Just finished up lunch with The DLC at El Cipote. I'm extremely impressed with this place. We sampled a handful of things, starting with an
orden de platanos on the back side of the menu. I imagine this is what Doug described above, though the sugar seemed to be added before the saute rather than sprinkled on afterwards. These babies offered a wonderful textural contrast between the sweet creamy center and the crispy caramelized exterior. The top-notch
crema for dipping or drizzling was simply gilding the lily. Of a few photos I took of our foodstuffs, this is the only one that was particularly appetizing:
I hadn't but polished off one or two of these, when next to our table came a
pastel de carne and a
tamal de cerdo. I'm not sure if the usage of
cerdo rather than
puerco is regional Spanish, or if there is a substantive difference, though the word was new to me. And so was the tamale...this thing was a beauty, a largish log wrapped in a banana leaf, the masa showing the characteristic moistness of Central American tamales. And the pork...wow. "Unctuous" is the word that comes to mine, so meltingly tender, but with terrific body and great pork flavor, cooked on the bone, though I didn't get much bone in my half. This was a really well-crafted tamale.
The meat pie/
pastel de carne was essentially a ground beef empanada, some small potato pieces mixed in I think. Spicing was subtle (as is customary for many South and Central American meat preparations) but the package was hot, fresh, and fried just right. There was something slightly unfamiliar about the pastry, though I ate it too quickly to reflect much on what it was...a cornmeal dusting, perhaps?
The pupusas were served last, one
loroco (described here as zucchini) and the other
revuelta (I think a bean and cheese mixture). Perhaps because I'd already eaten enough food for lunch by this time, but I was less excited about the pupusas than the other offerings. Which isn't to say they weren't excellent--the pancake was delicate and the filling was hot and fresh. Seasoning, again, was minimal, but the
curtido and hot sauce were a delightful complement. I may ask for a pupusa to come out first next time. Good, but not the draw of the other items.
The service was charming, and the interior was surprisingly nice and new looking. Our server happily (at least it seemed that way) allowed us to order one each of the meat pies and tamales, though they're offered in pairs on the back page
antojito menu.
They weren't busy, and I can see why, as this place gives new meaning to "tucked away in the corner of a strip mall."
See the empty looking space between Two the Point and Naturally Chiropractic? With the barely visible blue banner? Yeah, that's the one. It may not look open, but don't let that stop you. I believe the hours are 11am-9:00pm most days (or maybe all). I haven't eaten that broadly in south JoCo, but I can't think of any place I've yet visited in that neck of the woods that I'm certain to return to (and soon) besides El Cipote. I hope their letters come in soon.
(Also, they offer a lot of Mexican items, which they seem to believe are what people want, and I'm sure they're right. They may be very good too, but the sense I got was that the Salvadoran stuff is what they really know how to do well.)
Thanks for the recommendation, Doug, I'm really glad to have heard of this place, which would have undoubtedly remained off my radar for who knows how long.
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