Conscious Choice: Creative Twists on Colombian Cuisine

August 2004 | Conscious Dining

Creative Twists on Colombian Cuisine

by Janine MacLachlan

In Herbert Delgado’s native Colombia, la fonda refers to a roadside restaurant where weary travelers can stop for a substantial meal and pick up a few groceries. But in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood La Fonda is a destination in itself.

Inventive Cuisine at Friendly Prices

Chef/owner Delgado presents the best of two worlds in his 18-year-old restaurant by mixing the comforting authenticity of traditional home-style Colombian fare with contemporary dishes that integrate other Latin flavors. Starters such as arepas ($4.50- $5.95), little corn cakes, are as popular in Colombia as tortillas are in Mexico.

The morcilla ($4.95), blood pudding served with guajillo sauce and green plantains, is a recipe straight from the kitchen of Delgado’s mother. On the contemporary side, a starter special, nidos e camaron ($6), curry shrimp in a green plantain nest with poblano sauce, uses flavors not found in Colombia. Curry is an obvious import, but so it the poblano since you won’t find peppers in traditional Colombian cooking. The Argentinian-style empanadas ($3) — a sort of savory turnover — are encased in a flour-based pastry filled with beef and raisins, while the traditional Colombian empanadas ($2) are corn pastries filled with beef or vegetables.

Vegetarians can meander through the appetizer menu by ordering spinach/mushroom empanadas ($2) with avocado hot sauce, arepas ($4.50), griddle corn cakes with mushrooms sautéed in red wine with mozzarella, or tostonachos caribenos ($4.25), fried green plantains topped with melted cheese and served with guacamole and black beans.

Don’t miss the yuca frita ($3.75), one of the best Latino French fries in this reviewer’s memory. The yuca, (spelled yucca in most American dictionaries) is a root vegetable similar to the potato that Delgado first boils, drains and freezes. He then plunges it straight into boiling oil, making the fries crisp rather than mushy. Delgado chooses his yucca from Colombia, because he prefers the texture, and buys ingredients from Costa Rica or Puerto Rico only when his favorites aren’t available. In fact, he serves many foods from Colombia, picked fresh, then frozen and shipped to the United States.

In terms of main courses, the lomo de cerdo ($13.95), a grilled marinated pork loin served with white rice, yucca fries, chipotle/guava glaze and black beans with corn salsa, looks like a party on the plate and must be one of the more popular entrées judging by the number coming out of the kitchen. A dining companion on one visit was partial to the sobrebarriga a la criolla ($12.95), a flank steak simmered in Creole sauce, with new potatoes, rice and sweet plantains, a member of the banana family. The tilapia ($14.95), considered a responsible fish choice, is sealed in a plantain leaf and baked in its own juices and served with a white wine cilantro sauce and yucca croquettes.

Creative Cocktails and Traditional Desserts

Even the beverages have a decidedly Colombian touch. La Fonda recently added two Colombian beers to its list, and serves Colombian carbonated orange and apple sodas. Rum and tequila cocktails — purely Delgado inventions — are made with fresh juices from blackberries, mango, passion fruit, pineapple and lime, perfect summer refreshment. At the end of the meal try a traditional flan ($4.50), punctuated with blackberry sauce, or indulge in the tres leches con guanabana ($5.50), a yellow cake with sauce made from soursop, another tropical fruit.

Hand-made Ambiance

La Fonda’s current location is fairly new — a fire destroyed the original space at Clark Street near Lawrence Avenue. Delgado, with the help of family members, restored the coppery tin ceiling and stripped the walls down to exposed brick. The walls feature art commissioned from a Colombian painter depicting Colombian cooking implements, as well as pieces by Latin artists who live in Chicago.

The Final Word

A number of longtime patrons from neighboring states phone ahead to request that Delgado’s sparkly wife, Beatriz, who runs the front of the house, be their server. La Fonda is a warm and welcoming place to enjoy good food in a friendly atmosphere. If you’re in the area around lunchtime during the week, check out the lunch buffet for $7.95.

La Fonda Latino Grill, 5350 N. Broadway, Chicago, 773-271-3935. Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m9 p.m., Sunday 11:30 a.m.8:30 p.m. Closed Monday.

Janine MacLachlan is a writer, cooking school owner and food enthusiast whose search for well-raised food is a passion.

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