Mike B.
Yelp
The journey to Kantutas was long overdue. But now, this B had a purpose. I'm working on a project, and I needed to see what Bolivian cuisine was all about.
There are 2 things people talk about when they talk about Kantuatas.
Silpancho:
Definition: "consists of a base layer of rice, usually white, followed by a layer of boiled and sliced potatoes [ours were roasted I believe]. Next, a thin layer of schnitzel-style meat is laid on top, followed by a layer of chopped tomato. In addition, onion, beet [Ours had no beet. ] and parsley are mixed together and topped with either one or two fried eggs"
My Thoughts: compared to the other dishes... I found this quite bland... In fact, without this dish, I would have called it a near perfect meal. I felt like the rice needed seasoning, that the pico on top needed another dimension. I was a little disappointed that the eggs wern't runny. I feel like if they had runny yolks, it would have definitely made the dish more enjoyable. The potatoes were good, but you can find very similar potatoes with the anticuchos if that's the reason you're ordering the dish.
Anticuchos:
Definition: Thin slices of beef heart that are skewered and grilled. Served with potatoes and a peanut sauce.
My thoughts: Loved this dish! Truthfully, honestly, no lie, telling the truth here, no joke, not playin', no kid, no fib, seriously... if no one told me that this was beef heart, I would have thought it was thin slices of flank steak. I'm not sure how the heart has the same texture as the other cuts... but it does. The marinade was delicious... I enjoyed eating the pieces alone without the peanut sauce.
2 sauces on the table:
Green Sauce: This sauce should come with an air horn style warning. It is hot!!! I put a pea size on a spoon and tasted it... Let's just say it took a while for my mouth to cool down. It's looks like ground jalapenos and other chiles.
White sauce: This tasted like a mix of sour cream, mayo, and hot sauce - both me and my dining companion agreed.
Saltena:
This might have been my favorite thing of the whole meal. An empanada filled with chicken and egg and a good amount of savory sauce just leaks out when you pop the top. It's like a Bolivian version of a Xiao Long Bao. It was amazing, epic, great, tasty, flavorful, delicate, punchy, salty, in your face, delectable and fun. The next time I go here, I will be order one of these personally for me, maybe 2 !
Empanada:
It was good, but no where near as good as the Saltena. I mean... man was that thing good.