Saturday, February 5, 2011

Que pan tan bello!!*


Bandeja Paisa
 The ice on the streets is melting (yes!) …..and it is going to refreeze later (dang!). This means that anything to be done outside, needs to be done during the day. That is exactly what we did. Lunch out - one of our very necessary errands - was at El Portal today.
I discovered El Portal some time ago (maybe a year?) through a Venezuelan coworker. Ironic it wasn’t through a Colombian person, wasn’t it? After knowing there was a Colombian “panadería” here in the Metroplex, I immediately made time to go and buy some bread. We were beyond happy with what I got: an assortment of roscón, pan aliñado, and almojabanas. There has been no turning back since then.

Sopa de Costilla.  Served with rice, avocado and patacon.

This place offers more than bread, however. If you are hungry, try some of the dishes they offer. What you see in the pictures are a “Bandeja Paisa”, a combination of steak, chorizo, rice, beans and an arepa. It is a very traditional Colombian dish. The other is a “Sopa de Costilla” (Rib Soup). The latter was the lunch special for just $6.99, and an excellent choice to keep warm. What are you waiting for? Come with a friend or your family and taste Colombia. We dare you not to love it!
Visit El Portal on Facebook or their website.

Their physical address is 2810 E. trinity mills #191
Carrollton, TX 75006

* This is listed as El Portal's Favorite Quote on their FB page.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Juan Valdéz

This is the actual package we got in the mail. Cup not included.


Today is the second day of icy roads.  When the ice lays its sheet on the streets, Texas becomes crazy.  You cannot drive, but slide down the road…. literally!  So I am not going out driving in this weather.  Tomorrow  it seems, will also be an icy day.  I am staying home, warm and cozy drinking my coffee.  It is a small, well-deserved luxury. What better way to start every day than with one of your favorite things?  The aroma, the warmth, the flavor…… Just thinking about it brings a smile to my face!

Anyway, not all coffee smells and tastes the same.  Colombian coffee has no competition in our home.  One of our favorite brands is Juan Valdéz (JV). There are no JV’s stores here in Texas, so we buy our supply online.  Volcán is the variety of our choice, but there are some others with a softer roast.  I invite you to give it a try.  Click here to browse their store and help coffee growers from the mountains of Colombia!

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Japanese Food

We had lunch at Hanaki today.    If you are looking for authentic Japanese food, this is it.  Today we had salad, miso soup, chirashi and green tea ice cream.  The price?  Drum roll….. $10.00!!  Have you had authentic, delicious sushi for that price before?  It is a very good Sunday lunch special!  We drive a number of miles to get our Japanese food, but it is definitely worth it!