Have you ever ordered something off a foreign menu with a question mark in the back of your mind only to be surprised by its intense flavors that send you to your happy place? Our favorite Flavoristas kicked off their 2020 Flavors adventures with a continuation of their exploration of exotic eats in Canyon County – the second most populous county in Southwest Idaho. During this Flavors outing, the dynamic duo ventured over to enjoy the popping flavors of Colombian cuisine at El Cafetal Colombian Restaurant off of Garrity Boulevard in Nampa where they joined forces with the restaurant owner to locate Colombia on the world map adorning the restaurant wall.
Idaho is known for its infamous potatoes, and what does one do when “Stuffed Potatoes” are on the menu of a Colombian restaurant? You guessed it – “one order please!” The reason is simple, our Flavoristas are Lao-Idahoan and Kenyan-Idahoan. Yes, Idahoans! Honoring our beautiful state’s root vegetable – the potato, one would think that “Stuffed Potatoes” mirror the twice-baked potatoes but somehow Colombian style. These perfectly round fist-size balls of a flavorful mixture of diced potatoes, rice, meat, and seasonings dipped in light batter and fried to a golden crisp to seal in the soul of this Colombian comfort food is the twice-baked potatoes new competition. Move over twice-baked spud and hello fried crispy spud-muffin! For you rootatarians out there, this it!
Our Flavoristas enjoyed this heavenly batch of carbohydrates as an appetizer before indulging in what would come after – a whole fried tilapia and thick chunks of shredded beef both seasoned with Colombian spices and paired with pressed fried plantains. To help wash down their meals, the owner made them creamy mango and passionate fruit juice beverages. Let’s just say that our Flavoristas were satisfied and as the saying goes, they’ll surely be back!