A little over a year ago I wrote about the pop-up restaurants at the mall close to my house. For a couple of months the location was filled every week, but all of a sudden the location went dark. Last week I was thrilled to see that the counter's lights were back on. This pop-up operator, the Maize and Wheat Colombian Cafe, had been there last year, and the food was very good. Today Hubby Tony and went there for lunch.
The Cafe started out as a food truck, then opened a brick and mortar restaurant in a location about 20 minutes from the mall. The pop-up offered a smaller menu than the restaurant, but it looked like there was something for everyone, including empanadas (fried cornmeal dough turnovers), arepas (stuffed corn cakes), salads, and even a hamburger.
I was looking for something unique, and decided to order a Canoa de Maduro, described as a stuffed ripe yellow plantain with shredded beef, chicken (or both) topped with mozzarella cheese. Tony got plantain soup and an empanada. The associate who took our order said it would be ready in seven minutes. He was right.
My stuffed plantain mixed the sweetness of the fruit with savoriness of the beef and chicken and the smoothness of the melted cheese. Tony offered me samples of his items, and I reciprocated. The empanda was hot and the pastry wasn't greasy at all. His soup was a delicious mixture of broth with chunks of green plantain, carrots, and peas. It tasted like it had simmered for a long time, but the other dishes were freshly prepared.
Tony got a small container of salsa to go with the empanda. I received a container of something that looked and tasted like mayo ketchup. It didn't take us long to finish everything.
Sounds really good! There aren't a lot of choices in our little town. Mostly cafes with southern cuisine and some specialty food spots that seem to come and go. Real foodies would have more luck closer to Atlanta. We are in Perry, Ga tonight and had some sushie that was excellent, then stopped at a dessert and coffee place called Decadence ..... and it was! The smell of the coffee drinks hit me as we entered. They had a sign that said "More Espresso, Less Depresso". True!
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute sign!
DeleteMmmm, sounds delicious! Always fun to try other cultures' unique cuisines!
ReplyDeleteIt seems like every year there are more and more options.
DeleteI love that it wasn't greasy!
ReplyDeleteMe too.
Delete❤️
DeleteI'll take the hamburger.
ReplyDeleteAnd good for you for trying a dish from a unique location instead of hitting up the Chick-fil-A or the Panda Express.
DeleteSounds a very interesting meal, not the sort of things we have here in my little town in Wales.
ReplyDeleteChris, thanks for stopping by. I bet you have some unique items that haven't made it to this part of the USA yet.
DeleteSounds delicious! -Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteThat sounds very unusual! But nice.
ReplyDeleteYum! Loved trying new foods. Since moving here there aren't a lot of options. Very tradional southern fare which means they fry everything. And that is not necessarily good!
ReplyDeleteYour area sounds similar to Kathy's Klothesline.
DeleteJealous. Glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteOoo that does look good!
ReplyDeletewish we had a restaurant like that here!! Sounds great!!
ReplyDeleteYou've now made me very hungry.
ReplyDelete