La Fonda Antioqueña~ 4903 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90029 ~ (323) 957-5164
Ever since a beautiful Colombiana stole my heart, and introduced me to her welcoming extended family in the birthplace of the cumbia, the process of seeking out Colombian restaurants in the southland has become a bit of an obsessive pastime. And, since going to one of these restaurants is a usually a special occasion, we tend to over-order, taking home the leftovers to make use of them for the rest of the week.
We started off the mini-feast with an appetizer of empanadas, in this case, spiced ground beef surrounded by fried corn-meal. If that doesn't evoke enough of an idea, just think of it as the most delicious hot pocket you could ever imagine. And the condiments for this delicious hot pocket, you ask? Instead of what we might think of as pico de gallo or salsa, the equivalent Colombian condiment is a mix called ahí, which still has spicy chili bits in it, but is much lighter on the tomato and heavier on the parsley and green onion. Personally, I love the stuff and lovingly tilt a spoonful of ahí onto each bite of my empanada. Empanadas are frequently served with a lemon wedge, as many believe that a squirt of fresh lemon enhances the overall empanada experience
There was a bit of marine layer and a brisk breeze near our home base, which made us crave a hearty soup. The typical dish of the capital, Bogotá, is a chicken soup called ajiaco. Ajiaco seems to be what colonialists cooked up when they wanted to make a fancy, European-style chicken soup with the ingredients available in their New World. The broth is fortified by three varieties of potato and corn on the half-cob, and flavored with onions, bay leaves, and guascas, a herb that can be hard to find stateside. The flavor of guascas has been described as "grassy" by some, "special and indescribable" by others; I have read in several sources that you just can't call it ajiaco if it doesn't have guascas in it, and that there is no substitute. The soup is finished off with garnishes of heavy cream, avocado, and capers.