Cooking Salvadorian cuisine in Gwynn Oak, Maryland already separates them from the rest of their fast food, chicken box, Chinese food, and crab shack neighbors. Nothing's wrong with any of that, but every once in a while you want something different and different is what I received. I just ordered two things from their menu. I had beef tacos. The beef was hot off the grill, tender and fresh. It was simply seasoned with parsley and onions in a soft tortilla. No muss no fuss. I added the salsa and a little bit of the slaw I got from the other order—a nice little treat. You'll need two order two to make a dent if you're hungry.
I also ordered pupusas. Now, I admit I came to the table with very little knowledge of Salvadorian cuisne. Okay, scratch that...no real knowledge of Salvadorian cuisine. So little, in fact, that I was calling it "El Salvadorian cuisine" until MCCN Editor-in-Chief, Crystal Johnson, couldn't take it anymore and told me how I was messing up the name (Touchy! Touchy!). I say all that to say that I enjoyed them even though I didn't know what I was getting myself into.
So I found that pupusas are essentially an enclosed very thick corn tortilla with various fillings inside. One was a simple queso pupusa and the other was made with pork. I was surprised when I bit into it to see that the pork was ground to a paste like consistency (chicharrón). I know people—Salvadorian Cuisine 101. Bear with me! The chicharrón is combined with the queso (cheese) and frijoles refritos (refried beans). This is standardly called pupusa revuelta and it is served with curtido, a fermented cabbage slaw with red chilies and vinegar and a watery tomato salsa.
My first venture into Salvadorian cuisine was not earth-shattering. I ordered the basics. Maybe next time I'll stretch out a little more. By the way, the menu includes quesadillas, burgers, and fried chicken, so you do have options. I also noticed on the list of beverages— Horchata. I feel another trip coming on.
Dress: Casual
Price: Very reasonable, but not a lot of combos.
Atmosphere: Eat-in/Carry-out.
Location: 7401 Liberty Road, Gwynn Oak, Md. 21207
Phone: (410) 645-8237
