A short time ago I happened to mention to a friend that I have not had a good pupusa in a long time. Let me back track. How does a suburban boy, brought up in the mean streets of Danville, come to have a hankering for such a traditional South American dish? Why, working in the food industry, of course. The front of the house may be serving steak, burgers, seafood, pastas, or whatever identity any given restaurant may hold, but be assured that the back of the house is eating Mexican, El Salvadorian, Guatemalan, or any other fare that makes up the heritage of most of the work force.
Tamales and Pupusa were staples in “bring your lunch to work,” as not only are they tasty, but their inexpensive ingredients go a long way. And, they instill a sense of communal eating. They also travel well and keep for long periods of time as breaks in the kitchen may be few and far between. But I digress.
Thinking, naturally, I would have to travel to San Francisco to indulge in this growing obsession, I was very surprised when my friend told me to meet him at Mi Casa in Walnut Creek.
This corner home has been transformed into the perfect representation of the colorful eateries south of the border. Small and unassuming, you are greeted at the front by a zen fountain and walk in directly into the small, yet full, bar. The Dining rooms is split in two with a series of small tables that can easily be configured to accommodate any number of large parties, and just past the sliding glass doors lay the patio with brightly colored umbrellas and flags. I knew at once, that this place is authentic.
In 2007, Argentina Maldonado decided that she had sat on her family’s recipes too long and opened the doors of her family establishment, intent upon delivering authentic Mexican and Central American cuisine.
There is no reason that Argentina should not be home balancing the books and popping in the restaurant from time to time to say hello, but she is there, every day, taking your order and making suggestions. The smile on her face as she works the floor would suggest that this is new, but it is not; she is merely thrilled that you are there in her home away from home.
We started with the tortilla soup—a mild broth which allowed the textures of the individual ingredients to burst through, accented by huge chunks of fresh avocado. Next, we had the cactus salad. This dish has single-handedly kept me up at night; it has been the wager on inner office bets, and has had me planning full meals around the take-home order. The salad is made of real cactus, viscous and healthy, combined with black beans, veggies and spices that you could not pull apart with a chemistry degree. The only way to describe the cactus salad is, “cathartic.”
Then the pupusas. Three standard choices: Bean, Loroco (an edible vine flower) or Reveuelta (combination of bean, cheese and pork), all served with the orangish salsorojo and shredded pickled cabbage, stuffed inside a thick corn tortilla. Unlike my experiences in many kitchens, these come pre-assembled for your enjoyment and cut into quarters.
The best thing that ever happened me is when our company took office space just a half block away from MiCasa. The saddest thing that ever happened is when we moved to San Ramon.
We still make the trek back there when one of us in the office wins a friendly cactus salad and pupusa bet and we have taken to creating bets just to insure we get to go. I won a bet recently centered on the television show The Bachelorette (don’t judge me).
Argentina has created a space to share her passion and properly calls it, “My Home!”
Mi Casa, 2195 N Broadway Walnut Creek, 925 937 8800
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