"Best place for a quick bite"

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We were starved.  And angry (but tried not to show it, but announcing bingo is apparently a lot more complicated then we expected).  Anways, to tide us over we wanted to try LaSala’s Deli.  So we ordered a poor boy (fitting for us nursing students) half loaf and split it six ways.  We weren’t overly impressed, but it wasn’t horrible either.  The bread was more of a tough “Aladdin” bread and didn’t boast a freshly homemade flavor, because it isn’t.  However, cool place that has been there since 1921.

Salvadoran..wait, is that even a word?

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You know it’s a hit when you go two weeks in a row (or it is just affordable, which this place is!).  Sabor Centro Americano is one of the few (if there even is 2) places you can get a pupusa in KC.  What is a pupusa you ask? 

“A pupusa is a traditional Salvadoran dish made of thick, hand-made corn tortilla (made using masa de maíz, a maize flour dough used in Latin American cuisine) that is filled with a blend of the following: cheese (queso) (usually a soft cheese called Quesillo found in all Central America), cooked pork meat ground to a paste consistency, squash (ayote), or (pataste), refried beans (frijoles refritos), or queso con loroco (loroco is a vine flower bud from Central America, with natural aphrodisiac properties.” thanks wikipedia.

Pupusas before toppings & after.

Pupusas are typically served with curtido (lightly fermented cabbage slaw with red chilies and vinegar) and a watery tomato salsa.  Kind of a blend of mexican and german (sauerkraut-ish), but surprisingly a hit!  They also have small tacos that reminded us of chipotle due to the cilantro and taste of pork with seasoning (but this was soo much spicier!).  They had horchata and other fun pineapple and papaya drinks, as well as a plantain and yogurt dessert.  I wouldn’t reccomend the Hen Soup- it was a mix of a whole (bones and all) hen, carrots, potatoes, onions and…plantains.

Where can we find authentic?

 

So at Don Bosco, we had the pleasure of meeting a Sicilian native.  We proceeded to ask her immediately about the best Italian place around, and she quickly said Anthony’s. After an exciting ‘windshield survey’ (which is an entirely different story including trips to the Vietnamese grocery store, a “real” mexican bakery, and visiting the projects..) we made our way to eat.  Now, whenever we leave the seniors, we are still in our scrubs so walking into the restaurant, we see people wearing nice clothes with a dimly lit dining room..aka we feel out of place.  Anyways, our table orders everything from raviolis, chicken spiedini, and eggplant parmesean.  

Snagged free dessert because we were nurses 🙂

I usually critique an Italian place based on the sauce.  The sauce here was simply tomatoes and olive oil, nothing more.  Because of that, nothing really stood out. The bread they offered with the meal was a type of sourdough, not my favorite either.  The best part of the meal was the desserts.  This was a nice, family owned place that we assumed was a favorite to our friend because that is what she knows and is comfortable with.  Our search for the best Italian will continue.