The Art of Dining

I ordered a good glass of white wine, Chilean, one of several offered here from South American wineries, and, as is usual, gazpacho ($5.50). This one, according to the flag printed next to it on the menu, was Mexican in style if not in origin. Unfortunately, it proved a disappointment, being far too acidic for my taste. My wife tried the escabeche ($5.75), which was described as pickled fish with vegetables, but turned out to be a salad with some anonymous strips of fish in it. It was certainly fresh, and beautifully presented, but not what either of us had hoped for.

The platos principalescame to the rescue. The torta ($6.95), a Mexican sandwich concocted from spicy marinated beef, served on a roll with lettuce and avocado, along with spinach salad, turned out to be a juicy, pungent, melt-in-your-mouth meal all by itself, while the spinach and garlic enchilada ($6.50) from El Salvador was perhaps even better and came served with some delicious yucca chips. On recommendation of the manager, we also ordered the jicama-and-orange salad ($6), which, as advertised, was both refreshing and delicious, although the oranges were a touch too chilled.

And so, along with a slightly bland cappuccino (I asked for an extra shot of espresso in mine), on to the caloric Cuban extravaganza known as platanos con ron arcaramelado (ripe plantains in a rum-and-caramel sauce over vanilla-bean ice cream). It’s very good, but all I can say is: Go with a friend, and share it. As a grown-up, I felt almost embarrassed to be seen eating it. But then, I could have chosen one of the more mature desserts, like the fresh strawberries with powdered sugar, balsamic vinegar and mint leaves. I did, in fact, also choose a flan, usually a fairly mature concoction, but then I don’t suppose I’ve ever had a Colombian flan before. If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll like it. Served on the sun-dappled patio, with maybe a Peruvian beer, the pleasure afforded from a late-afternoon bite here is hard to beat. 644 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach; (562) 435-4048. (BB)