the small Garifuna villages of La Encenada and Triumfo de la Cruz, to La Ceiba where I'm presently writing you from.
La Rustique
First up on the agenda, a restaurant recommendation for anyone in la Ceiba that we checked out late last night. The little place called La Rustique is on the corner of St. Isidore and 3a Calle on the third floor of this little unassuming building. You could easily miss it, but look for the palapa and red Christmas lights on their rooftop terrace and you should find it.
The place is owned by a guy named Mathias who moved to Honduras from France and has had the place for 4 years. Really nice guy who will yak your ear off if he has the time.
In true French spirit most of the dishes are meats with some tasty form of sauce, there are pasta choices as well so vegetarians can get by. Each dish comes with a starter green salad lightly dressed in a mustard reduction, nice change from the cream dressings you always get down here. Also included were a couple of slices of really good, dense whole wheat bread, the choice of sauteed or scallopped potatoes and the vegetables of the day.
Chris had the porc ribs which slathered in a dijon sauce with onion and garlic, lightly breaded and then broiled. I, being absolutely unable to resist the lure of the words "blue cheese" had what they touted as being their famous dish: beef tenderloin in a sauce of the aforementioned cheese. The vegetables du jour were cabbage and onions sauteed in a type of tomato sauce that reminded me of a dish my grandmother makes.
Chris's scallopped potatoes were great, but it seems that their interpretation of sauteed was what I call deep fried when it came to my potatoes. Oh well, it would have been way too much food anyway.
Throught was put into things like presentation, cutlery and service, not standards for restaurants down here. They have a full bar from which I was able to select my wine by the glass from three qualities and price points. Having the option was great, but just getting a glass of wine is a luxury for me, so I stuck to the cheapest which was still pretty good. They even had Ricard (an anais-flavoured digestif) which I love. I couldn't pass that up either.
The bill for the two of us (Chris drank beer) came to less than 350 L tax and drinks and everything included. Even if you don't want to eat here, just come for a drink. If the company is anything like last night you should have a pleasant evening.
Cafeteria Cobel
Next must-see place in this town I can only characterize as the Latin American equivalent of Montreal's famous Schwartz' Smoked Meat. This place is apparently a La Ceiba tradition for breakfast, but it looks like it's popular for lunch and their desserts seemed to be flying of the racks as well.
This place is like every little town's all-day breakfast joint or fast food diner. Super efficient waiters scurry around the floor taking orders in a dining room that always seems to be packed and had an impressive turn over, at least while we were there.
Chris had the full breakfast with Chuletta Ahumado (smoked porc chop) which ended up being the equivalent of one really huge chunk of bacon. It came with eggs, beans, cheese, plantain and two big flour tortillas (the good kind). I got the balneadas which are the same big tortillas filled with eggs, beans and cheese and grilled in a sandwich press. My breakfast with a drink cost me about 20L. Super cheap. Chris' was a little more (40L) but you had to see the size of the piece of meat he got. As I watched some of the other plates go around I was drooling. The empanadas looked fantastic and the dessert ranged from pasteries to banana cream pie and coconut cake with creamy white frosting. Everything looked steaming hot and super fresh and the lineup at the takeout window never seemed to get smaller.
They also had a drink menu where you could get your horchata fix or a tamarind juice, which are two of my favorites. If you've never tried either you don't know what you're missing. Horchata is a milky white colored refresco made with rice, cinnamon, sugar and a little vanilla. It can have a water or milk base and it is the most addictive thing in the world. Tamarind is a souther fruit. Raw it kind of looks like a big brown string bean or pea pod, but it's sweet-tart and can be made into great jams, sauces or juice as the case my be.
Gourmet Garifuna Style
The third and last little bit of comment I have is concerning the Garifuna grub we've had the treat of sampling in the little village of Triunfo de la Cruz in the days prior to La Ceiba.
Their specialties are seafood (big surprise), particularly a seafood soup which includes conch, shrimp, crab and fish. It comes in a base that's mixed with coconut milk, slices of plantain and a few other veggies. Word to the wise, if you're squeamish with your food looking like it was once alive, this might not be quite your bag. The first time we gave this stuff a shot we were served steaming bowls that included a whole crab with it's legs hanging out the side and an entire fish, head, eyes and tail included among poking out from the broth.
In fact if you're having fish in any of these traditional restaurants that's how it'll be served. Bones, head, eyeballs and all. The trick to eating them with the bones is to cut the spine off first, then filet down the sides. Personally I find this takes too long and usually just end up diving in with my fingers. Everything comes with rice and fried plantain and the grilled or fried meat dishes usually come with beans and maybe some veggies too.
The trick to eating in these little villages all has to do with timing, especially if you're not there on the weeked. It took at least an hour to get our food every time we sat down to eat, so either expect to be there a while or try ordering what you want in advance. This might work. Also, plan on eating lunch between 12 and 1 and dinner before 7. Otherwise you might have a tough time finding a place that's still open and willing to make you a full meal.
If you're in Triunfo, stop by Don Bocho's restaurant and say Hi to Paula. She made the best food I had down there and was one of the places that you could depend on to be open pretty well all the time. She has a menu, but if you've got something in mind, ask her and if she's got it, she'll make it for you. Everything is from scratch, so like I said, I will take a while, but man is it worth it.
Conch, incidentally is the animal that comes in those huge sea shells that everybody pays big money for. You know the polished spirally looking things. The conch itself is kind of like a cross between a squid and a big snail. They're fantastic grilled and drenched in garlic butter. But then again, so is anything.
One more thing to try that I have't yet is fish breaded in coconut and fried. Apparently another Garifuna specialty. I haven't found it yet, but I've got my eyes peeled. If anyone knows a restaurant neat here that does it well drop me a line.
That's it for my tasting experiences today. Make sure you take the time to everything that passes your lips today.
Much Love
Vanessa
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Slow Food
Well, "Slow Food", the latest rage in Europe and North America, is obviously well established in the latin American corner of the world. Are you colllecting recipes too, Van? - Dave C.