Monday, March 23, 2009

La Maria


I had a one-two punch morning last Saturday: first, the farmers market where I picked up a bag of oranges, some avocados, bok choy and parsley. Then, off to La Maria, a cute Colombian/Mexican restaurant in North Hollywood, which beckoned me with its siren call of fried pork skin (nevermind that it was only 11am).

Coffee! How come lowkey Mom and Pop joints often have better tasting coffee than Starbucks?

Bandeja Paisa (steak, fried pork skin, sausage, rice, egg, fried bananas and beans all for only $11.99!)

The salsa mixture provided in the little bowl was amazing and so perfect for spooning over the steak. It was a less tomato-y and more tangy version of regular salsa with lots of cilantro and green onion (very addictive!). The food was good (the fried pork skin was my favorite) and the portions seem to be hefty (at least, that was the case for my little platter o' awesome).

La Maria's menu also offers Mexican dishes, which I did not look at closely as my mission was to have my first taste of Colombian food. They also have hearty breakfast items like huevos rancheros and chilaquiles (can we say hangover buster?). I wanted desperately to try the obleas, a Colombian dessert involving wafers and dulce de leche, but I could not power through. Sorry, I will do better next time!

La Maria
10516 Victory Blvd
North Hollywood, CA 91606
(818) 755-8811
http://www.lamariarestaurant.com/

2 comments:

Marvin said...

This place looks awesome! Especially the fried pork skin. That's my kind of breakfast!

And thanks for stopping by my blog.

Marie said...

Hi Marvin! yes, I've been thinking about the fried pork deliciousness ever since. It's a breakfast that is liable to put you back to sleep!