Treks in the City: Mi Cocina Mi Pais & Bamboo House

Week 3: Mi Cocina Mi Pais & Bamboo House | Slideshow
Week 2: Sala Thai and Mike & Ronda’s The Place | Slideshow
Week 1: Valle Luna and Pita Jungle | Slideshow

Mi Cocina Mi Pais

Walking into Mi Cocina Mi Pais was like walking into my Aunt Rosa’s kitchen – if I had an Aunt Rosa. With just six tables and authentic knickknacks displayed throughout the restaurant, this quaint Ecuadorian place exudes homey comfort. The music playing overhead was very upbeat and made me want to salsa dance, but I sat down and ate some salsa to satisfy my taste buds instead.

We went during the week and were seated right away, but we have heard that on the weekends there is always a wait. The salsa was moderately spicy and chock full of fresh tomatoes. The chips were warm and crispy but required a tad more salt to appeal to Heather’s liking.

Heather and Olivia talked me into ordering a chica morada ($1.50), an all-natural beverage rich in vitamins A and C, calcium, phosphorus and protein and made out of purple corn, which gives it a natural violet color. It tasted like sweetened grape juice to me, but Heather said it tasted like a wax candle.

We then proceeded to appetizers. We ordered three different empanadas, pastry turnovers filled with meat and vegetables ($1.85 for one or $5.25 for three).

The empanada de puerco was a Spanish-style finger food filled with ground pork cooked in green-chile sauce. The green-chile sauce was sweet, and it seasoned the pork favorably, while the glazed, pastry-like crust finished the turnover nicely. If you like slightly sweetened meat, this will warm up your palate well.

The pastel de pollo had seasoned chicken mixed with imported chile and vegetables in a pastry crust. This empanada contained pulled chicken chunks complemented by peas, carrots and olives. The unique glaze on top finished it to perfection.

The empanada de carne was a mix of seasoned ground beef and olives in a golden pastry shell. You have to be a meat lover to enjoy this dish, as it chock is full of spicy beef, but there is just enough pastry shell to balance the beef flavor and texture in each bite.

While we nibbled on the appetizers, we stared at the menu, puzzled about what to order for main courses. Olivia asked the waiter what he suggested, and he said to close our eyes and point. So, we did. My finger pointed to the “Dona Estela” tallarin verde, a breaded steak and spaghetti with green sauce ($10.50). Olivia got the sudado de pescado: banana leaf-wrapped fish served with rice and banana chips ($10.50). Olivia and I chose the most expensive dishes on the menu, but it was reasonable considering what we ordered and the amount of food we received. Heather’s finger showed our loyalty to true cheapness, as it pointed in the direction of the seca de pollo, or chicken stew ($6.30). It was cooked with fresh herbs and imported spices and served with yellow rice and fried plantains.

My dinner was very good. It was the largest steak I’ve ever seen, and it was topped with a crispy fried breading. The spaghetti was green because of the pesto and had peas and peanuts mixed into it with Parmesan cheese on top. The steak was cooked just right, not too tough or raw. The small potato on the side was the best part of the dish. It was flavorful with a buttery pesto sauce and was cooked like a baked potato but without the skin, so I absolutely loved it.

Heather was delighted with her dish, as well. She thought the bananas in her chicken stew were the best part of her cheap eat. They were cut thick and grilled to a sweet perfection. The combination of the bananas and rice was surprisingly perfect. The chicken was soaked in spices, so it was very juicy. The broth was thickened, which made the chicken even better.

Olivia’s meal was pleasing to both the eye and the stomach. It was a colorful combination of different textures and tastes. The fish was delicious and was complemented with loads of savory tomatoes and bell peppers. The dish was flavorful and had a slight hint of spice to it. We all enjoyed the fried banana chips on her plate, and the white rice was a good consistency.

The food up to this point was great, but the absolute best part were the desserts. Heather went with the flan de coco ($3.15) because she enjoys both flan and coconut. This creamy custard recipe had a refreshing flan topping and a thick custard base that resembled dense pound cake with coconut flakes.

