I don’t speak Spanish. I do speak Fried. As in chicken, mozzarella sticks, zucchini, the occasional Blooming Onion, and once a Twinkie. In the universal language of crispy deliciousness, I am fluent.
And pupusas, a duo of thick, fried tortillas with meat and/or cheese stuffed between them, have recently become a new part of my vocabulary–despite the fact that my waitress snickered when I tried to order them in my best Spanglish.
Last Friday, I discovered Pupusaria Salvadorena by the fairgrounds (check out my previous post for details). Nestled next to a Joyeria and a Mexican grocery, the newly invigorated
storefront isn’t much–plastic-covered tables, a view of several women in the back patting corn tortillas, and a few newspapers scattered about the tables.
The menu is simple (and all in Spanish, so I can’t tell you everything on it…though the staff are happy to help out): Sopas (soup); Almuerzos (heartier lunch meals); Desayunos (breakfast) and Antojitos Salvadorenos (Salvadorian specialties), including Pupusas. The best I can compare them to, and don’t laugh, are a sort of savory, flattened jelly donut. Okay, that’s a terrible comparison, but as the cheese oozed out a hole, it seemed an apt comparison.
Regardless, I can steer you confidently toward the Pupusas Revueltas (a meat and vegetable-stuffed tortilla) and the Pupusas de Ayote con Quesa (zucchini and a light, fresh cheese). Both are under $2 each.
My kid snapped up most of the Pasteles de Carne con Papa, declaring them among the best things he’d ever eaten. Best I can tell, they’re football-shaped fritters stuffed with potatoes and veggies. Again, the theme here is fried deliciousness.
The pupusaria also serves up tamales, yuca frita and empanadas, but hey, you’re here for the Pupusas. Just tell them the gringa sent you.
Pupuseria Salvadorena
1403 Maple Ave., Santa Rosa
707.544.3141
Franzi’s Swiss Italian Deli
I feel so wrong. So very, very wrong.
Wafts
of my lunch chastise me at regular intervals from the patchwork of
drips and stains covering my clothes. My sated stomach gurgles. My
conscience is troubled.
Without a second thought or even a napkin, I have scarfed down a sandwich the size of Cleveland–beef brisket covered in melty smoked cheddar with mayonnaise, pickles, onions and peppers on a sourdough bun.
There, I said it.
A surprise find in the Petaluma’s OSH shopping center (I was
actually on my way elsewhere on a food tip), I was pulled in by the
undeniable gravitational pull of fresh barbecue. (You’ll see the smoking
‘cue on the sidewalk just down from Jerome’s BBQ).
On Franzi’s menu board (aside from the brisket) is a United
Nations of sandwiches including the BBQ Tri Tip, pulled pork, Louisiana hot links and Petaluma BBQ chicken, Rueben, Panini and Persian in addition to St. Louis ribs and fresh made Baklava. Most specialities are under $8, which is a pretty good deal for that much meaty goodness.
But oh that evil, delicious gigantic beef brisket! BiteClub could not resist wolfing down
every last morsel on the ride home. Then licking fingers and searching
around for any missed morsels that have escaped the carnage. My dry cleaner will be horrified.
Not that I wasn’t warned. “You eat half now, half for dinner,” said the kindly lady at the Franzi’s Swiss Italian Deli, nearly toppling from the weight of my sandwich. Cha, right.
Oh, the guilt. Oh, the shame. Oh, the stains. Oh, what a sandwich.
Franzi’s Swiss Italian Deli, 1390 North McDowell Blvd., Petaluma, 707.664.1339