The Gossiping Gourmet: A culinary district of Colombia
There are very few authentic Colombian restaurants in our reviewing area. In fact, I only found two that were strictly Colombian, although Orange County does have a large South American population, and there are many restaurants in that broader category.
El Porton in Huntington Beach is the real deal. If you have never had the pleasure of dining on Colombian food, let me give you a brief description. They deep-fry nearly everything: beef, chicken, pork, fish, empanadas, sausages, plantains and more. Rice, beans and potatoes are staples of the cuisine. Vegetables are less so. However, seasonal tropical fruit plays a big part in Colombian food.
We walked into this small strip-mall eatery and were greeted warmly. The service was equally gracious, and the food was very good. There are photographs of Colombia and Boito-like paintings on the walls. You can be seated on tall stools at the small bar or on a long, wooden banquette or tables in the long, narrow dining room.
As we perused the menu, the people at the table next to us mentioned that they had eaten there three times that very week. They were native Colombians, now living in Huntington Beach, and were excited to find this authentic cuisine. We were happy to get their recommendations on what to order.
From the tapas menu, we selected beef empanadas and salchipapas. Empanadas are their most popular street food, and the fillings vary somewhat depending on the region. El Porton fills these fritters with seasoned shredded beef. The exterior has a crisp, thick, deep-fried crust. It was quite delicious, especially when paired with the spicy aji sauce that is made with tomatoes, cilantro, aji peppers and onions.
Our next dish, salchipapas, was another delicious offering. Excellent crisp French fries were paired with sliced pan-fried, salty beef sausages, and if the fries weren’t enough starch for you, there were also small, boiled yellow potatoes.
A great dish for a food writer, and anyone else who enjoys lots of different tastes, is their most popular entrée, Bandeja Paisa. This consists of very well-seasoned red beans, white rice, carne asada (a thin slice of marinated steak), deep-fried spicy sausage, their version of pork cracklings (which consisted of a long layered strip of deep fried pork that was attached to a layer of fat that was attached to the fried pork skin), carnitas, a sweet plantain, avocado and a perfectly cooked, runny, sunny-side-up egg with a yolk that drizzled down over everything. The plaintain added a wonderful bit of sweetness to this meaty, spicy dish. A rather tasteless corn cake came on the side.
Cazuelita Paisa gets its name from the pot it is cooked in. This is a cross between a soup and a stew. It was my favorite dish of the evening. The thick bean soup was topped with chunks of sausage, crunchy pork cracklings, corn, fried julienne potatoes and slices of avocado. Corn cakes and rice came on the side.
We were deciding on dessert between rice pudding (arroz con leche), figs with dulce de leche caramel (brevas con arequipe) or the thin, crisp, waffle wafers spread with dulche de leche caramel (obleas con arequipe) when our nice neighbor recommended the latter. She said it was her favorite and that we should order the caramel sauce on the side so the wafer wouldn’t get soggy. It was simple and delicious because the caramel was really rich and creamy with just the right amount of sweetness.
There were many other tempting items on this menu — for example, the tapas menu has fried beef-stuffed potatoes with aji sauce or blood sausage served with a corn cake called arepas. The arepas are another staple of Colombian cooking and have many variations.
Small ethnic restaurants are often a real find when you are looking for something new and different. El Porton is a good example, and there is the added bonus of very reasonable prices.
TERRY MARKOWITZ was in the gourmet food and catering business for 20 years. She can be reached for comments or questions at m_markowitz@cox.net.
El Porton
Where: 8863 Adams Ave., Huntington Beach
When: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday
Prices:
Appetizers: $4 to $6.50
Arepas: $3.50 to $12
Entrees: $5 to $9
Desserts: $1.50 to $5
Wine:
Bottles: $24
By the glass: $6
Corkage: $10
Information: (714) 968-6611