#garnachas

Vegan Garnachas

Garnachas took over the stylish Red Herring restaurant. It might be the only Guatemalan restaurant in NELA, so I’m happy to see it in Eagle Rock. The menu includes appetizers (enchiladas, tamales, empanadas), breakfast platters, entrees (beef, chicken, pork, seafood), salads, desserts. They also have a Mexican menu and kids menu. Breakfast is served all day.

Desayuno Garnachero ($13.99): Quite a spread, enough for two if you’re not too hungry – two eggs cooked your way, 1 mini Chipilin leaf tamale, four garnachas, wedge of cheese, Guatemalan crema, black beans, 2 thick tortillas, fried plantains. It was more food than I expected. I’ve never had garnachas before…they’re small like the size of round tortilla chips but they’re thicker masa/corn discs fried to a golden brown and crunchy on the bottom but softer on top. They were topped with ground beef, crumbled queso fresco, green onions, onions, and a tomato-based sauce. They’re like loaded potato bites – only with Guatemalan flavors. Not bad but the sauce did not have much flavor and the whole thing was blander than I expected. The plantains were warm, sweet, and soft – too sweet for me but adding the tangy crema helped balance out the sweetness. That Guatemalan crema was creamy, rich, and tangy – delicious. The over easy eggs had runny yolks (yay!) The tortillas were thicker and seemed handmade. The tamale was small, dense, and lacking in flavor even though it was topped with sauce and cheese. The cheese was mild, like farmer’s cheese.  The black beans had a lot more flavor than the tamale and garnachas – hmm, strange but the beans, crema, tortillas were the best things. Would have loved some hot sauce.

I never went to Red Herring but I’m guessing that Garnachas didn’t do that much remodeling. They did add a mural of Guatemala and some tiki fringe to the bar area. During my visit, there was only one person working, so he had to take the order and cook the food.

4 out of 5 stars

Casa Chapina is a casual Guatemalan restaurant that’s been serving the area since 2016. The menu includes breakfast (egg dishes with beans), soups, tostadas, plates with chicken, seafood, beef, pork, atoles, and aguas frescas.

Corn tortilla chips with warm black bean dip and pickled vegetables: this was complimentary and I really enjoyed it. Dips are rarely served warm. There was something so comforting about the warm bean dip. The pickled veggies were tangy and delicious too.

Caldo de gallina (translated as chicken soup), $19.99 – this was in the soups section of the menu but the soup felt like a side vs. the main dish. The soup was very plain and homey – clear chicken broth, carrots, zucchini, and another type of squash. It was served with a quarter chicken (very skinny chicken) that appeared to be roasted. The chicken seemed to be seasoned only with salt. It was very tender. The rice was moist and had bits of corn and peas – tasted like it had been cooked in broth. The corkscrew pasta salad was simple but good (looked like they used mayo but it wasn’t drowning in mayo). The two warm corn tortillas were thicker and made by hand. It was simple food – was looking for more spices or a sauce to liven things up.

The interior was interesting, colorful walls, two flatscreen monitors, showing nature scenes. There was also a display case filled gold jewelry. The music was lively.

3.5 out of 5 stars

ENFRIJOLADAS MEXICANAS.BIEN DELICIOSAS https://youtu.be/6PoOdxI-Vbo

Enfrijoladas con Queso y Crema: La comida perfecta ¡Sabor auténtico!

ENFRIJOLADAS MEXICANAS.BIEN DELICIOSAS https://youtu.be/6PoOdxI-Vbo