I ordered the babarois of guanabana ($3.15). It was a very light dessert made of guanabana fruit with chocolate sauce on the side. This dish comes out looking like a slice of cake, but it actually tastes like a pomegranate whipped into cream. The guanabana fruit is a tropical fruit that has a green rind containing white fruit and black seeds. This healthy dessert was all white with a refreshing whipped creme consistency. When drizzled on top, the chocolate sauce tops the dessert off perfectly.

Olivia’s choice was the torta de maduros ($3.15), a plantation sponge cake with fresh fruit. This rich dessert seemed to be a cross between a cheesecake and a fruitcake. The plantain sponge is more like pumpkin pie peppered with cinnamon and nutmeg. The dessert does have raisin surprises throughout the “pie filling,” so beware. On top is a thin layer of creamy white yogurt garnished with fresh fruit. The torte de maduros was refreshing but heavy. We will be going back for these amazing desserts.

Mi Cocina Mi Pais is definitely worth trying if you’re looking for something new. This small, family owned and operated restaurant has wonderful food and a nice atmosphere. Try it on a weeknight when you want home cooking but don’t want to cook.

Bamboo House

The Bamboo House at the corner of Seventh Street and Thunderbird. Parking is a challenge, so you might have to park around the back. We didn’t encounter any waits to be seated on a Saturday night, but we suggest asking for a table if you have a group larger than two because the booth we ended up sitting in was relatively tight with uncomfortable seats.

It took a while for our waitress to greet us, setting the stage for the poor service offered the entire the meal. We were given complimentary hot tea that was to our liking, but to start, Olivia and I ordered the hot and sour soup for two ($5.75). The soup came out steaming hot, and there seemed to be enough soup for more than two people, it was more like four. The tofu in the soup had a very good consistency although the soup was thick and had a little too much cornstarch in it. We didn’t like the tidbits of meat in the soup, but the shrimp was good.

Our team decided to order the PuPu Platter, a taster platter for three as an appetizer ($10.50), giving us the opportunity to taste a good number of its starter dishes. The large tray included fried wontons (12 for $3.25), butterfly shrimp (six for $5.95), beef on skewers (six for $5.95), honey chicken (10 for $5.50), spare ribs (five for $7.25), and egg rolls (one for $1).

The beef skewers were served still cooking (they were on a small, contained fire), so they were warm and very delicious. Heather thought they tasted like good beef jerky. I certainly suggest the egg rolls; I thought they were cooked perfectly, but Olivia said they were cooked too long because the wrapper was brown rather than golden and too dry. The butterfly shrimp was battered and deep fried for too long so the shrimp was chewy, and watch out; the shrimp tails are still attached. We do not suggest the wontons; they were very dry. The honey chicken though was sweet, cooked thoroughly and topped with a honey glaze that left a honey smacking feeling on your lips. The ribs were nothing special, rough and messy.

The true reason to try this restaurant lies in sheer number of main courses they have to offer. The menu had 950 dishes to offer. We tried two, as it is family style servings. We chose the orange flavored chicken with steamed rice ($7.25) and the house special chow mein ($7.95).

The orange chicken was spicier than expected, but very good. It was full of flavor. You have to like orange flavoring to really like this dish, as it is loaded. There was plenty of sauce on the dish, which made it good for mixing with the white steamed rice. Heather and I thought the rice was great, but Olivia thought it was dry.

The house special chow mein was delicious, sweet and flavorful, not too greasy. You could really taste the oyster sauce (an Asian cooking staple) throughout the dish, even in the chicken, shrimp, and beef that were all mixed in. The soft noodles were a little cold when they arrived, and the dish got cold really fast. We didn’t mind so much though because having the cold chow mein showed us that this dish would be do really well two days old as leftovers.

We suggest not subjecting yourself to the restaurant; order your food from the Bamboo House to go and eat comfortably in your own home if you’re looking for some flavorful Chinese takeout. The leftovers are going to taste great the next day, so, it’s OK to over order a little.

Treks in the City: Heather Puckett, Olivia Reyes, and Jen Forst