El Caserio

Ever had moments where you realized you totally forgot something or you did something wrong but it was too late to do anything about it? Well, that happened today. Let me explain.

I have a pretty long list of places I want to try as probably everyone else does. That list on my Blackberry is getting pretty darn long. It’s growing much faster than I am taking things off that list. I think that trend is going to continue for some time. Today I hit up El Caserio in Silverlake. Little did I know how close it is to the middle school I attended. Let me just say, that door to get into the restaurant is huge and heavy. What a door.

El Caserio is supposed to be some sort of cross between Ecuadorean and Italian food. I assumed it would be some sort of fusion type food I guess. I definitely knew what Italian food was but I definitely did not know what Ecuadorean food was like. Being ignorant as I am with regards to Latin America, I probably assumed they all had the same kind of food. You know, carne asada, tacos, burritos, menudo, taquitos, and all the stuff you’ll find at taquerias. Okay, I kid, not that ignorant. But the point is, I did not quite know what to expect. After eating there, I still probably don’t know what Ecuadorean food is like. As far as the Italian food goes, I don’t think I ordered anything Italian. I guess I was wrong about the fusion, or maybe there were some fusion dishes, but I didn’t find a trace of Italian in my dish.

First thing you’re given is bread and butter and… I don’t know, ahi? alli? It’s some hot sauce made from chilis and cilantro. That was some good stuff. I’m not one to handle spicy stuff so I just dripped some on my bread. So if you’re like me and you see this reddish-orange liquid, don’t dip, you may set your mouth on fire. But this is coming from someone who can’t really handle spicy things.

I had the Llapingachos con Fritada. It’s “Grilled potato patties with cheese served with pork rib roasted with garlic and onions topped with one egg over easy and peanut sauce.” Whew, try reading that again. Considering how long and descriptive the description was, I just assumed this just had to be El Caserio‘s signature dish. If it wasn’t THE signature dish, it had to be one of them. Nothing about it seemed quite Italian so I assumed this was a taste of Ecuadorean food. Let me just say this dish was great. The pork was well cooked, and eating the pork alone would have been good but not amazing. This is where that peanut sauce comes along. That peanut sauce and that egg. That peanut sauce and that egg and those potato patties. Eat that all with the pork in one bite and it creates a bite that calls for another bite and another. Only complaint I had was that I wish they gave me some more of that peanut sauce. Oh, and that other picture up above is the Casuela Marinera, “Fresh fish with mussels, clams, and shrimp broiled in green plantain and peanut sauce.”

After a satisfying meal, we ordered dessert. Though the entree was good, I think you could all pass on the dessert at El Caserio. It was okay, but at $8 a pop, it didn’t seem quite worth it. My friend ordered the crème brûlée and I had the “Strawberry Forever” pictured below.

Nothing worth mentioning but just look at it. Save that dessert money for elsewhere.

So I have a reason to come back. Two to be more exact. First, I thought the food was great, the ambiance is nice, prices are somewhat moderate, and service is great. Second, well, I guess more like fifth… I calculated the tip wrong and we ended up undertipping. Service was great but I calculated only a 10% tip rather than 20%. I forgot to double. I realized this by the time I got home; too late to do anything about it. In doing so I upheld a stereotype and broke one at the same time. I validated the fact that Asians are cheap but broke the stereotype of Asians being good at math. But they’re probably just assuming that Asians are cheap. I guess I just have to go there again to pay it off. Awesome!

El Caserio
401 Silver Lake Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
Phone: 213.273.8945