John T.
Yelp
Long live the Queen!
I hadn't had Salvadoran food since I'd left Chicago (over 4 years ago). Being that Nashville has such a robust Central American community, I knew that I would find some gems once I spent the time looking for them. It came to pass, though, that I was tasked with finding gluten-free ethnic cuisine that skewed toward sabor latino. Done. Easy. To the queen we went.
Traveling down this stretch of Nolensville, I always think that I need to spend more time digging around in this area. There's so much more to this city than The Gulch, 12 South and East End. It's a shame that more folks don't take the time to fully take in all the interesting sights, sounds and tastes the metro has to offer. Oh well. More for me. I knew to watch out for Timmons as I sped down Nolensville. Even though the address of the restaurant says Nolensville, the front (and parking) is on the side street. Once I parked, I walked in to find a small dining room, packed with folks chatting, watching soccer (2 TVs) and chilling out. I grabbed a menu and took a seat. True as was noted in previous reviews, I had a chance to dust off my Spanish (although the server speaks enough English to make ordering and communicating easy enough). I ordered a pupusa mixta (con queso, frijoles y cerdo) and the yuca frita con pescado. Done. Easy. I sat down and watched the game while my to-go food was made to order. Before too long my food was ready and it cost a whopping $9. That's what I'm talking about. Even better, since the food was made to-go, my server bagged up some curtido and sauce for the road. That's really what I am talking about.
When I tell you that this food knocked my socks off, I am not giving it enough credit. The pupusa, on its own, was delicious. Thick, with a very pleasant texture, the bean, cheese and pork combo was a savory touchdown. When topped, however, with the curtido... oh my goodness. That's some next-level goodness. The yuca frita was a revelation. I'd had variations of the dish, but never quite like this. The dish came with numerous, generous chunks of tender (!) yuca paired with cabbage, radish, cucumber, and tomato. On its own, interesting. But, the queen took it to the next level with the addition of a cup or so of fried anchovies and the sweet orange sauce. Crazy.good. I couldn't believe what my mouth and belly were experiencing. I'd had Salvadoran food before but never as good as this. For $9, my culinary world was rocked and I had food enough for two meals. This place is going into my permanent rotation.